God the Son is a concept I can wrap my brain around. His humanity makes Jesus feel approachable, relatable even. God the Spirit is a more abstract concept, but my head and heart can still connect the dots. I’ve felt the Spirit’s stirrings in my heart. I’ve seen Him bring peace and joy to His people. But God the Father? I’m afraid that’s where you lose me. Picturing Him feels like lying on my back and watching cloud pictures float across the sky. One second I can make out the edges of the image through squinted eyes; the next, it’s gone. I have a hard time grasping God the Father and an even harder time picturing God as my Father.
You don’t have to read too closely between the lines to discern that my relationship with my dad has been complicated. There’s affection there, but we’ve learned the hard way that the bumps and potholes of life can fracture our tender bond. There’s no reason to go into the specifics here because you’re likely already thinking of your own dad. Perhaps he’s been absent, apathetic, or abusive, and when you get to passages that describe God as Father, you can’t help but question His love for you. Or maybe when you count your lucky stars, your loving, attentive earthly father is among them. Even so, your earthly father is a sinner, incapable of loving you perfectly.
So when the Bible speaks of God’s love for us as a paternal love (1John 3:1), the kind between a loving father and a devoted daughter, it can be hard to see the full picture. John’s letter urges us to keep squinting, to keep trying to see God the Father. There’s a cadence, a rhythm that beats throughout the letter. John refers to God as Father over and over. That’s the downbeat: God is Father. God is Father. God is your Father. Look again and you’ll find a counter rhythm, the sweet language of childhood, gently referring to us, the readers, as little children, beloved and born of God (1John 3:2,7; 4:7). This language isn’t patronizing, but tender. The upbeat of the letter is this: You are His child. You are His child. You are His beloved child.
I’m well into my adult years, but sometimes my heart still takes the posture of a little girl, doubting God’s love or wanting to hide from Him in fear. John’s words gently bid me to look up and see the love God the Father has lavished upon me. I imagine Him kneeling down, lifting my chin to say:
“So now, little [child], remain in him so that when he appears [you] may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of him” (1John 2:28–29).
How do we know we’re His? Because of the kind of love God offers. Though we were once sinners, separated from the Father, He reaches toward us with paternal love. We have assurance of God’s love because He does not treat us like strangers. He treats us like family. And not the way you treat a distant cousin, awkwardly kept at arm’s length. No, God lavishes love upon us. He responds to us like a perfect Father should.
The wonder of this truth may still be hard to grasp, but it doesn’t change the facts. God is the Father “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV). And we are His beloved daughters.
I really do believe that God was prepping me for today’s reading. I had a dream of my dad last night… my dream was full of hurt and anger and sadness. As I made my coffee this morning I was asking God why I had dreamt that, and wondering if my dad was okay during the whole Covid mess.
My relationship with my dad has been non existent for a few years… it has been such a dark and messy road. I am slowly working at feeling free of all the weight and damage that my dad caused my family.
I sat down with coffee in hand, and read today’s scriptures and writing. Tears filled my eyes. Perhaps God was just reminding me that He is my Father. He loves me and will never leave me. I didn’t know I needed that reminder so desperately this morning. God is so good and I cannot fathom his love for me.
Praying for you Em
I’m thanking God right now. And I’m thinking of my daughter as I say this. Though she has many struggles and we have shed many tears and heartache’s, one thing is for sure, she knows that God her Father loves her. Because she is young she doesn’t quite understand His unconditional love yet but I’m grateful she knows she is loved by her Heavenly Father. But my heart also aches with the rest of you here as I can relate to most of you because my daughter does not have that relationship with her earthly father. I separated from him almost 3 years ago. My daughter cries so much and it’s often expressed some jealousy that she did not have a father like I did and that of her friends daddy’s. Please pray for her. And I pray that she will keep trying closer and closer to her heavenly father. She is asleep right now but in a little while we will read this devotional together. During this quarantine she and I have been doing SRT together. But I really love my alone time so I get up earlier to do my SRT and then do it again with her
What a good way to capture the struggle to know true intimacy with God the Father because of the imperfections of our earthly fathers. It can be too easy to look at people’s lives, whether our own or others, through an either-or lens. Perhaps one who had a great upbringing dismisses the idea of any discord with grasping our heavenly Father’s love, but in reality there is something lurking there unaware. I’ve seen those from abusive backgrounds either minimize the effect their father’s sin have on their souls, or they may be bitter toward him and believe they cannot be healed. In my own situation, I’ve found a need to periodically reevaluate my relationship with the Father as things from my upbringing still need addressed. Yet, I’m so thankful for the healing I’ve already received and can look back and see growing intimacy with my heavenly Father through all the trials and pains that come in this broken world. He truly is the perfect Father and I want to know him more. May His name be glorified forevermore. And thank you, Jesus, for coming to show us and make the way to the Father!
I lost my dad in October. He certainly was not a perfect man. But now that he is gone, his absence is huge and heartbreaking. It has made me understand the depths of a father’s love that we take for granted, even an imperfect human father.
Ashley, this passage is for sure confusing! The note for V.6 in my bible says “John is not asserting sinless perfection, but explaining that the believers life is characterized not by sin but by what is right.” It’s not that we’re perfect and sinless but that when we take a look at our choices and action our goal is that they point to Christ and a strife to be righteous and holy! I think more than anything the verse to remember is Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works so that no one may boast.” I hope this helps!
My earthly father cheated, lied, was abusive both physically and mentally. When he passed away I thought it would feel like a relief. It did a little, but mostly felt like a big gaping hole of grief. Grief of what I never had. I would watch dads with the girls and not understand how that felt or why I did not get that. Until many years later I have had the privilege to watch my dear sweet husband with our adopted daughter. How precious to watch the bond form out of nothing. When we brought her home she won’t let him touch or hold her. She would scream when he came near. Now she a middle schooler loves to talk to him about her day. Loves to tease him, love on him, and prefers him over the rest of us. I have had a front row seat to this love feast and to my own healing through God showing me His love through them. My husband would do anything for his girl. He adorns her and the feeling is mutual. My heavenly father loves me more than that. That is amazing!!
That’s such a beautiful and wonderful!! Thank you for sharing!
Kristen and ABBB, I, too, squirmed a little when I read those verses. I read several other translations (you can change that in the dropdown next to the verse reference) and found that The Message words it in the way I have always been taught. I hope this helps y’all. I know it helped me.
Ashley and Mandy, my understanding of this passage is that the one who practices sin does not belong to God means staying in a lifestyle of sin. We all will fall short of God’s holy standard in thought, in word, or in deed. The question is do we stay there? Or, do we confess our sin, receive forgiveness and cleansing and grow so that we will sin less and less in that area? Our Father is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love. He has promised that if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
❤️