This Sunday is Father’s Day. It used to be such a joyous day for me. Now it’s a hard day. Even though I know that my dad is in heaven with Jesus, I miss him. It can be terribly hard to lose your earthly father. I read this quote recently. “If you simply cannot understand why someone is grieving so much, for so long, then consider yourself truly fortunate that you do not understand.” Losing a dad is hard. But here’s the thing. Even though I have lost my earthly father, I’ve been adopted. I have a heavenly father. He loves me and watches over me. Spend a moment considering that. The God of the Universe, the Lord God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Adonai (Master), El Elyon (The Most High God), Jehovah Shammah (The Lord is there) has adopted me. And He has adopted you too. He has claimed you as His child.

In the New Testament, Jesus referred to God as His father. But God’s identity as “father” didn’t start with Jesus living on earth. Rather, the Creator chose to identify Himself as a father through out the Old Testament. He called His creation “His children.” God desires a close relationship with us, one where He is our provider, our mentor, our counselor, and our comforter. He exists as the perfect father, loving and caring for us, his children. So, if Father’s Day is a hard day for you, as it is for me, chose to focus on the fact that God is not some distant being who isn’t involved in our lives. Instead, find comfort in the fact that God will father you. In fact, He calls Himself a Father to the Fatherless. That’s me. And perhaps that’s you. Let Him Father you. Let Him hold you in His arms. Let Him gaze in your eyes and tell you how proud He is of you. Let Him pour His love, HIs encouragement, and HIs joy into you. Let Him Father you. You are a child of God.