God is a good Father who wants to give good gifts to His children. Sometimes I forget this truth and beg as though He needs convincing. It’s as ridiculous as if my kids thought they needed to beg me to hug them. It delights my heart to hug them.
When I read that segment of Francis Chan’s book, I immediately thought of the relationship I have with my own children. I love to go overboard in buying them gifts for their birthdays and Christmas, and I love it when they come to give me a hug. They know that they can get a hug from me anytime they want and in comparing that relationship to our relationship with God, I am reminded of Luke 18:17 that says we should receive the Kingdom of God like a child.
But my children do not always want a hug from me. Sometimes I feel like I have to beg them to give me a hug before I leave for work. I wonder if that is a more accurate picture of my relationship with my Heavenly Father. He wants to empower me with The Spirit. He wants to show me His love for me in tangible ways, but I would rather act childish and go on doing what I want to do in my own power.
I used to stand and wait for my children to give me a hug before work. I’m not a perfect father like God, so eventually I stopped waiting. I wonder if He sometime stops pressing us to engage in our relationship with Him. Every time I turn back towards Him, I can tell that He’s been standing there waiting for me.
Jesus didn’t say we need to be childish, but to have a child-like faith to enter the Kingdom of God.
Thank you for sharing this post. I have often times compared my relationship with my children with my relationship with God. What a great reminder that we must have child like faith.