The Father’s Love
An idea that I have for another book is what happens to those of us who were not loved that way we needed to be loved. I have the opportunity to speak with many individuals who although they are adults, they continue to battle the hurt, the emotions, the pain, and the heartbreak because their parent did not love them, encourage them, and they did not speak words of love to them. It breaks my heart knowing that these individuals continue to limp through life knowing that their father or mother did not love them the way they needed to be loved. Sadly, many of the people with whom I speak still carry the weight of the negative things spoken to them by an angry parent who most likely carried the weight of their personal hurt.
Phrases such as, misery loves company, and hurt people, hurt people ring true to those who have suffered verbal and physical abuse from the one person in life who was given the responsibility to love them and protect them. It is sad that it takes some people a long time to work through the pain and sorrow and find freedom in forgiveness and release, while ensuring they do not continue the cycle and become like the person who hurt them. I tend to think that if the past hurts me, then I have not placed it in the correct place, in the past. Then I come to terms that it is not the past that hurts me, it is me, allowing the past to dictate my thoughts, emotions, and reaction or response. I must come to terms and take ownership of my actions and ask the Lord to help me take every negative thought captive as I read in II Corinthians 10:5. I realize that I must have the courage to place the past in the past and not allow it to have an negative impact on me. With the help of the Lord, I can find freedom and peace.
I am so happy that regardless of how my parents loved me or treated me, I have pure, sincere, love from God the Father. His love is unspotted, it is pure, it is holy because He is holy. The pure love which God offers to me, to you, to all of us, is not like human love, it is much more and it is overwhelming. The love which the Lord has for us, His creation, is sincere, and He asks that we love Him with all our hearts. The of the God is so overwhelming, it can drive me to tears and my response is of course, I want to love Him. The Lord loves us and wants us to love Him and to honor Him. He does not manipulate us or control us; we have free will to love Him. He loves us and gave us the greatest gift a loving father could give us: He gave us the free gift of His love and salvation through His perfect, sinless son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ loves us so much that he chose to die on a cross for our sins. Through the power of God, the grave could not keep Him, and He rose from the grave to conquer sin, death, and hell for us. He returned to heaven and one day, He will return. That is love: pure, unadulterated love.
I like to give my family and friends gifts, and I like to receive gifts regardless of the cost. The gift of salvation which is freely given to us came at such a high price for Jesus because it cost Him everything: it cost His life. Jesus is the pure, perfect representation of the love of God, the Father. Jesus did not come to earth with His own personal agenda; He came to represent His Father to humankind, and it is up to us to believe on Him, His love, and accept His free gift of salvation. Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to God the Father except through Jesus Christ. See, Jesus is not a way to God, He is The Way. There is no other name in the world, no other person in the world who could save us. Yes, there are many, many other gods, little g, who ask something of us: however, Jesus Christ came to give us life, eternal life through Him.
So today, take a quiet moment, and tell the Lord, that you want to trust Him and believe in Him. In Romans 6:23, we read, that we are all sinners, and as sinners the wages of sin is death; however, Jesus Christ died for us while we were sinners, Romans 5:8. We do not need to try to get clean or fix ourselves before we call out to Him. He extends a warm, loving welcome to us just as we are, now, here today. Today is the day of salvation, trust Him, believe in Him, and call on the name of the Lord and be saved, Romans 10:13.. Experience the love of God, the love of Jesus Christ, and His peace. Ask Him to help you forgive those who hurt you; give Him your burden, and He will gladly give you His peace.
Trauma, emotional damage, and physical abuse are hard issues to work through on your own, and you might think, that you do not believe in God or Jesus because you cannot see them. To you I say, well, I do not see oxygen; however, I breathe it daily. God is very real, Jesus is very real and they wait on you to call out to them, all you need is a little faith. If you want to find freedom and release from the hurt, the pain, and the sorrow, be sure to reach out to a pastor, counselor, therapist, or find a support group in your area to help you walk the journey of healing from the past. They will help you focus on today since that is a precious gift we have now, and they will help you put the past behind you where it no longer can hurt you. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ give you the courage to get the help you need to move forward in your journey and may His peace fill your heart and mind.