Father of the Year
[Guest post by Alisha Ritchie: When you think about how many children He has, God really is Father of the Year, isn’t he?]
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1 NIV
Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed. With two kids, it seems that I am always on the go and my children are too. When you combine school, homework, basketball practice, gymnastics, projects for school, guitar lessons, and church, it makes for a VERY FULL week. We stay busy, busy, busy!
I love my kids with all my heart and am tickled they want to be involved in so many activities. I hope it helps to make them well-rounded individuals. However, our chaotic schedule does make it difficult to keep up with everything.
It seems there are endless things to monitor such as school project deadlines, permission slips that need to be signed, and making sure everyone gets to their desired destination at the appropriate time. I have definitely perfected my list making skills and make notes constantly to help keep me stay on track. As difficult as it is for me to handle all these things, I realize that I only work part-time. Honestly I couldn’t imagine keeping up with my family and working a full time job while remaining sane. I salute all those moms who work full time and are full-time super moms as well!
On this particular day, I was feeling stressed out and run down. There just did not seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished. In the midst of my despair, the Lord whispered comforting thoughts to me. He reminded me of the verse from the Bible that says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God…” 1 John 3:1.
I am God’s child and He loves me so much. However, I was bombarded with the awesome realization that the Lord has a huge multitude of children.
He has more children than I could ever possibly imagine, so many believers in Him.
How incredible the Lord is to be able to keep up with all the details of every one of His children’s lives, no matter how small or large.
He knows the number of hairs on my head all the way to the deepest secrets of my heart. And He doesn’t just know these things about me- He cares for each of His children in this way.
I am reminded of my weakness of struggling to keep up with just two children. But I know I am not alone in my endeavor and He is always there for me. God is never too busy to listen when I need to talk. He provides me with emotional and spiritual support on those days that are especially difficult. His love for me and His other children knows no bounds.
We are His possession and He lavishes, or pours out, His love on us. We are blessed to be His children and He deserves the very best we can give Him.
Be inspired to gain a new perspective on your parenting. Pray to learn to love your children completely as He does His children. Resolve to give the Lord the love, honor, and respect that He warrants. As mothers, we should all strive to live our lives as though we are saying to God, “You deserve the ‘Father of the Year’ award this year and every year for your relentless outpouring of love on your many children.”
No other parent can compare to that of our Heavenly Father.
Alisha Ritchie is a wife, mother of two wonderful children, Physical Therapy Assistant by profession, and dedicated church member and Sunday School teacher. She resides in the small town of Stanfield, North Carolina, where she enjoys writing, spending time with her children, and ministering to others through her work and small group Bible studies. You can read some of Alisha’s other devotional writing at www.christiandevotions.us.
photo credit: Father and Son via photopin (license)