A Father’s Day Message

Happy Father’s Day, Australia! I’ve been thinking about something this week that just happens to line up remarkably well with today’s holiday.

Are you someone who loves your family dearly? And do you believe in honouring and respecting your parents? Now imagine for a moment choosing to ignore your father or your mother- you openly rebel, or worse, you don’t even acknowledge their existence. Perhaps you think life will be better with complete independence and they are only getting in the way. How do you think they would feel about this? Extreme sadness, pain, disappointment?

This is how our Heavenly Father feels when we turn our back on him. Imagine it! God created us in his image, in his likeness, that we could be called children of God, yet we despised and rejected him. We think we don’t need God, that he only gets in the way, that we know better. But we are just ignorant- how could we respond to the love of a father- the perfect father- like this? He only has our best interest in mind. God endured the cross for us, to bring us back to himself, yet many of us still respond in apathy. Apathy is the complete opposite of love, and it is love, pure, perfect love, that God has for us if we turn and accept his gift of grace- our place as a child of God.

Have you ever heard the parable of the prodigal son? Jesus told this story about a young son who requested his inheritance from his father early- as if even wishing his him dead. He squandered the money on selfish, meaningless things and didn’t realize the error of his ways until the money ran out and he was even worse off than his father’s servants. When he returned to his father to apologize, he received an unexpected reception- a gift- grace!

“So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”
Luke 15:20-24 NIV

This is the love of our great God! Grace is a gift we are free to accept or reject- but I can assure you that life with the guidance, comfort and love of our maker and designer is one of meaning and fulfillment. As we seek to know God more, we not only strengthen our relationship with him, our father, but we also better understand ourselves and why he made us uniquely the way we are- our purpose in his perfect plan.

Will you fully accept the love of your Heavenly Father this Father’s Day?

The Artist

Above: Music, by Rebecca Willis

In celebration of the first day of Spring bringing new life, and Father’s Day in Australia, I share this passage:

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Psalm 139: 13-16

I just love how God, our heavenly father and master artist, made each of us in His own image (Genesis 1:27), so beautiful and unique. Because we are each made in the image of God, if we look closely, we can see at least some good in each person- even our enemies. What I love most is how God has gifted each of us with different talents. No two of us are talented in the exact same way- ask any pair of twins you know! While the rest of my family tends towards areas of math and science, personally, I find more enjoyment in the artistic areas of singing, playing guitar, visual arts and writing poetry and song. I also love planning, researching practical topics and participating in nearly any activity involving water (as you probably figured).  None of us choose our personality or talents, but I hope we can all enjoy these areas of our personality to the fullness it was intended. I know I am incredibly grateful and can take no credit for anything I create- “every good and perfect gift comes from above” (James 1:17). I can only hope that my art points back to the creator. Over the next several posts, I’d like to share some of my poetry with you. I’ll start with this one: