In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.               Genesis 1:1-3 (HCSB)
Yesterday was Father’s Day. I no longer have a father to call on this day and so I try to encourage young fathers I know. I have learned much about parents and parenting as I have studied what God says about His relationship with His children.
Every Sunday afternoon my husband and I read what is called the “Lectionary Scriptures†for the week. They are an Old Testament passage, a Psalm, a passage from a letter, and a gospel passage. I love noticing the thread that runs through from Genesis to Revelation. Written by so many and yet inspired by One. This Sunday the group of passages was noted to be for Trinity Sunday. Father is part of the Trinity and so this week will be about the Father beginning with each one of the lectionary passages.
Christmas 1982: A young dad named John stayed up all night putting together a swing set for his, then, 3-year-old twins. The many hours, the skinned knuckles from trying to get bolts to tighten, the dirt under the nails digging holes to stabilize poles with concrete (how long does that take to set???) was all worth it when two children ran giggling out to play at 7 a.m. That is one of the ways that dads show how much they love.
Jesus said that fathers “give good gifts†to their children (Matthew 7:9-11). And there is a key point. What gifts are good? If we parents are Christians, then it is our faith, first and foremost. We could say that all other gifts we give “hang off†that first gift.
We give our children love. My love for my children is constructed by what I have learned about how my Heavenly Father gives me love. He has taught me so much about how to give love and what is truly love.
Paul warns that if we exasperate or provoke our children they may become discouraged (Colossians 3:21). We must give our children a place to grow that has the consequences of discipline and yet allows the child to learn to make good choices. We give our children wisdom and knowledge which encourages them in divine obedience.
What is the price of the gifts that we give our children? What price does God ask from us? Nothing. Let us learn from Him. Let us give our time, our love, our wisdom and knowledge to our children freely as it has been given freely to us by our Father.
Take time today and read Genesis Chapter 1. And then take some time to notice some of those beautiful gifts that God created for His children – for you and me.
