Disclaimer: Distortions Abound

(photo courtesy of wordoverpixels.com)

Don’t confuse my personality with my God.

I can be withdrawn. I can be rude. I can be oblivious to your problems and concerns.

But don’t allow that to cloud your perception of my God.

I can be cheerful and complimentary. I can be caring and attentive.

Don’t allow that to influence the picture you have of God.

Though I was created to reflect the image of God, I can warp that image tremendously, because He’s given me the freedom to do so.

I can manipulate what you see; I can persuade you to drop your guard.

I can also drive you away or draw your focus to things that appear to be unfair.

As a human being, unconditionally loved by the God that created the universe, I have the advantage of a gifted mind and the good I’ve gleaned from what I’ve gone through in life, but I also have the flaws brought on through human experience and emotional roller coasters.

The bottom line is – I’m not God.

But, I’m not the only example of His love; He’s surrounded you with His beauty and grace and mercy and compassion and forgiveness. Remove your hands from your eyes and your fingers from your ears. Look. Listen.

Surrender.

To surrender to love is not a bad thing. It doesn’t mean you lose, it means you win! When you yield yourself to all the good you’ve ever longed for, you become immersed in God Himself.

I’m not making excuses for my failures; just pointing out that your answers are not found in me or in any other Christian, but in Jesus Christ only.

John 14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (KJV)

Just Like My Dad....

Some would rather not be compared to their fathers - having grown up in a home where no father was present or their father was a tyrant. Some boys vow never to become a father for fear they'll be like their own. Young women swear they'll never have children if they have to raise them in the same house with the man who fathered them, believing that all fathers are alike. Others may promise themselves that 'things will be different in my house - my children will be loved and valued....'

Many fathers have treated their own children disgracefully and abused them horribly - or simply abandoned them. What a shameful legacy to pass on. Sadly, many of us grow up to repeat the mistakes of our parents.

This is not what our heavenly Father had in mind for us.

Satan plans to destroy the very beings God loves best, those created in His own image. He's infiltrated our everyday lives, distorting the truth. He seeks to divide and conquer; to discredit the structure of the family unit as God designed it and tear it apart. Satan wants us believing we are alone and vulnerable.

As humans, our fathers (and mothers) make mistakes, we make mistakes; we sin - we've all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But if we search the Scriptures and discover the attributes of God in His goodness, we see that we're to live our lives reflecting His glory. This is the holy legacy we are to hand down to our children, bearing our heavenly Father's image.

It's not too late to teach our children the truth. We can be the parents our children want to grow up to be - we can humble ourselves and seek God's face. We have to, for God's sake....