Like a mysterious pattern, and perhaps further back than I am aware, the fathers in my family have been absent.  My mother’s dad abandoned her when she was just a couple months old, never to be heard from again.  My father did the same to me when I was 9 years old, coming back around off and on when I was 16 until I was 40.  With being married twice, my first husband never cared much about seeing my oldest daughter and my second marriage of 18 years, my youngest two daughters’ dad did the same thing to them.  After 2 years of choosing to be separated from them, he committed suicide, leaving the girls fatherless forever.

A void is undoubtedly left in the hearts of those of us who have experienced this abandonment.  Maybe step-dads can fill that void, I wouldn’t know.  What we are told, though is that our Heavenly Father can and will.  How though?

Years ago I ran across a prayer journal I had kept years prior to that.  Unfortunately I wasn’t very thorough with the information in it or I would have known the answer for myself to this post.  I remember the entry I had read that day.  I had listened to a sermon  and was thanking God for my revelation of what it meant for him to be my father.  It bothered me so much that I couldn’t remember that revelation as I read that journal entry.  I never tried to revisit that question until now.

My youngest daughter came home from a youth retreat today telling me how she had opened up to her counselor about her dad.  She never talks to her friends about the suicide, even to the friends who blurt out how they, too, want to end their own lives.  This was a first for her.  Tension and pressure was released from her body as she and her counselor sobbed together.  Now, wanting to find the meaning of “God, the Father” weighs even more on my heart so I can help her find that in Him.

Here is an excerpt from an article I came across tonight in my quest to find answers and I found it brilliant! :

source

He lovingly corrects us. As the true Father, God’s discipline and correction are always done out of love (Hebrews 12:3-11). Help your kids recognize the ways that God’s Spirit corrects us in our everyday decisions and interactions with others, how we can feel Him prodding us toward decisions that reflect His love and truth, and how we feel convicted when we choose to disobey.

He provides for our needs. Show your kids all the ways God provides for our needs. Celebrate rainstorms and apple trees and lakes full of fish. How much joy the true Father must receive when we enjoy all the good gifts that He has provided through creation (Matthew 7:11).

He gives us His wisdom. We help our kids learn life skills and encourage them in their gifts and talents. But help them see that true wisdom comes from our heavenly Father. His inspired Word is the ultimate source of wisdom and truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17d).

He always welcomes us back. We forgive our children when they mess up, and we try to help them make better choices in the future. Help your kids recognize that this is just a glimpse of God’s role in our lives. He is the ultimate model of forgiveness. We all mess up, but our true Father is constantly on watch for our return, running to us with joy when we turn back to His family (Luke 15:11-32).

Although written for guidance to younger children, it can be adapted for older teens and adults alike.  A journey, I myself, will take.

What have been your revelations of God as your father? Do you still struggle to see him in that light?  What has helped?  What has confused you?