For the first 23 years of my life, I had a stiff and formal relationship with God.
I called him "Father." For me, "Father" was a word that inferred a wide gulf of separation between my regular mundane world and his mysterious heaven. I would pray the decalogue of the rosary, and when I got to the "Our Fathers" they were chanted with a quiet and serious solemnity: "Our Father who art in heaven, HALLOWED be thy name." What does hallowed mean? As a kid I thought it referred to some old sterile Cathedral where your voice echoed off stone walls while grandmas prayed silently in the pews. Come to think of it, I never said "Thy" to my own dad? My relationship with him was too personal to use such lofty language. God, however, was different than my dad; as the "Father" he was other. He dwelled in an untouchable land; and I thought the word "Thy" was the only title that could actually reach him there. As a result of this distance, I rarely thought about him when I played baseball on a hot summer day, was throwing a stick to my dog by the lake, or was watching a cheesy 1970's sit-com. God didn't enter that world. But my dad was there. I could talk to him on a cloudy Saturday while we ate peanuts, or I could ask him questions as we shot baskets on our driveway, he even watched some sit-coms with me and laughed at the "Fonz" just like I did. My dad was my friend, confidant and mentor. He was close by. As I grew so did my interest in my relationship with the "Father." I began to read his word and soon realized he wanted to enter my regular mundane world. He was the one who longed for intimacy with me, so he initiated a solution to bridge the wide gulf in our relationship. He sent Jesus: A man fashioned like me, speaking my language, feeling my emotions, and walking on the same green grass as I did. I fell in love with Jesus; driven to him by trials and learning about his love in the valley of the shadow. His cross was my invitation to have the "Father" become "Dad." Over a couple years of personal discovery, I decided to truly became his follower...a disciple. As I matured, so did my walk with God. I can remember very vividly a contentious argument I had with my earthly dad about faith. We did not see eye to eye on an issue of doctrine and religious practice. My dad was angry with me: as a compliant son, this was a moment of relational crisis for me. But instead of causing me to cower and agree with my dad's opinion, I was driven to God the "Father" to find answers. In this time of prayer and meditation, the "Father" really became my "Dad." I don't know how to explain it, but I needed that event to happen because it showed me that my walk with Jesus and God the Father, my Dad, was now mine. I was no longer riding the coattails of my parent's faith; I now owned my relationship with God. The "Father" not only entered my world as my "Dad", but he became my friend, confidant and mentor. The beautiful thing that happened was that this experience also allowed me to have real mercy on my earthly father. Because I could go to my "Dad" in heaven with my problems; I could more easily love my dad on earth. He didn't need to be my Savior or my source of knowledge and wisdom. I saw him as a man with flaws, a sinner like me, and I could forgive him because I knew God forgave him. I could rest in God's certain perfection; while knowing the rest of us are flawed humans, even my parents. I find many people in church have never made God their "Dad." As a result their parents are always dictating the parameters of their faith. When their parents fail or act hypocritical, they often feel betrayed and some will even abandon faith in God. If God is only your "Father", faith becomes a sterile religious duty. You will always be trying to appease a mysterious figure looming large in the far away heavens. But when God becomes your "Dad" he enters your world. He walks with you, he laughs at your triumphs and picks you up when you fall. Who is God to you? Your "Father" or your "Dad."
1 Comment
Mark Rawson
6/15/2015 12:58:00 pm
PC,
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