My Father's Child

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:1-2



Every year when the Super Bowl is on, I always think of my Dad, who like me was a huge football fan. When I was growing up, it was pretty well known that I was my father’s child. I looked a bit like him and at times acted like him. In fact, it was pretty safe to say that I as many young boys wanted to be like my Dad. To the outside world, he was well liked, respected, and a good man, but those who truly knew him describe him even better. He was warm and caring. He stood for righteousness, and was a man of deep rooted Christian values. He was also the last person you ever wanted to get in trouble with. How many of us remember the days where our mother would say, “You just wait until your father gets home?” My mother never said that to me. She did not have to. Besides the fact she was tough in her own right, my siblings and I never wanted to even come close to where she might even hint of saying that phrase. My father commanded that much respect from not only us but also the neighbors’ children as well. “Mr. Williams does not play,” and, whenever someone said, “That’s Kent’s Dad,” an abrupt silence came about the room.


Now back then, I did not know how to describe those attributes, but today I easily could. My children have told me similar stories of me that I once told of my father. The thing is now that he has passed away, I wish that I could tell him those things today, and yet a part of me knows that although I did not tell him, he always knew. This was because as a father, you can see things in your children that they themselves cannot see. They understand who you are and why you act as you do. Furthermore, they nurture and teach not in the same way as a mother but just as important. Sometimes it’s to just love, and other times it is just to set boundaries (i.e. ‘Wait until your father gets home). It’s a honor to be called my father’s child.


Our Heavenly Father is just as my father was and more. Just as my father claimed me and most likely your parents claimed you, God has already claimed us before even we came into being. We came into the world with the breath of His Holy spirit. He knows us inside and out, and he understands who we are even as we do not understand ourselves. He sets boundaries, and can either overtly or subtly bounces us back to the righteous path when we try to venture outside of those boundaries. He loves, and cares for us. He is our deliverer as well as our provider. God is everything our earthly father should be and more, and He blesses us with His presence even when we do not acknowledge Him.


We serve such an amazing and awesome God who in His wisdom sent His son to die for our salvation. To show such love toward anyone is both heartwarming and humbling, and can only be described as a perfect love. That is what a Father does, and we as His children should aspire to reach the values and teachings He has given us. To love and serve God is a wonderful opportunity that we have been given. My prayer is that each of us can continue to grow spiritually, and say, “I am my Father’s child!” Amen.