I heard my father’s voice. It might not seem unusual, right? But my father left for Okinawa when I was just shy of four years old. To keep in touch with my mother, sister, and me, he bought small reel-to-reel tape recorders, allowing us to send taped messages back and forth. Just after my fifth birthday, he was killed in action in Vietnam.
It wasn’t until my late teens that I realized all my memories of him were merely stories my mother had shared. It felt like gazing at a two-dimensional paper doll moving across my mind—those were the only “memories” I had.
Fast forward sixty years, and my husband took those old reel-to-reel tapes and converted them into audio files. For the first time, I heard my father’s voice. The very first time. His voice was steeped in a Missouri drawl, where he mentioned he “worshed” his clothes, stretching out his words as he pondered what to say next. The experience was surreal. I’ve only listened to the first half hour of twenty hours of recordings—little bits, just little bits.
This provoked deep reflection. In the early days of my relationship with God, I often heard sermons about a loving God, one who conceived of us as His children and even referred to Him as “Daddy” or “Abba, Father.” To be honest, it was challenging for me to connect with that idea.
Understanding God as Father involves seeing Him as a perfect source of love, security, and guidance—qualities often absent in earthly fatherhood. This understanding implies creating a profound, trusting relationship with Him that transcends the imperfections we’ve experienced, bringing peace and acceptance through unconditional love and belonging.
Key Aspects of Relating to God as Father:
- Perfect Love and Affection: God’s love is unconditional. He delights in you and offers deep affection, regardless of your flaws or failures.
- Security and Belonging: Being part of His family provides eternal security, a sense of home, and a rightful place beside Him.
- Guidance and Provision: He leads, cares for, and corrects with wisdom, acting as your perfect guide.
- Healing from Earthly Wounds: God’s true Fatherhood replaces distorted images caused by negative experiences with earthly fathers, facilitating healing.
- Intimacy and Trust: This relationship is about knowing Him intimately, trusting His goodness, and resting in His unchanging nature rather than trying to earn His love.
How It Changes Your Perspective:
- You Are Loved: Transitioning from feeling distant or judged to knowing you are deeply loved and accepted.
- You Are Valuable: Your worth is based not on performance but simply on being His child, valued enough for God to send His Son.
- Peace, Not Pressure: This understanding replaces loneliness and dissatisfaction with peace, relieving the burden of striving for affection.
How to Embrace This Relationship:
- Pray: Address Him as “Father” or “Abba” (an intimate term) in your prayers.
- Focus on Jesus: Jesus reveals the Father’s true nature and goodness.
- Trust and Faith: Take steps of faith, hope, and love, trusting Him to provide and lead, even when earthly fathers have let you down.
- Renew Your View: Ask God to shift your understanding of Him from worldly concepts of fatherhood to His perfect, heavenly reality.
Understanding God’s role as Father has always read differently for me. There are times I wish I had an earthly father, yet the lessons and goodness I receive from the Lord always surpass that longing. I recognize that I am merely passing through this world. Above all, I know my Father is for me, not against me. He walks with me through every challenge, guiding me one step at a time. I trust that He is attentive to all the details of my life, continuously revealing His love and care.
He is a gracious and loving Father, eagerly welcoming me back even when I stumble. He provides for me in ways an earthly father simply could not. Under His protection, I find a refuge from all of life’s challenges, echoing the promise of Psalm 91. The joy and security I experience stem from the truth of who He is as Father—one who will never abandon me and loves me with an unconditional heart.
God, as my Father has profoundly shaped me into who I am today. He offers the same transformation to others around the world who seek Him as Father. Relating to God in this way is not a straightforward journey. Many are burdened by the wounds of neglect, abuse, or absence from their earthly fathers. Yet, I believe wholeheartedly that God is a good, good Father. He exists beyond our understanding of emotion and love because He embodies perfection.
This depth of perfection invites us to lower our defenses and surrender our lives into His hands, allowing Him to love us and reveal Himself in ways we may not grasp immediately. Yet, it’s through that very surrender we can fully accept Christ in the role He desires as our Father.
This acceptance brings healing and a joy deeper than any earthly being could provide. He is the most gracious, forgiving, and loving Father, waiting eagerly for you to embrace Him and live in this truth. Do not hesitate; the journey is worth every moment.