Last night I came across an article from Kirk Cameron’s
website that talked about fatherhood and what it meant to have a Holy and
loving Father in Heaven.
He talks about, “It starts young when a little girl’s heart
longs for Daddy. Not only do girls need physical protection from their fathers
but also emotional and spiritual safeguards throughout their life.”
He discusses 8 non-negotiables for father to instill rich
love and faith into their daughters for the long haul. It made me sad to read
those because my father did not do a majority of them, and if he did, he did
them for an extremely short amount of time.
My dad disciplined consistency in rules with me, which made
me a very strong woman and it caused me to be very responsible and diligent in
all that I do. However there wasn’t consistency measure in the rules and
expectations for me as there was for my brother.
When I was younger, I lived with my dad and loved our
daddy-daughter dates. We would make pizza together every Friday night and I
thought it was the best pizza in the world. He also made the best spaghetti. We
went on road trips together and camping. Soon after being a teen, that all
ended and any time I tried to schedule time with him it was always forgotten
about or other things came up. Now there seems to be this wedge that I’ve
defensively put up to guard and protect myself from being hurt. I had spent a
year in therapy slowing breaking down the emotional barriers I have built
because of my relationship with my parents.
Then this morning I read Romans 8:15 which states: “For you
did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received
the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, Abba Father.”
While my parents may have had the best of intentions, there
has been a lot of hurt and damage along the way. I am thankful for a Heavenly
Father who loves to call me His Child. Who longs to spend time with me and
loves me and offers grace no matter what I have done.
My prayer is a shout of thanks to God. Thank you Lord, with
heartfelt gratitude and emotion for the ways I speak of your name, Abba Father,
for all you have done. Your arms are always open and never to short to embrace
me. I am thankful for a loving Father who provided love and strength for when
my earthly father could not.
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