The Heart Of The Father

 “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

My Dad died when I was 10. Prior to that he was a remote figure who kissed me goodbye in the morning before he left for the office and good night when I went to bed in the evening. I have no memory of him spending any quality time with me, no spontaneous hugs, no conversation. After I became a Christian, I realized that I was having a serious struggle with getting to know the Father.

Jesus was no problem. He was the loving older brother, that I could go to with everything. He was kind and understanding, someone who was always there for me, who would put his arms around me and take care of me, who would dry my tears.

God was the stern, remote father in his study at the end of a long, dark hallway, much like the hall to the principal’s office at school. Not that I ever got sent to the principal’s office 😊

Many years later a pastor told me that the reason I had such a hard time understanding the love of my heavenly father was because I had no real idea of the love of an earthly father. Growing up with a dad who was remote and then who disappeared completely out of my life had left a gaping hole.

I read my Bible, saw scriptures about God being a God of love, my mind accepted the premise, but it never sank into my heart. Always stayed the same, God the Son was the approachable one, God the Father was not. And then many years later I came across Max Lucado’s books and thanks to him I finally grasped of the love of an earthly father and was able to translate it into the love of my heavenly Father.

In his books he talked about his daughters and gave stories of them growing up. One of the stories that resonated with me was when his daughter, Jenna, was giving a piano recital and had a mental block.  Her fingers froze on the keyboard and in front of the audience she couldn’t continue. After agonizing minutes, she finally got back on track, bravely finished the piece but the damage was done. Lip quivering and tears welling, she came off stage and into the arms of her dad, who hugged her and told her everything was okay. And finally, the scripture above, moved from head to heart and spirit.

At that moment my entire walk with God changed. Everything started falling into place, now I could pray openly without being afraid, I could tell God the Father anything.  Thanks to Max Lucado my entire Christian walk moved into a deeper level.

I hope I someday get to meet Max Lucado in person and have the chance to thank him for the gift he gave me.