The One Where God Likes Your Kids ...Even When You Don't (When Dads Pray - Week 7) Nigerian American Reminding You That God The Father Still Loves You
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- Religion & Spirituality
My kids are quite the curious bunch, especially my oldest. A simple answer is never enough for him. He’ll ask questions till he gets to the root of my underlying motive for why I said what I said; which is fine, except for the fact that it’s usually at 2:00am and I gotta get up in 4 hours!
But one of his oddest follow up questions he has consistently stuck with is the one that comes after I tell him how much I love him. He’s fond of following up by saying, “I love you too, daddy. But why do you love me?”
Interestingly, I have been preparing for this question since I was in seminary. I know that sounds odd, but let me explain. In seminary, I took a class called, “SOUL CARE” (which is exactly what it sounds like), and it ended up bringing to light some childhood wounds I never dealt with.
The class helped me work through and let go of a lot of baggage I had carried years. One key lessons that came out of that season was the truth that God loves me, not because of how much effort I was making to do the right thing in my walk with Him, but because it truly gave Him joy (and because it was “…according to the good pleasure of His will.” – Ephesians 1:5).
That Biblical truth transformed my vision of what a Father does and who a Father is supposed to be, way before I was even a dad!
So, when my oldest son, even at an early stage began to ask why it is I love him, I was very careful to let him know that it wasn’t because of how handsome or brilliant he was, or how great a job he did at whatever his mom last instructed him to do; but rather, I told him that I loved him because God gave him to me as a special gift!
Now, that is a love he never has to earn!! That is a love that will always be readily available for him as long as God gives me breath.
It is, of course also a love that I don’t always live up to.
As fathers, our kids look up to us as heroes, but we know all too well just how human we are. We know that we will love our kids imperfectly, and whether intentionally or unintentionally – our sinful behavior may end up demonstrating to our kids that our love and approval of them depends on their performance.
Like I said, we’re awfully human.
The one thing we can work hard to do right, however, is to teach them that their Father in heaven is madly in love with them, so much so that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to come start a lifelong friendship with us. It’s that message that we as dads should strive to make clear to our kids!
So, dads, join me as I pray for that our kids would truly embrace the truth that God not only loves them, but actually likes them!
PRAY ALONG WITH ME, DADS“Lord Jesus, your word says in Romans 8:38-39 that no one and no thing will ever be able to drive a wedge between you and us! Absolutely nothing! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! Thank you so much for loving my children so dearly. Jesus, I pray that you would help this truth stick to their heart like glue so that they never forget about your great love for them.
Lord Jesus, guard my children’s hearts against any lie that the devil might try to tell them about their value and their worth. Place a shield of truth around their mind so that when other people speak negative things to them about how they look, where they’re from, or what they do, they would be secure enough in your love to say, “Nope, that is a lie. I am loved by God, the creator of heaven and earth!”
Father in heaven, convince my children by your Holy Spirit and through the Bible that even on their worst days and their greatest mistakes, that You still remain faithful to them. Show them according to your word that absolutely nothing can get between them and your love because of the way Jesus Christ has embraced them. Remind them always that when
My kids are quite the curious bunch, especially my oldest. A simple answer is never enough for him. He’ll ask questions till he gets to the root of my underlying motive for why I said what I said; which is fine, except for the fact that it’s usually at 2:00am and I gotta get up in 4 hours!
But one of his oddest follow up questions he has consistently stuck with is the one that comes after I tell him how much I love him. He’s fond of following up by saying, “I love you too, daddy. But why do you love me?”
Interestingly, I have been preparing for this question since I was in seminary. I know that sounds odd, but let me explain. In seminary, I took a class called, “SOUL CARE” (which is exactly what it sounds like), and it ended up bringing to light some childhood wounds I never dealt with.
The class helped me work through and let go of a lot of baggage I had carried years. One key lessons that came out of that season was the truth that God loves me, not because of how much effort I was making to do the right thing in my walk with Him, but because it truly gave Him joy (and because it was “…according to the good pleasure of His will.” – Ephesians 1:5).
That Biblical truth transformed my vision of what a Father does and who a Father is supposed to be, way before I was even a dad!
So, when my oldest son, even at an early stage began to ask why it is I love him, I was very careful to let him know that it wasn’t because of how handsome or brilliant he was, or how great a job he did at whatever his mom last instructed him to do; but rather, I told him that I loved him because God gave him to me as a special gift!
Now, that is a love he never has to earn!! That is a love that will always be readily available for him as long as God gives me breath.
It is, of course also a love that I don’t always live up to.
As fathers, our kids look up to us as heroes, but we know all too well just how human we are. We know that we will love our kids imperfectly, and whether intentionally or unintentionally – our sinful behavior may end up demonstrating to our kids that our love and approval of them depends on their performance.
Like I said, we’re awfully human.
The one thing we can work hard to do right, however, is to teach them that their Father in heaven is madly in love with them, so much so that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to come start a lifelong friendship with us. It’s that message that we as dads should strive to make clear to our kids!
So, dads, join me as I pray for that our kids would truly embrace the truth that God not only loves them, but actually likes them!
PRAY ALONG WITH ME, DADS“Lord Jesus, your word says in Romans 8:38-39 that no one and no thing will ever be able to drive a wedge between you and us! Absolutely nothing! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! Thank you so much for loving my children so dearly. Jesus, I pray that you would help this truth stick to their heart like glue so that they never forget about your great love for them.
Lord Jesus, guard my children’s hearts against any lie that the devil might try to tell them about their value and their worth. Place a shield of truth around their mind so that when other people speak negative things to them about how they look, where they’re from, or what they do, they would be secure enough in your love to say, “Nope, that is a lie. I am loved by God, the creator of heaven and earth!”
Father in heaven, convince my children by your Holy Spirit and through the Bible that even on their worst days and their greatest mistakes, that You still remain faithful to them. Show them according to your word that absolutely nothing can get between them and your love because of the way Jesus Christ has embraced them. Remind them always that when