Abba's Heart
"Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him."
(Psalm 103:13)
Where does the word "compassion" come from? What is its origin? In the mid-14th century, compassion literally meant "suffering with another." Isn't that so true? God suffers with us; He doesn't leave us alone. Too often, however, we feel like He does. Our minds tell us He has left us, abandoned us, forsaken us... How come we do this to ourselves? Is it that we are afraid of love or be loved? Or we just don't fully comprehend what love is?
I just came back from a conference that Matt Lozano spoke at. He was talking about the Heart of God our Father. Something he said that resonated with me was this: "We all have questions that can be answered by God only. These questions include 'Daddy, do you love me?' 'Am I beautiful?' and 'Do I have what it takes?' "
Have you ever asked these before? Have you ever asked Him or do you try and find answers in someone or something else? Does a relationship with God as your Father scare you? Is it hard to imagine a relationship with Him as your Father? For me, it is. My Dad is not exactly my best friend; but neither is he my enemy. The relationship one has with their earthly father is more important than some people realize. It forms their idea of what their relationship with God as their Father should be like.
For some people, this relationship can be self-centered, filled with anger or resentment, criticizing, or demanding. For others, it may be full of love, affirmation, selflessness, and nurturing. Or it can be a combination of both. Yet again, some people's relationships with their father is non-existent.
Have you ever tried to start a relationship with God? Not even as your Father yet, but as a friend? Have you ever begun with "God, what shirt should I where today?" or "Hm... Should I have ice cream or a brownie?" (just saying, I'd do a combination of both... like chocolate fudge brownie ice cream lol). It is not supposed to be a relationship of "Commanding Officer" vs "Servant," but something more meaningful. It is okay to begin with simple things like those questions; but one should not stay there. You know what I want you to do? I want you do list 5 adjectives of your earthly Father and God, your Heavenly Father. See if there are similarities or not.
Have you ever felt like you needed to earn God's love? Oh, if we only believed in our hearts that He gives it freely. How many of us approach God with a lens of shame? How many of us decide how He will react and what He will think without asking? Another thing Matt Lozano said was that it was not Jesus's idea to save us, but God as our Father. He knew the tragedy that would befall us and he planned out our salvation before the tragedy even happened. Jesus is the plan; He was the One to remove the veil of the Father... God loves you more than you could ever imagine, fathom, or grasp.
God is vulnerable.
Yep; I just said that.
He. Is. Vulnerable.
How can that be, you ask? Well, think about it. He created His children and we don't listen or obey. We are lost to Him. We don't take care of ourselves; we cut, slice, break and even kill ourselves. We are self-deprecating, criticizing, and think the worst of others before knowing who they really are. We beat ourselves up and hate ourselves. How could anyone, in their right mind, not care about the terrible actions of those they love? How?
You are God's beloved child. You are the breath in His lungs. Creating you and allowing you to have free will to turn Him away with a shrug or smirk, was extremely vulnerable. Creating you was like giving His very heart permission to roam about the world to do any damage to itself or others. This is vulnerability. I do not know how else to say it.
“For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish,
but have eternal life."
(John 3:16)
What is His world? Better yet, who?
You.
You are His world.
For God so loved... you.
*OMADG*
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