We picture life by assimilating a whole lot of opinions and representations. It may have been as subtle as the way someone reacted to something or as direct as some sort of instructive brainwashing. The human mind is impressionable. We process what we experience of the world so that we can build a way of thinking. Some of the biggest influences are the people who are around us: parents (or the absence of them), friends, those that don’t like you and those you admire.
When it comes to God, however, this patchwork way of understanding can fall short of accurately describing who he is. If you base your understanding of God off of other people and their opinions, I can tell you now you probably won’t find the concept of God very attractive. It is only when you decide to find out for yourself what God is like that you can begin to form a more accurate picture.
If you go to the Bible for answers, one of the major things that it says God is like is a Perfect Father.
Now before your mind goes off into the earthly representation of Father you have, take some time to think about what the ideal father would be like:
- Loving
- Protective
- Encouraging
- Strong
- Affirming
- Committed
- Wise
These are just a few things that I can think of right now, but the list is endless. The problem is our earthly fathers don’t always portray this role in a way that is godly. An intentional recalibration of how you see God requires you to change the definition of Father that you have built through experience.
Think about everything you long for. What are those deep desires no one knows about? God the Father is the fulfilment – the answer to all of them. If it is the need for acceptance, the confirmation that you’re okay – God made you. You’re not only accepted, but intentionally thought out and made specifically. Earthly fathers should love their children, but they have no idea who they are raising until they spend time getting to know them. God, on the other hand, knows you inside out already and likes you. Yes – he likes what he has made.
If you feel directionless and lost, God has wisdom and encouragement for you. Earthly fathers might have lived a little longer and they could use that experience to advise you as to what you should do, but their experience is limited to their own situations. God the Father sees everything – every situation and every outcome. He wants you to succeed and can set you up for things you can’t even dream of. Yes, things won’t just come easy when you know God – but if the situation sucks, God is not finished working with you.
Our ultimate fear is that we are not loved. When I speak to people, I find they generally see God as someone who makes them feel guilty. But they are missing the fact that God loves them. As a good Father, God loves you in every state of being. Whether you are deep in depression, stuck in addiction, hyped up on anxiety, or completely broken by the world around you, God loves you. Whether you choose to believe it or not, right now the most unconditional love is directed towards you.
If you would like to experience God as a Father for yourself, can I encourage you to seek it through a relationship with Him? He actually wants to hang with you – in the good and the bad times. Think of it like a game of hide-and-seek. God never changes. He has always been a Father – waiting for His sons and daughters to find Him. And like any good father playing with his children, God is completely available and visible to His children.