Happy Father's Day

Anyone who has been blessed with the privilege of being a parent knows both the boundless joy and the depths of anguish that come with the "job". The love between a father and a child is profound{as I'm sure it is for the mother too}. Love, in its purest and deepest forms, is the greatest and most courageous thing we can experience as humans. At times, its the equivalent of scaling high mountain ridges with thousand foot drops on either side; other times, it is as if we were eagles riding effortlessly on a thermal breeze. Most of the time, perhaps, its more like gardening - doing the everyday tasks that cultivate and maintain healthy relationships.

I believe that the closest we can come to understanding God's love for us is through the unique bond of parent and child. It is but a mere glimpse at the breadth of God's love for us, His children. Of course, this kind of love, which is best characterized by its devotional quality, is not exclusively the domain of parenting. It comes with true devotion. Mother Teresa had her 'little children', the lepers and sick she so lovingly cared for. Ghandi embraced the whole of India as his 'children'. Devotion fosters this sense of parent/child tenderness and care.

Jesus often referred to his Father, our Heavenly Father, as "Abba", which roughly translates as 'Papa'. What an intimate and endearing term! It evokes the human closeness of Jesus' relationship to the Father during his time on earth. Although God is infinite and unknowable to the human mind, He welcomes us to share a real part of Him through the blessing of parenting. I am a father to my twenty year old daughter. Through this experience of love, in whatever small measure, I feel closest to God, the Father. I feel I actually share something with Him - that "we" have something in common! Our love for our children connects us. How awesome and humbling. From this vantage point, we can all raise our eyes this day and pray: "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name."