In the Women’s Bible Study class I lead we discussed an icebreaker question yesterday, “Tell us about an authority figure who has influenced you.” One of the women shared about her dad, that he had shown her what kindness and gentleness look like, while at the same time being fair. She remarked that it had helped shape her view of God.
There is a powerful connection between how we relate to our parents and how we relate to God. It’s why “Honor your mother and father” is important enough to make the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:12): if we learn to relate well to the immediate authority figures in our lives, then it will shape well how we relate to the ultimate authority.
But it’s also true that part of who we think God is comes from who our parents have been. That may be what Paul is getting at when he prays to the Father, “from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name” (Eph 3:15). Because parents derive their position from the heavenly Father, we learn about the original from the copy. The character of our parents shapes what we see as God’s character.
As this idea flashed through my head yesterday, my heart sank. Because I’m aware of how much I screw up as a parent. It’s hard enough to think that I’m letting my kids down when I lose my temper, or act selfishly, but to realize that when I do that, I’m also shaping how they see God? That responsibility can feel crushing.
