Series: Lessons from my Father

⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, ¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  

Matthew 6:8-10 (NIV)

I have always always struggled with the question of "What does God think about me?"  I can mentally comprehend gift of grace and forgiveness, but even still it's hard for me, especially when going through any time that is challenging, to think that God likes me at all.  I always think that God really doesn't like me at all. 

The Bible refers to God the Father so so much, you cannot deny that God designed us to be His children.  When ever I hear a sermon or anything reiterating that God is our Father I think about my own father.  I am incredibly blessed to have a wonderful Dad.  And I know that so many people struggle with the idea of "God the Father" because they didn't have a good Dad.  I then feel ashamed that I struggle with the idea that God likes me based on the fact that I know how much my own father loves me, and I know that God loves me even more than that!  And still I struggle. So as I was pregnant the idea came into my head that becoming a parent would be a great way to see how God really does love me.

So I'd like to share with you some things that God is showing me through becoming a parent.  

We (my husband and I) were lying on our bellies in our bed with our heads at the foot of the bed starring.  We were starring at this new sleeping baby, a precious little boy that God as blessed us with.  He was napping in his crib, which up until now he was primarily sleeping in a little bassinet.  It was so exciting for us, that we just watched and whispered to each other. Then he started to awake.  He was on his belly and he was lifting his head and fussing a little bit.  There my husband and I lied, the bed was divided into team pink and team blue.  I was ready to jump up and hold my little boy and console him.  My husband stopped me and told me to wait as he quietly cheered his little man for having such a strong neck, telling me "he's getting stronger!"  Casey didn't really stop fussing so shortly after we picked him up held him and fed him.  But now because I don't pick him up right away he can go back to sleep after a little fussing by himself.

This reminded me of how God has those masculine and feminine sides to him as well.  How when we are struggling down here God must be looking down on us one part cheering one part nurturing.  The great thing about God is that he knows exactly when we need both.  He let's us go though hard times to strengthen our faith but He will never give us more than we can handle.  What a wonderful Father we have!  

This is just one of the things I have learned for far, I will be sharing more soon!