Fatherhood

The other day I did a short journey by train. As I got on to the train and sat down I noticed a family seating in the row of seats opposite me, a little further down from where I was sitting. It didn’t take long before I was struck by the close relationship the two, quite small, children, a boy and a girl, had with their Dad – to them, he seemed to be the best person in the world, and they weren’t afraid to let him know it. On his side, his love for his children and his readiness to spend time with them, and to enjoy that time, was very much apparent.

Watching that Dad and his two children made me think about God and my relationship with Him as my Father. I am blessed to have a great Dad myself and I don’t have the struggles perceiving God as my loving Father that some people I know have, often because they’ve not had good relationships with their own fathers. Yet despite that, I don’t often take the time to actually think about what God as my Father means to me. For me, God as my Father means unconditional, accepting love, which I receive from Him on a daily basis. It means God sending His Son, Jesus, to make the way for me to have a relationship with Him because I could never be good on my own. It means forgiveness. It means strength, and even joy, in the hard times. It means I’ve been found, taken in and given a seat at the table in His house. It means I’ve found home. And that is just awesome!