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“Embraced by the Father”
By Susanne Scheppmann
Key
Verse:
“How great is the love the Father has lavished
on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The
reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1
NIV)
Devotion:
Her
smile lit up the room when her daddy entered the room. Her rosebud lips spread
into a wide beam of a smile. Her silky black hair leapt about her face as she
bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. She looked like Snow White after a
large cup of espresso. The man started the music and began to walk toward her.
He stopped and opened wide his muscular arms—the familiar invitation to dance.
She raced to him and perched herself atop his feet. They began two-stepping to
their special song, “My Personal Penguin.” The princess was dancing with her
Prince Charming—her daddy.
Bittersweet
joy washed over me like a warm spring rain as I witnessed this scene between my
son and granddaughter. Happiness for my granddaughter flowed into my heart, but
there was also a tinge of sadness. I regretted never having experienced the
same type of father-daughter relationship with my earthly dad.
My
own father resembled the character of Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind. He was suave, handsome, and self-assured, but a rogue. I traveled through my
childhood and adolescence wishing for a Rhett Butler type of man to whisk me
off my feet. I desired a rogue to embrace me with a wild and untamed love.
Because of my “father image,” I actually desired imperfect love from the people
I loved the most. A flawed love would hurt, but it still appealed to my broken
heart. I believed falsely that love could only be achieved through volatile
sparks of emotion, fueled by the uncertainty of the love.
Of
course, it was all a misguided representation of a girl’s broken heart. But
now, I have learned to know a perfect love—the love of my heavenly Father. Only
He has been able to fill my heart with a perfect love. The night I accepted His
love, He began to reveal to me the character of a faultless Father. As the
Father embraced me, my idea of errant love slid into oblivion. I learned the
true meaning of love as I gained knowledge of God. He taught me His
characteristics and personality through the diversity of His names, but my
favorite will always be Father—Abba—My Daddy.
Do
you know Abba—the heavenly Father? He is waiting for you with His arms wide
open. Come and be embraced by the
Father.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, thank you
for revealing the true love of a Father to my broken heart. Help me to learn to
live out my life in Your perfect and holy love. Remind me that You love me just
as I am—flaws and all. Thank for Your love.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application
steps:
Read
Zephaniah 3:17. Write down the activities that sound like a father loving his
daughter. Imagine yourself sitting on the Father’s lap and allowing him to sing
over you.
Reflections:
What is my mental image of a father?
Do I believe that God loves me as a
perfect father would? Why or why not?
What hinders me from accepting God’s
unconditional love?
Power verses:
1 John
1:2-4, “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim
to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We write this to make our joy complete.” (NIV)
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
We write this to make our joy complete.” (NIV)
Galatians 4:6, “And because we are his children,
God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out,
“Abba, Father.” (NLT)
© 2010 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
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