I fell today and scraped my knee and it bled. Then I ate a whole box of oreo cookies.
I yelled at my husband and snapped at the cashier at the grocery store.
When I came home, my father berated me for falling and bleeding, for overeating, for yelling and for snapping at the cashier. He went on and on about how stupid I was and that I wouldn’t amount to anything. He slapped me across the face. Then he wouldn’t give me any food for a week because I had overeaten.
Was he correct in what he did? Or, was what he did emotional and physical abuse? Was he too harsh?
What would we do if we saw this happening? Look away? Talk to the father? Report it to a social services organization?
Sadly, many people just look away. We don’t condone what is going on but we don’t want to be involved. We can probably all agree that it’s wrong and that we wouldn’t behave this way.
A lot of us look at God in the same way. One who judges harshly. The Bible is full of stories that depict God as vengeful and full of hate.
And so, many of us look away from Him. We don’t want to be involved with a person like this. But that is not really who God is.
“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.” Matthew 7:11
Jesus came to show us what the Father (God) really is like. He came to take away our misconceptions of God being harsh and instead to show us that we can call God our Father, Abba, Papa, Papi. He came to show us the Father’s gentleness, kindness, peacefulness and His willingness to sacrifice everything for us.
Most earthly fathers will show that to their children. Our Heavenly Father will do no less.
“… for anyone who has seen me, has seen the Father.” John 14:9
Look at Jesus — you’ll see the Father.
The Desire of Ages
