The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8: 15).

As a father, sometimes the family language in the Bible can be a bit tricky for me.  Relationships with our families, especially fathers, can often be messy. When Paul brings family language into the discussion of our relationship with God, it brings up a lot of emotions for me.

I remember the joy in my heart watching the birth of each of my three boys.  I remember all the promises I made to myself to be the “perfect dad”. But I also distinctly remember the first time I yelled at my kids.  I don’t remember exactly what they were doing or what they wanted, but I remember my words.

I’m sure a lot of dads out there know exactly what I’m about to say. “Because I’m the father, that’s why!”   I knew as soon as I said it, something broke a little in our relationship.  I wanted them to see me as this great, loving, and all-knowing figure in their lives, and the best I could do in that moment was demand compliance because of who I am.

It pulls me back to my childhood. I know I learned those words from my dad. And I don’t remember what silly kid things I was doing at the time. But I remember the words, and I remember how I felt. 

Now here’s God, the Father. He’s all-knowing. All-mighty. All-powerful.  But he’s also all-loving.  As Paul says, we’re no longer slaves to fear. We’re children of God.  

And I realize my mistake when I get nervous about calling God “Father”.  I’m taking who I am and applying that to God. I love my kids, and I’m doing the best I can.  But I’m a messy person, managing a messy life, in a messy world.  God is perfect, and he acts with perfect love.

That perfect love by a perfect Father is what I’m being invited into. And while I’m here in this messy, imperfect world, the call to be Spirit-led is an invitation to accept his unconditional love as part of his family.

When God says, “Because I am your father!” it comes with that deep love, and a promise that I have his spirit guiding me in being the best father to my own family.  So, I’ll keep messing up.  I’ll try hard, but those “Because…” words will still slip out at the wrong time. 

But I love my kids deeply and without condition, just as God the Father loves each of us.

We often frame things through our own personal experiences.  But when you think about God as a Father how can you open yourself to how God defines his family? How can you better connect with God, not as a mere “father”, but THE loving Father?