“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” Psalm 32:8
This verse is wonderful news! We don’t have to muster up the know-how for living a godly life…He has provided counsel through His Word and through His own dealings with men throughout history.
When we look, watch, and ponder how God performs His roles, we will discover how to live ours.
To kings, He is THE King…authorities can look to His leadership and discover how to lead with a gentle and mighty hand.
To servants, He is THE Servant…laborers can follow the example set by Jesus for submitting to higher powers and for loving others more than oneself.
To parents, He is THE Parent…parents (mommies!) can experience the love,commitment, and discipline of their own Heavenly Father and, in turn, have the same heart towards their own children.
What a joy it is to call on the God of Creation and History as our Father! We serve such a well-rounded God…majestic yet personal, terrifying yet affectionate, mighty yet gentle.
And because He is our Father and showers His paternal affection and discipline on us, we have access to everything we could ever need to know about parenting our own children.
Mommies, what an absolute relief that is!
For those who know Him, we are in a beautiful (and simple!) position to pass the parental affection that God shows us directly to our own sons and daughters.
However, we can’t share with our children what we haven’t grasped for ourselves first. I will mother my children only to the extent that I know the Father.
And there is so much to know! A lifetime to know…no, an eternity to know!
There is no need for a “cramming session”…just a slow and steady walk, a commitment, to your God, your Father.
So then, how does God the Father parent us?
Let’s look at just one of the billion ways that God loves us as a Father.
He Is Generous.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished on us in all wisdom and insight…” Ephesians 2:7-8
This verse uses the word “lavished.” I love this word…it is so full and wonderful! It makes me think of a never-ending supply of goodness, like standing under a waterfall.
The word “lavish” literally means to give in great amounts or without limit. His kindness, His grace, His generosity towards His children is without limit. He gives and He gives and He gives.
And because He gives without limit, that means that His love and kindness are independent of my own behavior. He loves me before I do good and after I fail. His love and affection for me cannot be increased or lessened due to me.
“Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation (even my sin!), will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:39
As we experience this never-ending, unconditional, boundless kind of love from our Heavenly Father, we are freed up and able to love our own children in the same manner. His love compels us to love! (2 Cor. 5:14)
However, even though God’s generosity is without limit, it is not without control.
Ephesians 2:8 says that “…He lavished on us in all wisdom and insight….”
He does not extend grace foolishly. He does not lavish gifts on us to the point that it would ruin (spoil) us. He gives wisely.
Oh my. I thought that an ever-flowing, continual stream of gifts and praise for my children was healthy.
If I was given everything I ever wanted, or even everything I thought I needed, I would be ruined. A wise parent sees what his son or daughter can’t…that some “good” things are not good for the child.
God, in His wisdom, showers me with sufficient grace and affection and gifts so that His love for me is what charms me rather than the gifts.
As we rest in the unconditional and insightful generosity of our Heavenly Father fully assured that our needs and wants are perfectly met, we can then begin to mother our children generously.
The love we have for our children can be free from the restraints of their good (or naughty) behavior. Our affection and praise and gifts for them can be rooted in wisdom and foresight.
And they will see, even as young children, how God the Father loves them.
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Question: Would your own children say that you are generous with kindness and affection toward them the way your Heavenly Father has been generous with you?
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This is the beginning of a series titled “As He Fathers Us So Should We Mother Them.” I am looking forward to discovering God’s heart behind parenting. 🙂
Header photo by: Lars Ploughmann
