THE FATHER'S LOVE

I remember coming back from school several years ago feeling lost and dejected. I felt so unworthy to even be called a child of God because of some sinful habits that wouldn’t go no matter how hard I tried. Every teaching I heard at that time condemned me and made me feel worse of myself. That night, I even nursed the thoughts of giving up on everything but then something strange happened.

I had a dream that night where I was in a very large dining hall with a very large dining table. Everybody was seated, including THE FATHER, waiting to be served. Where I sat was very far from where He was. I didn’t want Him to see me. In fact, I felt so unworthy to be seen by the Father. I hid my face from Him. And then the waitress began to serve. Everybody got food except me. For a second I thought it was some form of punishment. And then I turned to the waitress and asked, “What’s going on? You’ve served everybody except me.” And then she replied, “Oh I’m so sorry I should have told you. The Father actually requested that I serve your food and His together. He wants you to eat from the same plate with Him. He’s waiting for you.” I was amazed! I didn’t understand why He would make such a request. There I was trying to hide from him and there he was longing to see me and eat from the same plate with me. I got up and walked towards Him. As I approached the Father, I realized He had not even started eating. He was waiting for me! When He saw me, he was so excited that He smiled broadly and quickly pulled out a chair for me to sit on, next to Him. I felt warm, loved. It dawned on me that all the while I was feeling lost and unworthy, the Father never stopped loving me. He saw me differently. That changed my view about Him. He is indeed a loving Father!


I discovered over time that the perception we have of our earthly father, sometimes affects how we relate with our heavenly Father. Some never knew who their father was. Some think of their earthly father as some man who got their mother pregnant and was not man enough to take responsibility for their actions. So, to them, they have the picture of an irresponsible father. Some have the picture of a wicked, uncaring father. Others have a picture of a loving father that they can tell almost anything. I don’t know where you belong but beyond our perceptions, there is a LOVING FATHER who cares about us.  He is interested in every tiny little detail about our lives. He knows what you are going through and wants to help you. He doesn’t love you because you deserve to be loved but because He is LOVE (1 John 4:8). He will not punish you because you have sinned but rather longs that you will draw nearer to him even in your state. Jesus already dealt with sin and its consequences once and for all (Romans 6:10).  The goal of the enemy is to make us think that the Father has stopped loving us because of our sins and the moment he can get us to think that way, fellowship is broken. I was running away from my Father because of the wrong perceptions I had about Him. I ended up confessing both known and unknown sins and even did some ‘good works’ just so I could get some form of approval from Him. Sometimes I would pile up sins just so I would confess everything once before I sleep. At times I would spend the better part of the night confessing sins just in case I don’t see the next morning. What a life of bondage!


Friends we are FREE! (John 8:36). Stop confessing your sins. Start confessing who you are in Christ. The Father will not forgive you, He has forgiven you. Even the mistakes you will make tomorrow has been forgiven. Avoid places where they tell you who you are not. Go to places where they tell you who you are in Christ. The more you know who you are in Christ and confess it, the more you experience the dominion you truly have in Him. The love the Father has for us is an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). You might be battling with some addictions right now, and you are wondering why they just won’t go. My friend the way out is to first of all know that the Father loves you irrespective of that addiction. If only you can hear Him whispering in your ear every second how much he loves you and wants to help you. On our own we can’t overcome those habits. Those ‘how to’ manuals are not the solution. When we know that He truly loves us the way we are, then we can run to Him and not run away from Him. Be righteousness conscious! You are the righteousness of God in Christ! It is a gift! The more time we spend in His presence, confessing who we are in Him, the more we lose touch of our desires and addictions. We just can’t help but love him in return and gradually, effortlessly, we see those habits fizzle away. Rest in His love!