Tonight, as I walked to my temporary downstairs bed, at my sister and brother in law's house, I saw my 3 year old nephew playing. He had a piece of a toy train track, which, in his imagination, was an axe. At certain moments the "axe" turned into a saw. This 3 year old was pretending that he was chopping down a tree.
The object that was visualized, and being used, as the imaginary tree was the support beam of the home. Which sits in the middle of the large downstairs room.
I thought of the most logical reason and explanation as to why my nephew was pretending to be cutting down a tree. I concluded that in his imagination, in the creative aspirations of his mind, he was, and is, aspiring to do what his father does. Or at least what he perceives in his mind, that his father does.
His father is very skilled, talented, and has numerous abilities that make him a great entrepreneur. He currently runs a tree service business. But he has also performed and worked in other trades, quite well I must say, before my nephew even existed.
This 3 year old boy who loves, admires, and watches his father is doing the best he can to emulate, mimic, and be just like, his father.
As we start to learn about, hear from, and live our lives with God, we often find ourselves attempting to mimic what we think He is like. Some demand God is a certain way while others argue that He is the opposite.
I, myself, am one of nine siblings. Each one of us children will have different stories, memories, and perceptions, about our dad. And depending on what age we may have been if anyone would have asked us to mimic, talk about, or explain who our dad is, you could have ended up with what sounded like nine different men.
The reason this caught my attention, and I'm writing it, isn't to try and persuade anyone about whether their views are wrong, right, etc. I write it, because it made me think. It made ME question how, and why, I always see my views and ideas about God, as "right".
My views are valid. And, they make sense to me. Because It's a view based off of my experiences, my studying and my learning. Those things, along with the relationship I have with God. Together, these have accumulated and given me the views I currently have. And, your views are valid too.
But, maybe it would help some of us to see ourselves as children again. Children trying to imitate, and be like, their father. Maybe some of us view our father as pretty harsh. Some view their father as extremely lenient. Some of the children declare that He is a judge. Yet, in years prior He used to be a policeman. But some of the children only remeber the years that He was a farmer. The youngest of the children knew their father as being a substitute teacher.
The truth is, a father, The Father, could have been all of those, at different stages of life. Each facet of who our Father is, who He was, and all He has ever done, offers wisdom and insight into the totality of who He is.
Perhaps if we stop, dogmatically, trying to declare, defend, and only hold onto the few things we "think we know"
of our father. Maybe, we can start to hear and see even more facets, and skills. More greatness, more power, more Love, more grace, more mercy than we ever knew was possible.
Perhaps, in allowing ourselves to realize we all have different views, encounters, and experiences with our Father, it will give us more grace, mercy, and understanding for each other. Perhaps, like our father, viewing each other with this in mind, may help us to "JUST LOVE".
This writing reminds me a little of one of the most impactful books I have ever read, “The Shack.” My Father God is not the same to me as he is to each other son or daughter at a given moment. How is this possible, we ask. The answer, he is to each of us what we need him to be be at the given time. I think of this in terms of things such as grace, mercy, forgiveness, truth, strength or courage. He is a loving father and he knows what we need even when we don’t.