[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 18/Mar/2018]
The experience of parenting came late to me. For most of my life I had successfully heeded the ubiquitous medical advice “keep away from children” and I was settled into a comfortable yet productive retirement. Then my wife announced that her grandchildren were coming to stay. Not merely coming to visit; coming to stay!
This is not such an uncommon arrangement in the rural areas of eastern Europe. One or both of the parents will leave the children in the care of their own parents or even grandparents whilst they explore the chance to provide for the family in a way that they could not do by staying at home. Meanwhile, the grandparents get the opportunity to correct the mistakes they made first time around. So when the four-year-old plunges his arms into the washbasin without rolling up his sleeves you patiently get a dry pullover, grateful in the knowledge that he has at least washed his hands. Or when a snotty two-year-old asks you to help her blow her nose for the umpteenth time, you gently comply. After all, rumour has it that you were like that once.
The Bible likens God’s relationship with us to that of a father, but what image comes to mind? In our contemporary society there are many examples of fatherhood – some good, some bad – so how do we decide which gives the best picture of God? In ‘Yours’ recently, Helen reminded us about the type of father who likes to give us good gifts – gifts that sometimes are all the more precious for having had to wait for them.
In his gospel, Matthew reports that Jesus taught His disciples to ask their heavenly Father for their daily bread, whilst the writer to the Hebrews argues that God’s discipline is ultimately for our good. Generosity, provision and correction are all characteristics of a caring parent; let us be thankful that our Father knows the perfect balance for each one of us.
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys