Our Father in Heaven

Our Father in Heaven

When a child is young, a loving father begins the task of teaching his child all the necessary things to know so that one day the child will be able to live apart from the father. The father is very much involved with his child’s activities and will even demonstrate the skills and behaviors that the child needs to be happy later in life.

As the child grows older, the father begins to let his child make decisions and allows the consequences to occur without interfering. Sometimes the child makes good decisions based on learnings from the father and enjoys the good consequences that follow. But sometimes the child disregards the father’s teachings by wanting to do things “my way” and bad consequences happen. The father is sad whenever his child makes those bad decisions and suffers the painful moments that come with it, but he respects the child’s free will and does not force his will on the child.

Then the day comes when the father and his child no longer get to see each other like they did when the child was young. Even though the father may not be visible to his child, the father still loves his child very much and will gladly help if the child asks. Sometimes the child realizes that the father’s help is needed and will ask for it. But many times, the child thinks that the father’s help is not needed and even stops talking to the father, much to the father’s sadness. The father can even become a distant memory to the child who becomes preoccupied with other people and things.

Life is full of analogies and the above story illustrates our relationship with God. It is fashionable in some circles today for people to say that God does not exist. But like the father in the story above, our Heavenly Father loves each one of us very much and wants us to be happy. Even though we may not physically see Him, He has given us the knowledge we need to make good decisions. He even sent His Son, Jesus to show us how to live according to His will. But God will not force Himself or His will on anyone. It is up to each one of us to call upon our Father in Heaven to ask for His help in our lives and to thank Him for His many blessings.

Mark Kehoe