"A Different Daddy"
Galatians 4:6
Because you are God's children,
God has sent the Spirit of his Son into us to call out, "Abba!
Father!" (God’s
Word)
The antiseptic smell of the intensive care unit assaulted my nose
as I sat next to my father’s bed. Machines whirred and beeped
with each labored breath he took. One collapsed lung and the other
full of pneumonia predicted the outcome for him.
“So this is how it ends,” I pondered. For years, a
love-hate relationship with this man influenced many of my decisions.
Some good, some bad. I always sought his approval, but rarely did
he grant it.
Until two years ago, when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior.
At the age of 79, my earthly father discovered the Father God’s
unconditional love. I struggled to believe my father could transform
from a mean bitter man to one full of love for others. I traveled
five hundred miles just to look into those crinkled hazel eyes to
see a new dad peering out at me. Our relationship changed drastically.
Finally, my father became the dad I desired.
Now he lay dying. Two years was not long enough! Yet strangely,
I felt a deep peace. I knew he was going home to his Father in heaven.
I leaned over to kiss his damp forehead and using a name I had not
called him forty-five years, I whispered, “I love you, Daddy.
I’ll see you soon.
We use many terms to refer to our fathers. Father, poppa, pop,
dad and daddy all recall certain images in our minds. Our hearts
were designed for a father type of relationship. Perhaps your experience
with your father was like mine, not the best. Or maybe you had a
wonderful daddy, if so count your blessings. Whatever the relationships
between you and your father, remember he is human. No one is perfect.
We all have faults.
Many of us remember the old television show of “Father Knows
Best.” We smile fondly as we recall the perfect family with
the father sowing his wisdom in all sorts of different scenarios.
What a family! Dad wore suits, mom wore dresses, and the children
behaved with admirable manners.
However, in today’s culture we watch bumbling television
families. The Simpsons or the Osbournes appear nightly across the
television screens of our homes. With such examples of fathers traipsing
before us, how do we perceive our Heavenly Father?
The God of the universe is our Heavenly Father. He loves us as
his daughters and longs for us to love and trust him as our “Daddy.” Scripture
tells us, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming
down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change
like shifting shadows (James 1:17 NIV).” God is the ultimate
father who bestows good and perfect gifts to his children. He does
not change; he is worthy of our trust.
For me, eventually learning to trust my earthly father allowed
me to call him, “Daddy.” In the same way, when we trust
our Heavenly Father, he becomes a perfect daddy to us. In our key
verse today, “Abba” translates as daddy. God
desires to be our Father God, the perfect Father, our Daddy, and
our Abba.
Will you trust him today as your “Abba Father?”
Whispers from the Heart:
Dear Father God, help me to know in my heart that you love me with a perfect fatherly love. Begin to teach me how to relate to you as my “Abba, Daddy.”
© 2006 By Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved. To Comment on this devotional, please contact us.
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