A Father’s Love

I didn’t grow up in the church and didn’t start attending church until I was about nineteen.  Even though my dad only came to know Jesus years before his death, he still modeled the love of a father to me.  I knew my dad as someone who loved me unconditionally, who saw the best in me, even the things that I didn’t see.  He was always there for me.

More than 11 years ago, my dad passed away due to a heart attack.  This left a gaping void and hole in my life.  We often desperately seek different things in our lives to fill that hole but only wind up frustrated and even more broken.

Over the years, I’ve had to learn to lean upon the Lord as my Father.  Because of my dad’s faithfulness as a loving father, this only made it easier to see God as a loving Father.  Even though I still miss my dad and have some hard days, I’ve learned that only God can fill that void and hole.

As I think about my beautiful children, I want to be the same model for them and want to be sure to show them the Father’s love.  One that is unconditional, that sees the best in them, builds them up and is always there for them.  I want to teach them about the Father that will never fail them.

You may not have been blessed to have as great of a model as I did for a father.  Or maybe you have also lost your father just as I have.  I want to encourage you to lean upon and learn to know God as your loving Father.

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. — Psalm 68:5