On my desk sits a folding photo frame with a picture of my two sons as young boys on one half. The other half of the frame contains a quote that reads, "A truly rich man is one whose children will run into his arms when his hands are empty." I am proud to say that I am a very rich man.
Love cannot be measured in terms of material goods or dollar value. Yet love that is offered in the form of acceptance, encouragement, openness, support, and time made available is priceless in anyone's eyes. Father's Day is very special when memories include these qualities.
A father's love does not always involve condoning. It does not always involve sparing pain. It does not always involve providing a ready source for personal and immediate gratification. In fact many times it is just the opposite. A father's love can include learning through hard and painful lessons. It can involve clarification of boundaries and limitations not easily accepted. It can involve teaching cost, consequences, accountability, and personal responsibility. Love at times can hurt everyone involved.
Our heavenly Father gives us the best example of love. He has always found a way to show grace. He has always found a way to offer forgiveness and redemption. He has always found a way that will allow the object of his love to become more than they were before.
The Father's love must be revealed in the home and in the church. His love reveals himself and his hopes for his creation. His love reveals his power to control and his refusal to intervene. His love reveals his demands and his grace. His love reveals his requirements and his own willingness to sacrifice.
A church must practice such fatherly love. A congregation exists to reach out and include. It cannot compomise the nature of the One whose blood and Spirit established it. Neither can it stand as judge over those whose Creator has accepted them.
A church must be willing to sacrifice the material and the traditional so that the Truth may shine brightly. The Truth is a Person. His love that led to personal sacrifice on a cross cannot be buried beneath demands that separate the individual from God. A church is not in business simply to offer material goods or financial gain. To the world its arms may often seem empty. But for those who are seeking the Father's kind of love, they must be able to see the arms of the church filled with his forgiving Presence.
