Christ is Close To All His Children Especially the Lonely

Sunday was Father’s Day and for many of us, we celebrated the day with our dads, passed off our best wishes to the men who made us who we are or honored the memories of the men who can no longer be with us. While most of us across the country and world have been blessed with a man or men, that we owe so much gratitude to, there are many who never knew the love and sacrifices that we have come to know.

Unfortunately, there are many fathers who never step up to the plate and take responsibility for their children. While they enjoyed the moments that it took to create the life, they were not willing to step up and do what was needed to care for these lives which is truly heartbreaking. This is not just true for orphans but also, to those who grew up never knowing their father or those who never had a real relationship with him.

While it is not pleasant to think about, there are many children who grow up without the love and affection that so many of us have taken for granted. Sadly, I have witnessed what not having a father in your life can do. No, not from personal experiences as I have a wonderful dad and have been blessed with one my whole life but rather, through family members and a few close friends/acquaintances and have witnessed that the results and consequences of a father missing are real.

On a few occasions, I observed that there were a few people who knew their fathers but they would have been better off without them. This is truly sad to say but it is true. One of my favorite movies, Courageous—a Christian movie based around police officers and the importance of family—reminds viewers that if fathers did half of what they were supposed to then a lot of what we see in the streets and behind the scenes wouldn’t exist. There’s a reason why we have a childhood and that develops and grow into the men and women of tomorrow but as children, we need Godly men to mold us from Godly children into Godly men and women.

While not all children below have the opportunity to know the love and affection of a Godly man, we do not have to fear as our Heavenly Father is always with us. This may not make sense to a nonbeliever or someone new in the faith but Christ is always with us and He is close to all His children especially those who are lonely and alone and feel hopeless. This is especially true for the orphans and the fatherless and a lesson that I have learned in my walk is that even if we never have an Earthly Father, we all have a Heavenly Father.

Scripture is clear that God is with us all and while a majority of the world may forget about the poor and lonely, Christ never does. Matthew 25:40 reminds us that we are to treat all people with love and affection because what we to the those less fortunate, we also do to Christ: “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.” Psalm 27:10 lets us know that “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.”

In this life, one of the most important lessons that I have learned is that children want to be loved and know they matter to someone and this is true regardless of how old we grow. Just because we grow in age and our body changes does not mean that we aren’t human and our emotions aren’t real. John 14:18 comforts us by reminding us that “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you” just as Psalm 60:5 lets us know that Christ is “ A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, [is] God in his holy habitation.”

One of the greatest parts of being a dad is to see your children develop and grow into great and honorable men and women ready to lead the next generation but in the process, this requires sacrifices to be made. While many below may not have an Earthly Father to call their own or one to which they are able to connect with, Christ has loved us since the very beginning of time. He knew each of us before we were created (Jeremiah 1:5) but He also gave the ultimate sacrifice, His life.

Yes, not only did He create the world and created each of us but so we could have an opportunity at eternal life, He came to Earth as a man to die on a piece of wood so that each of us could join Him in an eternal resting place: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). This is not only the ultimate sacrifice but is the ultimate definition of Fatherly love and just one more reason why, His children, should live with hope even those who never knew an Earthly Father.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved”

–John 3:16-17