How Does Your View of God Affect How You Relate to Him?

How does your view of God affect how you relate to Him?

I don't usually interrupt parents spending time with their children when I'm out initiating gospel conversations. But the young father on the park bench seemed to have some extra time while his toddler was sleeping, so I thought I'd make an exception. As it turned out, as soon as Isabel, his young daughter, woke up and realized she had an captive audience during our conversation, she really turned on the energy and the charm.

John seemed like a great father during our conversation, in my opinion. He wasn't overly protective, but he wasn't negligent either. He let his daughter explore her world, test the boundaries, and reeled her in or chased after her when needed.

With little Isabel's antics as part of our conversation, it was interesting to me that much of our conversation revolved around God as our Heavenly Father, the negligence of John's earthly father, and John's resolve not to follow in his father's footsteps with his own children.

However, John's first statements about God showed that he viewed God as less of the "Heavenly Father" Jesus teaches us to relate to God as, and more of an impersonal force like karma.

"Heavenly Father", or impersonal "karma" ? Is it really that important that we make the distinction?

It is an important distinction. If we compared parenting styles, I think if "karma" had been sitting on that park bench, then little Isabelle would have been on a rigid leash tied to the bench, more like a puppy than a child. That leash would be inflexible, lifeless, and unforgiving. She wouldn't benefit from the loving discipline and life lessons that only a loving parent can give.

But the Bible presents God as our heavenly Father for many reasons, and one is that we can begin to recognize and appreciate His presence and involvement in our daily lives.

For example, we wouldn't expect to pray to an impersonal force like "karma", but prayer is to be part of the life of God's children. Despite his absolute sovereignty over all aspects of creation, we are invited and commanded into the personal dialog with our Creator that prayer is. Sending our "thoughts" or "good vibes" is a cheap substitute for the ongoing fellowship we can have with our Heavenly Father.

And we should expect fatherly discipline from God. Hebrews 12 tells us to "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?" I think one reason we fail to recognize the Father's love is that His love must be tough, with an emphasis on preparing us for eternity rather than the fluffiness of our ideas of "love" in the here and now.

It's not all about you or I. Our western culture may emphasize the imortance of the individual, but so much of the emphasis of the New Testament is about our relationships with the family of believers, both universally and local. Some of the most visible evidence of the Kingdom of God that outsiders have can and should be seen in the way the children of God relate to one another.

I learned a lot about John in the way he related to his daughter, and from what I could tell, he is learning to overcome the poor legacy his father left him. But no matter what our childhood experience is of our earthly parents, God can be "a father to the fatherless"; "an ever-present help in time of trouble".

And just in case we feel He is nowhere to be found, maybe we just need to turn around and discover He was right there all along like the prodigal son found when he returned home: "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate."