My Father and Heartaches
Recently, I saw a video online where the speaker talked about how many people perceive God. He said that the way a person perceives his earthly father greatly impacts the way he perceives God. If his earthly father was caring and compassionate, that's how he sees his Heavenly Father. On the other hand, if his earthly father was very un-nuturing, then that's how he perceives God.
I've been mightily blessed with my earthly father and the father of my child. My daddy is the best. I couldn't have dreamed up a better father. I have a father who instilled in me that there was or will be anything that will make him not love me, he may not always agree with everything I do but he will always love me. It was really easy for me to understand the Savior's love because of the example of my earthly father. What I've recently struggled the most with is not that God loves me no matter what, it's that this loving Father has allowed some terrible heartaches in my life over the past few years.
Jesus replied, "You do not realize what I am doing, but later you will understand." John 13:7
That verse has been hidden away in my heart since my teenage years. I know that there will be things in my life that I won't ever understand until I meet my Father, but coming to grips with the fact that He allows terrible things to happen to me is place where I will always have room to grow. It's been easy for me to let go and forgive the people who have caused me heartache because I know satan will use anyone and everything to keep from doing the Lord's Will. It hasn't been easy, stubbornness runs deep in my family, to accept the fact that the Lord allowed all these heartaches. Satan gets in at the first sign of doubt..."How could a Father who loves you so much that he'd send His son to die for you, allow all those things to happen to you? He can't really love you that much? How can you follow Him when you know He's just going to let all those things happen again?"
I finally had one of those V8 commercial moments. You know the one where the person is smacked in the forehead and told "You shoulda had a V8!" A divine realization if you will, because I think I was due for more than that, I probably would have taken myself to the wood shed so to speak. That verse bubbled up in my spirit and I no longer cared about how the Lord allowed all those terrible things. He reminded me that Jesus went through more heartaches and hurts than I ever will and he still said...
"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." John 6:38
So I've taken care of the bitterness growing in my heart and I've said to the Lord that I'm ready for what's next. My God is big enough and strong enough to take on all of my heartaches and yours! We only have to ask.
I've been mightily blessed with my earthly father and the father of my child. My daddy is the best. I couldn't have dreamed up a better father. I have a father who instilled in me that there was or will be anything that will make him not love me, he may not always agree with everything I do but he will always love me. It was really easy for me to understand the Savior's love because of the example of my earthly father. What I've recently struggled the most with is not that God loves me no matter what, it's that this loving Father has allowed some terrible heartaches in my life over the past few years.
Jesus replied, "You do not realize what I am doing, but later you will understand." John 13:7
That verse has been hidden away in my heart since my teenage years. I know that there will be things in my life that I won't ever understand until I meet my Father, but coming to grips with the fact that He allows terrible things to happen to me is place where I will always have room to grow. It's been easy for me to let go and forgive the people who have caused me heartache because I know satan will use anyone and everything to keep from doing the Lord's Will. It hasn't been easy, stubbornness runs deep in my family, to accept the fact that the Lord allowed all these heartaches. Satan gets in at the first sign of doubt..."How could a Father who loves you so much that he'd send His son to die for you, allow all those things to happen to you? He can't really love you that much? How can you follow Him when you know He's just going to let all those things happen again?"
I finally had one of those V8 commercial moments. You know the one where the person is smacked in the forehead and told "You shoulda had a V8!" A divine realization if you will, because I think I was due for more than that, I probably would have taken myself to the wood shed so to speak. That verse bubbled up in my spirit and I no longer cared about how the Lord allowed all those terrible things. He reminded me that Jesus went through more heartaches and hurts than I ever will and he still said...
"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." John 6:38
So I've taken care of the bitterness growing in my heart and I've said to the Lord that I'm ready for what's next. My God is big enough and strong enough to take on all of my heartaches and yours! We only have to ask.
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