My father passed away sixteen years ago. Of all the memories I have of him, one little nice memory was calling him, “Papa”. Not “Dad” or “Daddy” but “Papa”. My father would have been described as a distant father by good parenting standards. But no matter how strained our relationship was, no matter how disconnected I felt from him or what my mood was, I always felt a connection with him when I call him “Papa “. I cannot be upset with him for long or carry negative feelings for him and call him “Papa” from my heart.
It was only recently that I started reflecting on the significance of this word. Maybe I was inspired from reading Larry Crabb’s book, “The PAPA Prayer “. It’s about relating to God as our Papa and being able to pray and talk to him on the basis of a relationship with him. It’s about attending to our picture of Him in our minds and purging ourselves of everything that blocks our coming to him as his child, before we start asking him for blessings for ourselves or for others.
As Father’s Day is celebrated this weekend, let us appreciate, first and foremost, our Heavenly Papa who first loved us (1 John 4:19) and who is the perfect Father for all of us. And let us give thanks for His precious gift to us in our fathers, in life and in faith.
Happy Papa’s Day!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment