Changing The Lens
Devotional
How you see your earthly Father shapes how you see God, whether you realize it or not. If your dad was absent, God can feel far away. If your dad was harsh, God can feel impossible to please. If your dad was passive, God can feel uninvolved in the details of your life. But here's the truth: God is none of those things. He is not a reflection of the imperfect people who raised us. He is something better, something our hearts have always longed for but maybe never fully experienced. This is why it matters so much to let Scripture, not our past, define who God is. Romans 8 tells us that we have not received a Spirit of fear, but a Spirit of adoption. That word adoption is intentional. It means you were chosen. You were brought in. You belong. You may have to unlearn some things about what a Father is before you can fully receive what God is offering. That's okay. He is patient, and He is not in a hurry. He will meet you right where your understanding ends and gently show you something truer. Give Him permission to change the lens. What you see on the other side might surprise you.
Bible Verse
"So you have not received a Spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call him, 'Abba, Father.'" - Romans 8:15 (New Living Translation (NLT))
Reflection Question
In what specific ways has your experience with your earthly Father shaped the way you relate to God, and what would it look like to let Scripture rewrite that picture?
Quote
"If your earthly Father was absent, God may feel far, but He's not. If your earthly Father was harsh, God might feel like an angry God, that he could never do good enough, but He's not. God may feel like passive because He had a passive earthly Father that God is not involved. God wants to be involved."
Prayer
God, I give You the broken or incomplete picture I have carried of what a Father is. Replace it with the truth of who You are, and help me receive Your love without the filter of my past. Amen.
How you see your earthly Father shapes how you see God, whether you realize it or not. If your dad was absent, God can feel far away. If your dad was harsh, God can feel impossible to please. If your dad was passive, God can feel uninvolved in the details of your life. But here's the truth: God is none of those things. He is not a reflection of the imperfect people who raised us. He is something better, something our hearts have always longed for but maybe never fully experienced. This is why it matters so much to let Scripture, not our past, define who God is. Romans 8 tells us that we have not received a Spirit of fear, but a Spirit of adoption. That word adoption is intentional. It means you were chosen. You were brought in. You belong. You may have to unlearn some things about what a Father is before you can fully receive what God is offering. That's okay. He is patient, and He is not in a hurry. He will meet you right where your understanding ends and gently show you something truer. Give Him permission to change the lens. What you see on the other side might surprise you.
Bible Verse
"So you have not received a Spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call him, 'Abba, Father.'" - Romans 8:15 (New Living Translation (NLT))
Reflection Question
In what specific ways has your experience with your earthly Father shaped the way you relate to God, and what would it look like to let Scripture rewrite that picture?
Quote
"If your earthly Father was absent, God may feel far, but He's not. If your earthly Father was harsh, God might feel like an angry God, that he could never do good enough, but He's not. God may feel like passive because He had a passive earthly Father that God is not involved. God wants to be involved."
Prayer
God, I give You the broken or incomplete picture I have carried of what a Father is. Replace it with the truth of who You are, and help me receive Your love without the filter of my past. Amen.
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