The Man You Were Made to BeНамуна

Father

Your understanding of God the Father and your acceptance of His love will ultimately determine whether or not you become the man you were made to be. And your map for manhood is or has been determined by your father. Dead or alive, known or unknown, present or absent, good or bad, the man who fathered you follows you through life. He colours your view of yourself, your attitude to older men, and – crucially – to God. Humans have an innate need for love and approval, and if that need wasn’t met by your earthly father, it’s likely you’ve looked for love and approval from fatherly substitutes. Alternatively, you’ve lived in denial, shutting down that part of yourself and hiding your heart wounds.

A. W. Tozer wrote, ‘What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us… Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, “What comes to mind when you think about God?”, we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man.’ So, what three adjectives come to mind when you think about God? And what three adjectives do you think God would use to describe you? Do you ever feel as if God is ashamed of you, or angry with you, or disappointed in you, or indifferent to you? What Jesus did for you on the cross should offer you proof positive that that’s not the case. The happy news is that there’s nothing you can do to make God love you less.

Jesus’ Father is your Father too, and He’s a Father who never sleeps. He watches you unblinkingly and with perfect, matchless love. John explains his relationship with his heavenly Father by saying, ‘See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!’ (1 John 3:1). The word for see in the original language is a command, not a suggestion, and it means stop and really look until you discern and perceive this. Changing how you see God changes how you see yourself – and everything and everybody. God’s love for us is an out-of-this-world love, incomparable to any earthly love. His agape love for us is greater than our sin and greater than anything else that threatens to come between us and Him. Because of this love, we’re not just God’s friends or servants, we’re His beloved sons.

Your heavenly Father has given, continues to give, and will keep on giving you His love. He paints His love for you across the sky with every sunrise and sunset, and He whispers it from the pages of scripture. Whether your earthly dad was fantastic or abusive or a no-show, you can know today that you’re adopted: drawn into the family of the Father through the sacrifice of His Son and your Saviour, Jesus. Accepting this makes you the man you were made to be.