God is
Father, fathers are male, it is said, and therefore God must be male.
One
drawback is that some of us picture Father according to the Gospel of Disney,
the giver of things we ask for. We don’t usually ask for discipline, training,
correction.
Dads and moms
try to steer their offspring from one learning experience to another, first encouraging
them to crawl and then to stand up and walk. Along the way dads and moms press
their kids to brush their teeth, pass the algebra exam, tell the truth, prepare
to earn a living and to pass it on. Fathers and mothers are there when sickness
strikes, jobs vanish and games are lost.
Some
fathers indulge aimless whims of their children, and that’s how candles get lit
at both ends and children fill playrooms and garages with toys while their
minds are on vacation.
That’s the
sort of Father who is expected to hear prayers for a lucky lottery ticket,
passing an exam without studying for it, winning a race without training for
it.
But the
Father sees each child, like the planet itself, evolve in understanding and
competence. The Father’s love is not to affirm a child’s frailty and
insecurity, but to provide the steps on a ladder to strength and confidence.
The Bible,
a book of conflicts, tragedy and hope, stirs emotions as no other. Hundreds of
churches and denominations claim its authority. This book of the ages identifies
God as Father. It is not asleep in the distant past it describes. Scripture, an
inspiration for the American Constitution, is awake. Scripture is written in
the present tense. It declares the Now. Its Father is always Love.
After 88
years on the roller coaster, this I know:
I
believe in God,
dweller
in mystery,
provider
of all that is known
and
unknown,
timeless
teacher
of
uncounted Teacher’s pets.
