The Father’s Heart
‘Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.’ Colossians 3:21. This verse is similar to, ‘Fathers do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.’ Ephesians 6:4.
I looked up the words embitter, discouragement and exasperate because I really wanted to understand why these words were chosen.
-People who are embittered are angry and resentful because they feel they have been treated unfairly.
-Discouragement comes in the form of disapproval, the consequence of which is a loss of confidence, courage and hope in the person who experiences it.
-To exasperate someone is to irritate, frustrate, cause anger and impatience in someone.
The Father’s heart is the opposite of these 3 words- He is our greatest encourager, He does not lead us into sin through anger and frustration, He is fair and these words are an indicator of the Father’s parenting and attitude towards His children. Our Father in heaven is trustworthy; even when we don’t know why bad things happen or certain doors remain closed, we can trust that in His goodness, He is protecting us rather than denying us.
The scripture above comes after a reminder by Paul of the 5th Commandment, to honour our parents. But what ought we to do when parents don’t follow these instructions and don’t raise their children to live godly lives?
God knows the effect parents can have on children and how their adult lives are affected by the lies or truth that they received as children. We can be grateful that even if our fathers on earth are not following God’s example, we have a Father in heaven who meets our needs and is our constant source of support. We ourselves can follow His great example by being compassionate towards our parents because we have received love and compassion from Him. We can pray for healing for those who suffer and cause suffering because they do not know God’s love and perhaps didn’t know the love and acceptance of their parents. Even though we might be bitter and resentful, wondering why we ought to, let us remember-
1) We love because God loved us first. 1 John 4:19
2) We’re asked to love our enemies and pray for them- how much more our parents? Matthew 5:43-44.
3) We are called to be salt and light, preserving whatever good there is in others and building upon that, bring truth and freedom into their lives. Matthew 5:13-16
4) We are warned not to let any bitter root spring up and cause division. Hebrews 12:15
5) We are called to obey God, not our feelings- if we forgive them that have wronged us, we too will receive forgiveness. Matthew 6:12
Jesus is our anchor of hope and in Him all things are made possible. Let us not believe the lie that situations or people ‘will never change.’ God has the final say and the power to change hearts. Let our prayers be in agreement with this truth, trusting God to heal and save, to restore and reconcile us to each other as we are reconciled to Him. Pray and see what happens.
Awake My Soul
And when He moves
And when we pray
Where stood a wall, now stands a way.
- Jesse Kaur