How do you tell twelve-year-old children without a father in their lives that God is their loving Father? How do you make it clear to a boy that God’s Father’s heart is full of love, when his father denies that he is his son? Heartbreaking!
Last week I had the opportunity to teach about the Fatherheart of God in the Bible Summer School. It was the first time I taught on this subject and the target group was not too easy. But I was looking forward to it. I had received confirmation after confirmation that I could finally speak on this subject. Something I had been looking forward to for more than two years. Now the time had come!
As I stood at the front of the room, one disturbing comment after another came out of his mouth. Heavily damaged in his not so long past, parents who were separated and a father who denied him as his son. With every comment I heard his deep pain through the words of his apparent indifference. “How can this ever be straightened out,” I thought.
Fortunately, although not very consciously, I had taken this into account when preparing my lessons. By paying attention to how earthly fathers function with mistakes and flaws and by showing in the Bible that God is really different, I hope that I have been able to plant a small seed. Fortunately, I also know that there is a spiritual father in his life who sets a good example, responds lovingly and sets clear boundaries. At the same time, I just pray that his real father will repent. But above all, I pray that God will touch his heart in such a way that this boy will inevitably grow up into a man after God’s own heart. God’s Fatherheart.
Photo by M.Hanif Project on Unsplash