I heard an incredible story today and I think it is as true for many of us as it is for the person who sent it to me in an email. I quote:
I feel like I’m meeting my Dad for the first time!
My wife’s best friend is a real-life Jerry Springer show. She hadn’t been talking to her dad for a few years, bad situation. He’s a pretty terrible guy. Anyway, she found out a month ago that he isn’t her actual dad, and that her real dad has been trying to find her for 22 years, ever since the one-night stand that produced her. He has prayed for her non-stop since coming to know Jesus along the way.
Once he found her, he and his family immediately came to from a long distance to meet his daughter. She has a new dad! Just like that, everything she thought to be true about her father was completely WRONG and she had a dad! And her newborn, their first, now has a grandfather! Beautiful.
What a story, and I love his take-away from it!. Many of us have been taught that the God of the Bible is a mean, demanding, angry taskmaster and that if we don’t please him horrible things will happen to us. Try as we might to please him, we were never good enough and we end up feeling rejected and all alone. But that isn’t your Father. That’s someone masquerading as him to abuse your love, devour your joy, and destroy your life.
The Father who is really your Father has been searching for you all your life long. He has been closer than your breath, only you may have missed him with all the pretenders. Stop long enough to behold the Father who has always had great affection for you. That’s beautiful too!
I read this last night and went to bed with this on my mind. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for about a month now. When a person has run away from home because they believe their father is a cruel, distant, unaffectionate, strict disciplinarian with rules, regulations, and demands that they could never live up to or achieve, what would be the one thing to convince them to come home? In addition, what if the neighbors knew about this man and offered to hid the person (or people) to keep them from going back – what would be the one thing that would convince them to leave the neighbor’s house and go home?
Then I woke up in the middle of the night with the parable of the talents in my head – the servant who buried his talent did it because he was terrified of his Master. The others had a better relationship and understanding and wanted greatly to please their “Master” because they understood him. When he came back with his rewards and found the talent buried – the servant saw the real fury of the Master who called the servant a wicked and lazy servant. Perhaps this parable has more than one meaning. The guy with the one talent is like a lot of us have been in our understanding and the others have had a better revelation and relationship.
Thanks, Wayne – this is a much needed message.
Blessings – Bonnie Sasher in Tennessee
I read this last night and went to bed with this on my mind. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for about a month now. When a person has run away from home because they believe their father is a cruel, distant, unaffectionate, strict disciplinarian with rules, regulations, and demands that they could never live up to or achieve, what would be the one thing to convince them to come home? In addition, what if the neighbors knew about this man and offered to hid the person (or people) to keep them from going back – what would be the one thing that would convince them to leave the neighbor’s house and go home?
Then I woke up in the middle of the night with the parable of the talents in my head – the servant who buried his talent did it because he was terrified of his Master. The others had a better relationship and understanding and wanted greatly to please their “Master” because they understood him. When he came back with his rewards and found the talent buried – the servant saw the real fury of the Master who called the servant a wicked and lazy servant. Perhaps this parable has more than one meaning. The guy with the one talent is like a lot of us have been in our understanding and the others have had a better revelation and relationship.
Thanks, Wayne – this is a much needed message.
Blessings – Bonnie Sasher in Tennessee
There are so many real-life parables around to show us the truth about our Creator, our God, our Father. Thanks for sharing this story: it put me in mind of Exodus 34, when God told Moses “I will cause my glory to pass before you.” When the moment came, God Himself described his essence:”The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”
There are so many real-life parables around to show us the truth about our Creator, our God, our Father. Thanks for sharing this story: it put me in mind of Exodus 34, when God told Moses “I will cause my glory to pass before you.” When the moment came, God Himself described his essence:”The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”
Thanks for providing ministry through people’s journeys they share with you.
Thanks for providing ministry through people’s journeys they share with you.