“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9-11
My father was not an ideal father. In fact, one of my siblings quotes the questions above and replies, “Our dad did.”
However, through prayer I have come to forgive my biological father. I learned that a stone and a snake were all his father gave him, so it was the only thing he could pass on to us. Even then, at least he gave. That meant that deep down he cared.
We can go through life blaming our parents for our insecurities and troubles, or we can lay them at the foot of the cross and learn to forgive. Once we do, we not only start the deep healing process but grow to appreciate that God uses all circumstances in our lives to draw us to Him and mold us into what He knows we can become.
Forgiveness opens our hearts to receive God’s mercy and opens our arms to receive those who have offended us. Because I have walked through these steps, I can now offer my son bread and fish, not stones and snakes. The cycle is broken.
No, faith doesn’t make us perfect parents; it makes us parents willing to be perfected, and that is a gift worth passing on to our kids.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being our perfect Daddy. In You we can find healing, forgiveness and love for those who have hurt us, especially our own biological parents. Help us to be pliable so we can be perfected in You and lead our family members to Your merciful throne. Amen.
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Is there a family member who has hurt you? Will you take that to God in prayer and trust Him to help heal you? Sometimes the pain is so deep that it really helps to talk to someone confidentially. One of our mentors would love to listen and to support you.