My Story Part 4

Ever since I had arrived here in Redding, I had heard some of the pastors refer to God as "Papa". I wondered why, since the Bible only uses the term "Father". Either way, it didn't make much difference to me because both titles were just what you call God. It had never occured to me why the Bible uses this parental distinction for God. But when I started hearing people use "Papa", I started to think a little more about it. Why would they do that? There had to be some good reason for it. So I kept wondering in the back of my head...

And then it hit me.

I don't even know how it it hit me, but I think it was an "Oh that's it!" moment. I realized that God wants to be personal with us. That's why Romans 8 uses the word "Abba" in conjunction with "Father". It was a very personal word - the only reason I'd missed it all this time was that I never called my parents "Father" and "Mother". Those terms sounded so cold and formal [and British :)] to me. In my family, it was always "Dad" and "Mom".

So once I realized the purpose of calling God "Father" and "Papa", I decided to try calling Him "Dad" and "Daddy". This took a bit of effort, since it was against everything I'd been taught about how to relate to God. Each time I called Him that, however, I could feel my heart opening more and more to Him. I began to trust Him more and was able to feel His peace all over me like a warm blanket when I talked with Him. I began to feel safer and more secure in everyday life, so I could try new things because I knew that He would be there to comfort and hold me if things went wrong.

Then I started thinking even more. If God seems to have a big interest in being a Dad to me, then I guess I should relate to Him like one, right (some differences, of course, but same idea)? I realized that when you are away from your dad, usually one of the first things he asks you when you reunite is...

"How was your day?"

So I started to tell Him all about my days! It may sound silly because He already knows everything, but for some reason He just loves to hear it from us! As I did this more and more, I realized that this is at least part of what Matthew 7:23 was talking about (depart from me, I never knew you) - we talk about knowing God a whole lot, but I haven't heard too many sermons about God knowing us. We often just assume that He knows us if we do the right stuff and obey His directions.

That's not what relationship is all about. Relationship is about two people who know each other inside and out; who spend life together - good or bad, thick or thin, ups or downs, happy or sad. Two people who are completely dedicated to each other and who make themselves known to their companion. The level to which they do this determines the depth of their relationship.

That's what relationship is all about. So, how well does your Daddy know you?

John H.