***
As this Father's Day weekend approaches, I know many are feeling all kinds of feels.
The Good, the bad, and the ugly... right?
For many, Father's Day is a chance to celebrate an amazing Dad. For many others, however, this 'holiday' can stir up hard feelings, anger, resentment, old wounds, and fresh scars.
Some experience a sense of loss because their father is no longer here... or at least 'there' (active and available in their every day lives), while others experience gratitude for the memories - both past and ones still being made.
Many of our single Moms pull the weight of mother and father and they deserve to be celebrated and prayed for this weekend as well!
I shared a bit over at LifeLetterCafe this week about that, but with our One Word Prompt this week being RESTORE, I am pretty sure we are going to go there today! This is Five Minute Friday!
{GO}
I think back to when I was a baby Christian.
I'm not sure why other than I remember a strange feeling rising up within me whenever I would hear anyone pray out loud.
It was a whole new concept to me --to pray out in the open to a God who couldn't be seen.
But it was more than that.
The community that I was plugged into as a new believer was one who often referred to God as Father.
In prayer, it would be "Father God, this" and "Father God, that..." and while I liked my Dad just fine, this made me uncomfortable.
I wasn't sure why but I learned later, as I grew to love and trust God, that I had an image of "Father God" that was --well, it was not who Father God is.
I imagined an angry Father... standing far off, disappointed and uninvolved.
It took a few years for the Lord to peel away the layers and to reveal the glorious truth of how He loves me (read: us).
It also took some grace extended and forgiveness offered and a bit of restoration with my relationship with own Dad, who was around for all of my growing up years but not very 'present'. (Partly because, Hello 1970s... and partly because, like all of us find out when we become parents, he was just doing the best he could, right?)
Watching my own husband be a hands-on, very present Daddy healed a lot of hurt in me and helped me to see how God the Father is so fully in our corner...
He roots for our success
and comes to cover us when we fail.
His grace always covers...
Always restores...
Always loves...
He is always running towards us...
Rushing at us with a Love that is
unspeakable and full of glory!
We cannot fathom it, but oh, we can taste it!
At least a tiny little bit of it...
We can lean into it and say yes to His wide open arms. We can offer our bruised and battered hearts to rest easy in His nail-scarred hands... watching as He soothes and shapes us into something new.
Something --someONE-- He calls His Beloved!
Someone He has known all along...
we just couldn't see!
I believe that in this season of the Church... God is desiring to restore our impression of what Father means.
So many of us have a skewed version of what God looks like or how 'the Father' feels about us.
I say it around these parts often, but I will never * tire of saying it:
He RUNS for you!
He is after your heart!
He is the prodigal Father...
extravagant in His great Love for you!
And no matter what kind of earthly Dad you may have had, beyond the shadow of a doubt I can tell you that you have a Father in Heaven who is madly in love with you!
And ultimately, He alone is worthy of our praise!
{STOP}
So, this weekend,
give honor where honor is due...
whether it is your own Father
or step-Dad or Father-in-law...
whether it is an Uncle, a family friend,
or a single mother who fathers too...
whether it is your own husband or pastor,
or a brother who loves you well...
Say "Happy Father's Day!" and thank them for how they love you... how they love your kids.
But let's not forget to say
Happy Father's Day, to Father God...
and give thanks for how He loves us...
how He sees us and how He's always known...
for how He shapes us and
soothes us, and makes us new...
for how He creates a heart of flesh
and calls us His very own!
May you, and all who 'father' you, feel the warm embrace of a loving God who is worthy of your praise!
The Good, the bad, and the ugly... right?
For many, Father's Day is a chance to celebrate an amazing Dad. For many others, however, this 'holiday' can stir up hard feelings, anger, resentment, old wounds, and fresh scars.
Some experience a sense of loss because their father is no longer here... or at least 'there' (active and available in their every day lives), while others experience gratitude for the memories - both past and ones still being made.
Many of our single Moms pull the weight of mother and father and they deserve to be celebrated and prayed for this weekend as well!
I shared a bit over at LifeLetterCafe this week about that, but with our One Word Prompt this week being RESTORE, I am pretty sure we are going to go there today! This is Five Minute Friday!
{GO}
I think back to when I was a baby Christian.
I'm not sure why other than I remember a strange feeling rising up within me whenever I would hear anyone pray out loud.
It was a whole new concept to me --to pray out in the open to a God who couldn't be seen.
But it was more than that.
The community that I was plugged into as a new believer was one who often referred to God as Father.
In prayer, it would be "Father God, this" and "Father God, that..." and while I liked my Dad just fine, this made me uncomfortable.
I wasn't sure why but I learned later, as I grew to love and trust God, that I had an image of "Father God" that was --well, it was not who Father God is.
I imagined an angry Father... standing far off, disappointed and uninvolved.
It took a few years for the Lord to peel away the layers and to reveal the glorious truth of how He loves me (read: us).
It also took some grace extended and forgiveness offered and a bit of restoration with my relationship with own Dad, who was around for all of my growing up years but not very 'present'. (Partly because, Hello 1970s... and partly because, like all of us find out when we become parents, he was just doing the best he could, right?)
Watching my own husband be a hands-on, very present Daddy healed a lot of hurt in me and helped me to see how God the Father is so fully in our corner...
He roots for our success
and comes to cover us when we fail.
His grace always covers...
Always restores...
Always loves...
He is always running towards us...
Rushing at us with a Love that is
unspeakable and full of glory!
We cannot fathom it, but oh, we can taste it!
At least a tiny little bit of it...
We can lean into it and say yes to His wide open arms. We can offer our bruised and battered hearts to rest easy in His nail-scarred hands... watching as He soothes and shapes us into something new.
Something --someONE-- He calls His Beloved!
Someone He has known all along...
we just couldn't see!
I believe that in this season of the Church... God is desiring to restore our impression of what Father means.
So many of us have a skewed version of what God looks like or how 'the Father' feels about us.
I say it around these parts often, but I will never * tire of saying it:
He RUNS for you!
He is after your heart!
He is the prodigal Father...
extravagant in His great Love for you!
And no matter what kind of earthly Dad you may have had, beyond the shadow of a doubt I can tell you that you have a Father in Heaven who is madly in love with you!
And ultimately, He alone is worthy of our praise!
{STOP}
So, this weekend,
give honor where honor is due...
whether it is your own Father
or step-Dad or Father-in-law...
whether it is an Uncle, a family friend,
or a single mother who fathers too...
whether it is your own husband or pastor,
or a brother who loves you well...
Say "Happy Father's Day!" and thank them for how they love you... how they love your kids.
But let's not forget to say
Happy Father's Day, to Father God...
and give thanks for how He loves us...
how He sees us and how He's always known...
for how He shapes us and
soothes us, and makes us new...
for how He creates a heart of flesh
and calls us His very own!
May you, and all who 'father' you, feel the warm embrace of a loving God who is worthy of your praise!
The Five Minute Friday community is the best gathering of Flash mob writers around! We wait for the one-word prompt and we throw caution and hesitation and editing to the wind, and we let our fingers fly and our feelings feel and we just wait and see what flows out in five minutes (or so! Because, grace!) and we hit Publish without second-guessing or backspacing!
Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today. Five Minute Fridays give us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about "RESTORE"
Linking up with Kate Motaung and the #fmfparty Community today. Five Minute Fridays give us the chance to dive right in and share what He puts on our hearts! Click HERE to read what others have to say about "RESTORE"
The FMF lowdown: The gathering happens on Twitter on Thursday nights & then we write our hearts out & hit publish all over the interwebs on Thursday & Friday (& sometimes on Tuesdays!) It's where we encourage & uplift... where we share prayer requests & praise reports... where we talk food & friends & we find support & kindred hearts. It's where we are reminded that life is good & God is good & we're not alone... & then we all write for five minutes flat, a flash mob of wordsmiths letting our hearts & our fingers do the talking tapping & we hit publish before we can second guess it all away. We'd love to * = This marks the end of my five minutes!
I'm also linking up with the lovely writer communities linked below:
Crystal Twaddell for #FreshMarketFriday
Hey, Im visiting from the Five Minute Friday Link Up at #24. I related so much to your post. I needed to rewrite what the word father meant also. Thankful to be able to say I have a loving heavenly Father now. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by, Hannah! xoxo
DeleteKarrilee, your post encouraged me so much. I had a good talk with my Dad tonight. I feel bad that my choices are greatly impacting my parents. They went from empty nesters to having a full house wheny kids and I moved in. He reassured me tonight that my children and I are loved and we are home. I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and for my Dad. I am your neighbor at Five Minute Friday. - Jolene
ReplyDeleteJo... I'm so glad that you were able to talk things out with your Dad --and that he, of course, put your heart at ease! Praying for you and your kiddos as you transition into whatever is next... and thankful that you have such good and loving and supportive parents to help you get there, too! xoxo
DeleteBeautifully done post, dear Karrilee. Thank you for reminding us that God is a perfect Father who never neglects or abandons us.
ReplyDeleteBlessings ~ Wendy
Amen, Wendy! Isn't that just a Truth we could all use reminding of? Thanks so much for stopping by!
DeleteLoved this, Karrilee. My original family was pretty awful, so God, to me, was a hardass Marine colonel who could coldly order me to my death...and He would weep in private.
ReplyDeleteAren't you just so beyond thrilled to find that that is SO NOT TRUE? Love you, brother! Praying for you!
DeleteTrying to imagine God and comparing Him to regular fathers, even good ones ever works.
ReplyDeleteEven the good ones most definitely can not compare! Thanks so much for stopping by!
DeleteWhat a great reminder of the love of our Father! So grateful!
ReplyDeleteFound your post today on Purposeful Faith.
I'm linking for my friend Pam Blosser at JourneytoHim.com.
Thanks so much, Melanie! We all need this reminder from time to time, don't we? Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteSo, so grateful that our Heavenly Father loves us like no other! And, you are so right, we can taste just a bit of that love here. What must Heaven be like, where we will be there with Him? Amazing. Thank you for these precious words!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Bettie! xoxo
DeleteGod filled in all the places broken and empty from a father who wasn't there - and God has pursued me, stood by me, whispered comfort, sent people across my path to draw me closer - so I would know just what kind of Father I really had! I think you nailed it with " how He loves us...
ReplyDeletehow He sees us and how He's always known...
for how He shapes us and
soothes us, and makes us new...
for how He creates a heart of flesh
and calls us His very own!"
Oh yes... I'm so thankful for the ways He teaches me about what a Good, Good Father He is through those who love me well here in the flesh, who are in my life and those who randomly cross my path, along with His Word unfolding how He loves me (read: us)! Thanks so much for stopping by, my friend!
DeleteHi Friend! What a precious post on honoring our fathers, yet ultimately honoring our Father. Father's Day is a tricky one and I think you are so right. The view we have of our Heavenly Father is hugely dependent upon the experience we had with our earthly father. I am so thankful for God - His unfailing relentless love that heals our broken heart and broken relationships!
ReplyDeleteMuch love,
Lori
So much yes and amen! He's so. so good to us! xoxo
Delete