Matthew 5:48

48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (NIV Bible)

I can remember that when my children were very small, they would boast that I was the strongest dad in the world. They were convinced of it. They were also confident that I was the smartest dad and the best-looking dad, etc. But as my children began to grow, they were confronted with the harsh reality that I was not the super hero that they once thought I was. I wasn't the strongest, or the smartest, or the best looking dad in the world. I was simply their dad. While my children have loved me despite all my flaws and imperfections, I am sure that I have not lived up to their childhood expectations to father them perfectly.

We have all come into this world with an expectation to be loved unconditionally. It is only as we begin to grow up, that we realize that we might not be loved and cared for as we had hoped. When the realization of our parents humanity hits us, a sense of disappointment and a feeling of disillusionment can follow. After all, we were created to be loved perfectly. However, if we put ourselves in our parents' shoes, we will understand that they carried the same childhood expectations to be loved as we have had. And just like us, they were disappointed by their parents and could only pass on the love and acceptance that they first received.

This disappointment can be a stumbling block to us knowing God as Father for it is a common tendency to relate to God as we relate to our earthly father. But God is not like our earthly fathers, for Matthew 5:48 says that He is the Perfect Father and He loves us perfectly. If we are willing to let go of the hurt and disappointment that we have experienced with our own parents, it will bring a new freedom to receive the love that we have always hoped for from the Perfect Father. If we can forgive our parents for the pain they have caused us, and look to God to meet our loves needs, we will open the door for God to be the Father that we have always needed. He will not let you down, He will not disappoint you, for He is perfect in every way and He wants to father you perfectly.

PRAYER

Father, I confess that I have had wrong ideas about You. You are not like my earthly parents, for you are the Perfect Father. Today I choose to forgive my parents for not meeting all my love needs, because they could only give me what they received from their parents. I am thankful that You love me perfectly and desire to meet all my love needs. Please come and be to me, the Father that I have always needed. In the name of Your beloved Son Jesus, I pray, AMEN.

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Comment

For I am the perfect father.