Heavenly and Earthly Father

We want, in fact, not so much a father in heaven as a grandfather in heaven: a senile benevolence who, as they say, ‘liked to see young people enjoying themselves’ and whose plan for the universe was simply that it might be truly said at the end of each day, ‘a good time was had by all.’”

-C.S. Lewis

Several years back, I remember telling my cousin that I was lucky enough to have two fathers: my Earthly father and my Heavenly Father. At this point in time, my cousin was a self-descripted atheist so he did not understand what I meant by this and did not like the idea of it but I have come to understand that he did not like this concept because he did not understand it.

In our modern period of time in which we live, saying you have two fathers, or more is not uncommon but this is not what I was referring to. Personally, I consider myself lucky to have a dad that is in my life and one that I am close with as many people are not so lucky. On top of this, I have a dad that is heavenly, my Heavenly Father, who made life here on Earth possible.

From my perspective, I am beyond blessed as I have gifts that are worth more than gold itself. Unfortunately, not everyone has a good relationship, let alone close, with their earthly dad but the god news is, even if you’ve never known your earthly dad, the Heavenly Father is there waiting just like he was in the very beginning of time before he created the heavens and Earth.

In the movie “Fireproof,” Kirk Cameron plays a firefighter named Caleb. To say the least, he’s a very worldly person who has the idea that being a good person is defined by certain deeds like running into a home on fire. When we look at it from a worldly perspective, this is indeed a very good character trait to have: selflessness. However, as the movie goes on, we see other character traits, flaws, including infidelity, anger, and pride all of which can make for a disastrous situation.

My point for bringing up the movie was not to plug a spot for a great movie but to bring to light a bigger lesson learned from the movie. In the movie, Caleb’s dad had been through much of what Caleb was going through especially in his marriage so he had a lot to offer his son. Unfortunately, Caleb was not interested in what his dad had to say when it came to the religious teachings and this is something that I have experienced myself and sadly, I have been where Caleb was.

In the movie, Caleb expressed to his dad that he doesn’t need a crutch to get through life and I am sure that, a time or two, you’ve heard others repeat this same worn out line. Maybe even yourself. Caleb’s dad responds perfectly to this idea: “Son, Jesus is much more than a crutch. He’s become the most significant part of our lives.” This is a perfect response because Jesus should never been seen as a crutch we lean on in times of trouble but He is our rock in every moment and we should depend on Him through it all whether the rain is coming down hard or the sun is shining bright.

Throughout scripture, we read about the importance of relationships and this lesson is not limited to the Earthly realm but also includes our Heavenly Father. We read that God is our anchor, our rock, and he is always waiting for us, patiently, and while God desires that each of us do things His way, like a good dad, He does not force anything upon us. While there is an earthly bond between father and son or daughter and dad, there is a relationship between the Heavenly Father and his child as there is one body and one spirit that we are baptized in: “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).