Tip of My Iceberg

Photo courtesy of Kateryna Hliznitsova on Unsplash

When our kids were younger, John would travel quite a bit overseas for work. With six children, we had to find a routine that worked for us without them bemoaning the fact that Dad was gone, and they were stuck with Mom.

They were always excited when Dad came back home. Amid all the screams of glee and hugs, their one question consistently asked was, “What did you bring me?”

Not everyone’s experience of their father is as positive. Sometimes the feelings that are sparked by the word “father” bring thoughts of joy, warmth, and love. Sometimes, that same word conjures up a sense of fear, pain, and rejection.

John was great at bringing home little trinkets for the kids, especially when they were younger. Fun locally made trinkets, shirts depicting certain soccer clubs, and, as they got older, jewelry for the girls and unique knives for our son. (We weren’t encouraging violence; he collected them from different countries.)

Every now and again, he’d run out of time and not have the opportunity to find something special. Rather than getting some junk at the airport or some cheap chotskie, he’d return home and apologize.

An empty-handed return didn’t always go over well. They’d forgive him for his “negligence”, but they’d be a little put out for about 24 hours.

Children often expect good gifts from their parents, especially if they’ve been away. It’s the reminder that they were being thought of, even though they were temporarily absent.

Whether people believe in God or not, there’s an expectation that He is a Giver of good gifts. We choose to see Him as the totally loving Father, not wanting to consider Him as a disciplinarian.

God is referred to as our Father more than 250 times in the Bible. He is the One who made us in His image. “The LORD is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:13. He is gentle with us when we have done wrong. “The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever….For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.” Psalm 103:8, 11.

One of the many names for God in the Bible is Jehovah-Jireh, God my Provider. Abraham learned this about God when the Lord asked Abraham to do the unthinkable: to sacrifice the son he’d waited so long for. He trusted his Lord, and just as he was about to kill his son on the altar, God intervened and provided a ram for a sacrifice. In deep gratitude and joy, Abraham named the place “The Lord Will Provide”. God sees what is needed, and He meets that need.

I’m not talking about desires and wants. We accumulate those daily with each new influencer or advertisement. Our needs are the very things we require to live life fully. God longs for us to thrive; as our Father, He seeks to give us good gifts that will grow our hearts and our faith. His love is long, high, wide, and deep.

My kids were grateful when John brought gifts home for them. If they were disappointed, it didn’t last long.

God’s gifts don’t disappoint. He knows the depths of our hearts, the needs of our souls, and the state of our minds. He seeks to bring us true shalom, wholeness in the midst of a world full of chaos.

He’s the best kind of Father.