The Greatest Gift a Father Could Give

"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask for him!" - Luke 11:11-13


Unless you just so happen to live under a rock or in the corner of a remote jungle in some small South American country, chances are that you know that today is Father's Day. I would like to thank all the fathers out there for their service first to God, and second to their families. I would like to start this post with a few words about my own father.

Never before have I met a man that could compare to my father. The strength and godliness that he has shown me, even in the midst of his own life struggles, amaze me more each time I am reminded of them. For a man that has been on the verge of death several times, the way in which he has continued to rely on God encourages me more than he could ever know. The love that he has shown me and the sacrifices he has made for me have helped shape me into the man that I have become and am still becoming. I will never forget the days in the backyard as he taught me how to play catch, the times I would run up to him to greet him as he got home from a long day at work, or how we never failed to make it to the Washington Nationals opening day baseball games. I could go on and on, but I think it would suffice to say that I love my father, and he has also become one of my best friends. I admire his godliness, and hope to one day become half the man of God that he is.

As much as I love my father, I do realize that he is not perfect. But thankfully, I have another Father who is. God, in His great love and mercy, chose to make me His son, even while I was yet a sinner. When I was most undeserving of His love, He was most merciful. As Luke 11:11-13 points out, even sinful, earthly fathers know how to properly treat their children and give them good gifts. If sinful fathers are able to do so, of course our faultless heavenly Father knows how to treat us even better. But these verses do not say that God will give us "good gifts," but rather that He would give us the Holy Spirit. This implies that the Holy Spirit is a much more valuable gift than anything that our earthly fathers could ever offer us.

It is far too easy to question God about the way He parents His children. I tend to find myself thinking that God is not giving me the "gifts" that I think that I deserve or that would benefit me most. But I forget that He has already given me the greatest gift that I could ask for: the Holy Spirit. It is so foolish of me to think that my narrow-minded plan could be greater than the plan of my Father, the plan that He has had since before He created the universe. Ultimately, His plan will not bring about the easiest life for me, but it will bring Him glory and be for my good.

Just as I trust that my earthly father will do all that he can to provide for me and make sure that I have the best life possible, I must continually learn and trust that my almighty heavenly Father has my best in mind. His plan goes so far beyond my human comprehension, but my Father has given me His Holy Spirit to comfort me and guide me along this journey called life. This is the greatest gift a Father could give.

Happy Father's Day!