15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by who we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)
We all have irrational fears. No matter how confident we are on the outside, fear creeps in when least expected. Many times it is ushered in when we are tired, beatdown, or stressed. One of the fears of mine which comes and goes is turning into my father. This is a man I barely know and perhaps have unfairly distributed qualities to that may or may not be true. Yet, fear never makes sense. This often comes when I am thinking of my own abilities of being a husband and father. As the prominent example in may life, he failed. In the whirlwind of fear, I make comparisons and ask “can this be genetic?” I think as men there is something in us that leans into our own destruction. If unchecked, we will unravel ourselves with little help from anyone else. We are our own worse enemies. Men with less than stellar fathers have this ability intensified and are often one step away from setting fire to everything sacred in their life. Anger, substance abuse, passivity, are all vehicles we use to bring this end to ourselves.
It is no surprise then that I identify most with God as father. At first, what seemed foreign – this role of leading man in my life – is now the richest example of His character and one that brings hope. The truth is, that we will always turn into our father. Whether it is our earthly or heavenly, this is sure to happen. What a beautiful picture of the Lord’s redemption it is, to be faced with the generational failures we have witnessed and have them to be used for his glory and our sanctification. Nothing is wasted. The hurt will be redeemed with our big brother Jesus who ushers us into the presence of the only father who will never fail us. Today, be like your dad. Break your lineage of fear and let grace recycle your hurt. Father, we need you.
Matt simon blog 