ABBA; the Perfect Parent
“Samantha,
not Sam, is my name!” this precious one declared upon first introductions a few
years ago.
Recently I was reflecting upon
how the LORD parents each of us who have trusted in Him. I had the opportunity
to help babysit our colleagues' little girls, Abby and
Samantha, while gathered together at a conference. The conference center was
just enough for the attendees but lacked in terms of grounds to walk and reflect.
What that meant was that two little ones had just the parking lot, loads of college
students, and the staircase to play on. The music pulsated with loud thumps which shook the walls of the meeting hall. Though a bit unpleasant for adults to adjust to, the little ones seemed a bit drained by the dry season heat combined with the intense noise.
Andy and Emily, their parents, do a great job. But at times during the conference I thought they might appreciate a
break. Resultantly, I offered to take these prized ones outside. Samantha, "not
Sam", was highly unpredictable until her wise older sister, Abby, coached me.
Abby saw Samantha make a beeline to points beyond a watchful eye. To which Abby
just responded, “Just wait, she will come back after she cries out for you to
come to her. You will see, Aunt Rhonda, if you don’t come to her then she will
come back quickly to find you. Don’t worry she won’t go far away. She just
wants to explore.”
At one point, the kids and I
were playing cards. Three-year-old Samantha
lost attention fairly quickly. She then asked if she could pick up my Bible. She thumbed through the pages of the Bible and then the real fun
prevailed. She began to share the Word with us. Samantha was emulating what she
has seen in preaching most likely. Her parents are grace dispensers big time.
Even so, I found it interesting to think about the love letter the Father has
given us in His Word. I shared this perspective with her. Her eyes widened as
she seemingly caught what I was describing as Kingdom reality. At this point
she shifted her words from, “don’t
do this and don’t do that” type preaching, to catching the love
relationship as much as she can at this age. Samantha’s vocabulary began to be
retrained and consequently her words reflected this shift. She began to share “now listen, because God loves you He wants
you to obey,” “you need to follow Jesus or it breaks God’s heart,” became
her transformed verbiage.
Suddenly stopping her constant
flow of preaching the Word, Samantha asked me if the Muslim lady who was
sitting with us at the time knew about God’s love He gave to the world through
Jesus. Little Samantha asked me to help her tell this lady about Jesus’ dying
for her sins. I translated for little Samantha. Out of the mouths of babes,
indeed, is the power of the Word of God proclaimed.
Samantha experienced an
instantaneous transformation in her orientation of the Father’s heart. She
chose to pitch the self made erroneous script which had projected a capricious God.
Instead, she embraced the reality of the God who pursues with righteousness,
forgiveness, justice, holiness, and unconditional love.
How does ABBA parent each of us
who are in Christ Jesus? What keeps each of us from hearing His heart for
ourselves and for others? What areas of bondage are being erected against
hearing ABBA or even desiring to choose His ways? What script of the character
of God needs a healthy rewrite in our concept of God? As we trust God to see Him launch a DiscipleMaking Movement (DMM)/Church Planting Movement (CPM) among Unreached People Groups, what concept of ABBA are we injecting into the stream of these movements? The love for God, at adoration increased levels, combined with obedience born forthe resulantly, is a balanced injection of what needs to be infused into a growing movement of households of disciples.
The Word of God is inerrant,
perfect in all ways. God’s perfect parent heart is revealed therein. Can you
hear the words of His love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy in your life right
now?
Loving
His Perfect Ways,
Rhonda
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