Our Father's Delight

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When I look at my son, I see myself. He is almost exactly like I was when I was his age. The stamp of his lineage is indelible and undeniable. I am blessed that, with God’s loving wisdom and guidance, I can help to guide my young son through the simplicities and complexities of youth. Perhaps his life can be more fruitful, and sooner, than was mine. No matter what, though, I deeply love him just as he is today.

I used to wonder whether my Father looked down and saw Himself in me in the same way. Was the stamp of His lineage as indelible and undeniable in me? I would have liked to think so, but some days I would blunder about so clumsily that it made me wonder how He could see Himself in me.

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Proverbs 3:11-12

You see, He delights in us. Though He hates sin, He is not frustrated by our ignorance or disobedience. He corrects the error in us, yes, but His chastening is a sign of love from our Father above. His correction is given to us because He delights in us, even in our present, sometimes very flawed state. He loves us just as we are, and He loves us enough not to leave us that way.

Even though we may sometimes be disappointed by our own behavior, our all-knowing Father never is. He knew of our blunders and missteps and outright disobedience before He framed the worlds. And knowing of them and the eternal punishment that our sins would ultimately bring, He sent His Son Christ Jesus to pay the price for our sins, so that we - being forgiven through the blood that Christ shed on the cross - might know the sweetness of God’s loving presence, even in our current state.

God, who already knows our hearts, is not shaken by our actions. He is not troubled by doubt when it comes to His children, for He already knows that our destiny it is to spend eternity living with Him. But - do you suppose?........

Do you suppose that - from within the security of His knowledge of us - He might actually find some kind of joy in the occasional, clumsy blundering of His children, as I did recently with my own young son?

[Our family is riding to the store in the van].
Son: Dad?
Dad: Yes, son?
Son: Dad, my hand is stuck in the window of the van.
Dad: What?
Son: My hand got stuck in the window when you just now closed it with that button up there.
Dad: (immediately opening window) But, son, I told you to make sure your hand was out of the window right before I closed it.
Son: I thought you said to put my hand in the window before you closed it.
Dad: But son, why did you think that I would tell you to stick your hand in the window and then close the window on your hand?
Son: [silence]
Dad: Son?
Son: Yes, Dad?
Dad: Son, you can take your hand out of the window now.
Son: Oh.
Son: Ok, Dad.

I'm glad that God doesn't get frustrated with me. I’m glad He finds delight in His children, even when we clumsily blunder.



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