Let’s face it—fatherhood is a loaded word. Maybe your old man was around, maybe he wasn’t. Maybe he was a good guy, or maybe he was a real piece of work. Whatever your experience, it’s easy to let that mess with how you see God. But let’s get something straight: God is not your earthly father.
Your earthly father might have let you down, but God never will. He doesn’t bail when things get tough, and He doesn’t ignore you when you’re hurting. Psalm 68:5 calls God “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” He’s not looking to see how you measure up; He’s looking to lift you up. He’s the kind of Father who sticks around, who fights for you, who loves you no matter what. He’s not here to break you down—He’s here to build you up.
The truth is, how we see our earthly fathers can really mess with how we see God. If your father abandoned you, it’s easy to think God will do the same. If your father never showed you love, it’s easy to think God doesn’t love you either. But that’s a lie. God isn’t like your earthly father—He’s perfect. He sees you, He loves you, and He’s never going to leave you hanging.
Matthew 7:11 reminds us, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” When you start to see God as your true Father, it changes everything. You begin to understand that you’re not alone in this world. You’ve got a Father who’s got your back, who’s guiding you, who’s cheering you on. And when you start to understand that, you start to change. You start to want to be like Him, to have His character. You start to let go of the hurt and the pain that’s been holding you back for years.
When I lived in India I had one friend from Sweden who was with me, This was a big guy who was 6.4 and never cried—he saw it as a sign of weakness. But when he finally understood that God was his Father, that God loved him unconditionally, he broke down and cried for the first time in years. That wasn’t weakness—it was healing. That’s what happens when you let God be the Father He wants to be in your life. So stop holding back. Let God in, and let Him show you what it means to be truly loved by a perfect Father.
Blessings to you,
Eli