Sometimes the goodness of our Heavenly Father is seen most clearly when we consider the faults and failings of our earthly fathers.
My dad did his best to help raise me. He sent me to family camp with my mom, and after my uncle’s death at the dinner table one night, he paid for me to go to family therapy — with my mom. He took little to no joy in the responsibilities of being a dad. I was a surprise. While my mom was overjoyed to finally be having a baby at 42, my dad was just tired. He had already helped raise a daughter from a previous marriage, and he was looking to settle into a life of ease and retirement when my mom told him the good news. It was not very good news to him. He was less than thrilled with the new role in his life, but being a responsible husband and father, he tolerated me.
In stark contrast to my dad, my Heavenly Father does so much more than tolerate me. He sought me out and chose me (John 15:16; Ephesians 1:4-5). He delights in me (Psalm 16:3). He calls me the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8). Our Heavenly Father loves us; He loved us and chose us before we were born (Romans 8:29). He lovingly knit us together in our mothers’ wombs (Psalm 139:13). He had our lives planned for us even before our conception (Genesis 18:10;1 Samuel 1:19-20; Luke 1:13-19).
The delight God takes in us is something that should define us and inform how we think about ourselves and others. We glorify and praise Him for His love to us, and we love Him back by loving and delighting in His chosen and beloved ones.
