Every year, Father’s Day rolls around. For some it’s a joyous day, but for others it can hold great pain and sorrow. Many people don’t have or have never had a father figure in their lives to love and to care for them. In some ways, not having a father figure or having a father who was abusive can be a stumbling block to many in accepting God as our Father. Unforgiveness and bitterness can lodge in a person’s heart, closing the door for healing and restoration by our heavenly Father.

One of the first things God gave me when I was a new Christian was the principle of forgiveness. I was not even connected yet to the reality that I had been carrying unforgiveness and bitterness in my heart towards my own father and other abusive men. I didn’t know that in the Word God commands us to forgive. And truthfully, considering how He has forgiven us, how can we not forgive others?

Matthew 6:14 (ESV) says: For if you forgive other’s their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. I believe He is saying that He will forgive us in the same way He ask us to forgive others. In reality, Jesus placed the requirement to forgive in order to address the condition of the believer’s heart.

As Jesus is in the world, so are we. In Psalm 103:8–12, Scripture reveals God's nature as forgiving, compassionate, merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving devotion. Ephesians 4:32 (CSB) emphasizes the importance of kindness and forgiveness among individuals, stating that we need to: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

Forgiveness is not a one-time event but a posture of softness and grace. Luke 17:3–4 says: If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, "I repent," you must forgive him. That’s exactly what God does for us. When genuine faith is present there will be evidence of a willingness to release others from the offenses.

An unforgiving heart has a barrier preventing the full experience and outworking of Divine Forgiveness. God knows that when we don’t offer forgiveness, our hearts become hardened with bitterness and then become unrepentant so that we will not turn towards faith, grace, and the power of mercy and love. Forgiveness offers the power to break cycles of retaliation, and it releases us from emotional distress and gives God the opportunity to heal our hearts and the relationships He desires to restore.

Maybe the other person will not even respond to our forgiveness. Perhaps they have already passed on. However, as we respond in faith to release others of their offenses, we can be restored to fully receive the forgiveness God has given us and to receive fully His divine love and peace.

I would like to encourage you to examine your heart and to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you anyone that you may be holding unforgiveness towards, including your earthly father. As you do that you will receive a clean heart with the blessing of a new freedom, joy and unbroken intimacy with your Heavenly Father.

There is a song by Chris Tomlin that says: You’re a Good, Good Father. That’s who You are. And I am loved by You. That’s who I am.

On Father’s Day I take the time to contemplate on the truth that I have a Heavenly Father that loves me so much greater than any earthly father. I can rejoice that He will never leave me nor forsake me and that, ultimately, He is turning everything around for my good (see Hebrews 13:5 & Romans 8:28).

So, I hope this Father’s Day you will be rejoicing along with others, not just celebrating earthly fathers but our amazing Heavenly Father who loves you!!

Song:

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You that You are such a loving, wise and gracious Father that always loves us unconditionally. Thank You that You desire for us to love like You love us. May we receive grace to walk in forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, and love towards others even when it is difficult. Continually create in us a clean heart so that we can reflect Your glory to others. In Jesus name we pray.

Key Scriptures

LOVE OF A FATHER:

• 1 John 3:1
• Psalm 103:13
• Ephesians 3:14–15
• Romans 5:8

GUIDANCE OF A FATHER:

• Proverbs 11:8
• Psalm 32:8
• Proverbs 4:1–2
• Isaiah 48:17

PROTECTION OF A FATHER:

• Psalm 91:1–2
• Proverbs 18:10
• Psalm 46:1
• 2 Thessalonians 3:3

PROVISIONS OF A FATHER:

• Matthew 7:9–11
• Philippians 4:19
• 2 Corinthians 9:8
• Matthew 6:26

DISCIPLINE OF A FATHER:

• Hebrews 12:7
• Proverbs 13:24
• Revelation 3:19
• Proverbs 19:18

COMFORT OF A FATHER:

• 2 Corinthians 1:3–4
• Matthew 11:28
• Psalm 34:18
• John 14:18