Abba, Father

Day 79

I just read my last post, and I was in quite a funk last week. I am feeling better now. I had a migraine for a few days, and I think that maybe when it begins to build I might fall into a depression. Or it could be that the time of the month that the migraine happens, plays a part. Thankfully, I have not had a serious migraine for three months. But when I got this one, it took three days to shake it. And my head is still sore. But I did not have any seizures, so I am so grateful.

That is not why I am writing today. I am writing because I have not mentioned our church yet. I think that they would love to get some PR. I go to The Church of Knoxville. Our Pastor, Pastor Jamie, preached a wonderful sermon yesterday on how when Jesus died on the cross, God adopted us as his children. "Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,[c] Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir." (Galatians 4:6-7). With Jesus's death on the cross, we are no longer a slave to the laws of religion. As believers in Christ, we are all adopted by God as his children.

And what our Father wants most is a relationship with us. What I am trying to do is to carve out a little time for him each day. He wants to spend time with us. It can be as simple as closing your eyes before you go to bed and talking to him. Or talking to him when you wake up in the morning. Or when you go on a walk. You don't have to talk out loud like a crazy person. You can have a conversation with him privately. Or you can write it down. Or you can blog it for everyone and their mama to see, and then everyone will know you are crazy, but that's O.K. I am just crazy about our Father. Because I know that he is a lot like my own Dad. He wants to spend time with us. And if you do not have a father, my heart breaks for you. But that is why I don't want you to miss out on a relationship with your Father. The one who created you. The one who cares about you more than anyone in the world. Are we still going to suffer in this world? Yes. Does that mean he does not care? No. It means that we need him, and he wants us to need him.

It is during times when I am in pain that I realize that I need God the most. And I am not saying that he creates pain so that we will need him. That is not what I mean. I mean that when things are going well in my life, sometimes I forget to call on him. Or when life gets really busy, I might say a quick prayer with my son, and then fall asleep when my head hits the pillow without talking to God about my day about his plans for me and about prayer requests that I have. But when I have a migraine or when I am worried about work or a family member, I toss and turn and pray or fall on my knees and look up to God for help. The good news is that he is always there. When I am singing songs to him when I clean the house, he hears that too. So remember that you can call on your Father, when you need Him, and even when you don't. That's what a Father is for.