Yes, we are spiritual sons and daughters of God by grace and a son or daughter of our human father by nature. Our relationship with the natural father is learned and experienced through the tangible and tactical as well as verbal and nonverbal statements and actions of our human father. Unfortunately but true, everyone of us has father wounds no matter what degree of love and affection we received from the human father.  For the human father had his own wounds coming from the imperfection of our human nature which has been further damaged by original and personal sin.

If we, as adopted sons and daughters of God the Father, do know how to receive the love of the Father–the kiss of the Father–then we will find it hard to fully and properly parent our children in accord with the pattern of the heavenly Father.

These father wounds in us hold us back from receiving this outpouring gift of love and mercy. It is fear, guilt, unworthiness, shame, sin, past failures, things done to us, feelings we don’t understand, anger, resentment, failed relationships, unanswered needs, you name it. Yes, name it but don’t own it any longer!

All these create a wall isolating and insulating us from the Father, even though we cry for all the Father wants to give us. Though our heart wants it, our self-understanding, our scars, our hurt memories prevent us from experiencing it. Until we let go the junk within us, we can’t know the fullness of the Father’s love and mercy. He wants to embrace us with his love. He wants to heal us and restore us to our full inheritance as sons and daughters. (To be continued)