"Today I wonder why it is God refers to Himself as 'Father' at all. This, to me, in light of the earthly representation of the role, seems a marketing mistake. Why would God want to call Himself Father when so many fathers abandon their children?" - Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz
I think there is truth in the idea that we view God much like we view our fathers, although that conclusion gives rise to personal confusion. How does this leave me, a daughter of a father for only 7 years, viewing God?
If I view God in terms of my dad, I am left with a hazy, incomplete picture. He was there for my family. He made us laugh. I have vague memories of him pretending to suck my toes up in the vacuum, grabbing my wrist and chastising me in a low voice at Kroger, singing me to sleep, reading the family devotional after dinner, letting me ride on his back like a horse. I've heard things about him through other people. Every time I ask my mom something theological, she sighs and says how much she wished Dad were here because he'd talk to me about it. I'm told he loved plants and animals and sneezed when the sun hit his eyes just right. His books are downstairs; a couple of his shirts hang in my closet. But the man? He's hardly been here when I needed him. His memory hasn't made much of a relationship.
After he died, my grandparents moved two miles down the road, and my grandfather assumed the physical role of alpha male. I make a point of only saying physical. He was there every night at the dinner table. But if I view God in terms of my grandfather (and I'm beginning to think I do), then God must spend most of His time trying to pretend like I don't exist. He never asks about me or about my life. I could be gone for a week and not hear more than five words from him upon my return. For a while, I played along, talking about my day as if he were listening. But recently, I've given up. Just sit there until he's done with his meal, after which he goes to the living room and turns up the TV loud enough to drown out our noise. It doesn't matter how much I try to do or say or achieve, I will never be more important than the 6 o' clock news.
So God abandons me or ignores me. Either way, it explains the silence.
Happy Father's Day.
1 comment:
ALL earthly fathers are extremely inadequate representations of our Heavenly Father. My knowledge of my earthly father is weak, like yours. I, too, am one of those earthy representations, so I know how far we miss the mark. Yet I know that God never fails to listen, never fails to care; and He never fails to speak. But maybe we miss hearing His voice because we're expecting it sound like something (someone) else. As a young baby and toddler we had to learn what our father's voice sounded like. It's the same now. After 31 years of following Him, I'm still learning. Psalm 68:5
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