Coming into DTS I was aware of a few of the topics that I would be taught about in lectures. One was a week the staff called “The Father Heart of God.” I was told, “Be ready for that one.” No matter how ready I may have been for the week, there was no preparation I could have done for what was coming my way. Throughout the lectures of the week, I can honestly say I cried from various revelations God was giving me, multiple times a day. I was completely unaware of the fact that my relationship with my earthly father inadvertently affected the way I related to my heavenly Father.
Even though my father is an honorable man of God, his attitude towards me– like not telling me he’s proud of me–made me assume that the Lord felt the same way. Through several sessions of reflecting on my heart and and on my past, I was able to dig up deeply rooted struggles I have wrestled with, even ones I didn’t know were issues. Through deep soul-searching and prayer, God has begun the process of healing the deep wounds I had held within the depths of my heart.
Then as God continued to speak truth into the damaged parts of my soul, our speaker that week encouraged us to forgive the sins that had been done against us. “God can’t do His full work in us if we can’t forgive those who have sinned against us,” our speaker explained. It is said right in The Lord’s Prayer that we must forgive those who “trespass against us.” If we try to live our life without forgiving our fathers or father-figures for the wrongs they have done against us, then we won’t be able to grasp what it looks like to have a proper father because we’re stuck on the wrong image that we’ve been shown here on earth.
My favorite lesson that I learned from this week was this: Our father here on earth should reflect our Father in Heaven, instead of the other way around.
My favorite lesson that I learned from this week was this: Our father here on earth should reflect our Father in Heaven, instead of the other way around. That inspires me to be the best father I can be, when I have children one day. It also helps me understand that while my father here on earth is an amazing role model for me, he pales in comparison to the heart God has for me, His child.
Written by Gabriel Mangum
