An Example In Fatherhood

I've noticed over the past few years that there have been christitians who have taken to refering to God as "daddy."  I'm pretty sure that this is done out of reverence, as our Lord is often refered to in scripture as our "Heavenly Father."  Although this may be a term of honor, for someone who was raised in a single parent home the meaning could be lost altogether.  For the longest time I had alot of trouble using the term "Daddy" in reference to God.   My life experience with my own father, of course, had alot to do with that.  See, my parents were divorced when I was very young, so my memories of my own father were really not too positive.  So, using a term such as daddy when speaking of God was an issue for me.  I knew in my heart that God was a loving, caring and merciful God, that was not the issue.  Hearing people refer to God as daddy sometimes led me to compare Gods attributes to my own fathers, kind of a guilt by association.  I know now that God is nothing like my earthly father.  In fact, when my earthly father abandoned me, God was the one who swept me into his arms.  It's hard for someone who has never experienced the abandonment of a parent to realize the damage caused to children caused by divorce.  Maybe this is why I have such a heart for children who have gone through what I did.
I believe one way to ease that pain of not knowing a earthly father is to have a closer relationship with our heavenly father.  Whatever it is that our earthly fathers did to cause that pain in our hearts, we can be assured that God loves us unconditionally!  There is nowhhere is scripture where God claims "I love you...but.."  God does not put conditions of his love on his children, his desire is that everyone would come to know him.  God does not keep bankers hours, he is always as close as our next breath.  Even the most perfect human father could not compare to the father that God is.  The only thing our human fathers can hope to do is to learn from the example that God sets out for them.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of ones youth.  Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127: 3-5 NKJV

I can only imagine how different my life would have been had my own father known God.  One thing I am sure of,  however, is that through my pain, God brought me into a closer walk with him over time.  THAT is a true example of a father.

~Scott~