I want to start out by saying; I don’t know how it feels to be loved by an earthly father. At the age of four, my birth father abandoned us. At the age of seven, my brother and I were adopted by the man who married our mother. Unfortunately, he too never showed us how it feels to be loved by an earthly father. I can’t remember him ever saying “I love you.” To my knowledge, he never stepped foot in a church, he was an alcoholic, and a heavy handed disciplinarian. Not a good mix! On a positive note, he did marry a woman with two young children. He did serve his country and participated in three wars. For that, I do respect him. But here’s some irony for you. Before dying, my mother asked me to look after him. As the Lord directed, I stood by him until the day he died by supporting him through his transition to assisted living. And then about a year before he died, he was crying and I asked him why. He balanced his hands in the air like a scale and said he wasn’t sure about the good outweighing the bad in his life. On that day, I shared the unconditional love and forgiveness of our Lord and Savior. On his knees, he declared Jesus Christ as his personal savior and accepted the forgiveness of the Lord. For that, I am truly grateful.
I want to end this somewhat disheartening story on a positive note. I do know what it feels like to be loved by my heavenly Father!
Excerpts from Battle Cry Good vs Evil
Chapter 18: Fear of the Lord
John 1:12–13 (NLT) says, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.” No matter our age, we will never outgrow our need to depend on our heavenly Father. We will always need His guidance, wisdom, and correction. He will never leave us. He will always be there for us. Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT) says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”
Author’s comments: How many of us know what it feels like to be physically or emotionally abandoned? Isn’t it great to know our heavenly Father promises to never abandon us?
Chapter 14: God Is Love
In John 3:16–17 (NLT) Jesus says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
Author’s comments: Thanks to God’s love, and His design of the family, we can feel the emotion of a Father giving His one and only Son as a sacrifice.
I know there are a lot of similar stories out there. If you’re willing to share, I’d love to hear yours.
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