A Neverending Father & A Always Forgetful Son

I guess you could say I grew up without the presence of a father figure. Yes, I have a father who loves me very much, but the simple truth was he wasn’t able to be around much. He didn’t get to witness the first time I triumphed over the infamous two wheel riding machine. He didn’t get to witness the time I won the flag football championship. He didn’t get to witness the first time I shaved (which sadly is a relatively new thing). I do not say any of this to offend my father nor do I say any of these to throw a pity party for myself. I merely mention these things to give reasons for why I had such difficulties in trusting and relating to God.

Not having a male role model left me in an interesting predicament. Because I grew up without a dad present 24/7 in my life I felt like I had to become independent, like I had to be the “man” of the house, like I needed to figure out things for myself. And for the majority of my life this do-it-yourself philosophy worked wonders. That is until God began to knock so loudly on my door that I couldn’t possibly ignore Him any longer.

You see, by definition allowing God to enter into your life, means that you need to realize that you can’t do it on your own.

I know this isn’t mind blowing to a lot of you, but to a 15 year old boy who thought he was a “man”, this concept was revolutionary. God is our father, and I don’t mean in some intangible abstract terminology sort of way. I mean literally he is our Father. He is our Creator. He is our maker. He loves us unconditionally. He is eternally proud of us. Guess what? Any curriculum you use to classify someone as a good dad, He does all of it but much better. 

Romans 8:15-16 (arguably one of my most favorite passages) guarantees us that God not only loves us, but more so loves us so much that he counts us as his sons and daughters.

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

 

This wonderful relationship and testimony to God’s Father heart is only further reiterated in the story of the Prodigal Son (in which the proverbial father runs to greet his son who turned his back on him).

 I am writing this for every person who came from a broken or incomplete family; for every person who thought they were “fatherless”; for every person who doesn’t know what it’s like to be the apple of a father’s eye; for every person who has never felt the embrace of a dad.

I write this to encourage. 

I write this to bring hope

I write this to unite sons and daughter with their Eternal Father

I often forget to remember that I am the son of a King!

Don’t forget that He is and will always be your bedrock of comfort and security

Merely,

Chris Gerac

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” 1 John 3:1, ESV