The Father's Song
I guess you would expect a wide variety of responses to the highly anticipated (or dreaded) release of a Miley Cyrus movie - as you can tell by a few of the comments I picked up from the 'net:
I love Miley cyrus and am so excited to see this movie!
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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ughhhhhh hate miley but this movie looks good!!!!!
AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH NOT another one! Nicholas Sparks must be stopped! (pounding head on table)
So there you have it - everything from EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK to AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH .
Which reaction do you have? For me, I'll admit I'm somewhere in-between, sort of an EEEEEEAAAAARRRGGGGHH!!!
On the one hand, I'm not exactly hitting the mileyfans.net website very often…or never actually, but I am a fan of Greg Kinnear, and the story is based on a novel (i.e., book with lots of words), instead of a videogame, cartoon, bad idea, etc.
The part that intrigues me most is how a father-daughter relationship gone horribly wrong can be salvaged - even to the point of mutual love and acceptance. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty certain that there are millions of teens that can relate to Miley Cyrus' character Ronnie, in terms of the heartbreak, alienation, and anger that is born out of divorce and parental struggles.
And, sadly, millions of fathers as well that want nothing more than to have a good relationship with their kids, but find it is as elusive as trying to grasp smoke in the air.
I don't know where you are in your relationship with your earthly father, but can I tell you that there is another Father that longs and yearns to have a relationship with you? Can I also paint a picture of what He is like from His very own words? Check this out:
Sing praises to God and to his name!
Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the LORD - rejoice in his presence!
Father to the fatherless, defender of widows -
this is God, whose dwelling is holy (Psalm 68:4-5).
The LORD is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him (Psalm 103:13).
Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? (Matthew 6:26).
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15).
And I will be your Father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the LORD Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:18)
Believe me, this is the Father every soul on earth desires to be in relationship with. He is patient, kind, and merciful. He doesn't get stressed out and blow up. He loves you and accepts you exactly as you are, because He's the one who made you in the first place! And best of all, He promises this:
"I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you" (Hebrews 13:15).
Here's the way another version of the Bible translates this verse:
"God Himself has said, "I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down or relax My hold on you! Assuredly not!"
Isn't it time you reconnected with your Father? Or maybe you've never met your real Dad because you haven't trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation. At that moment, you are adopted into His family, and you enter into a personal and permanent relationship with the perfect Father. This is a connection that goes way beyond explanation, and for me it has been the foundation of my life.
Maybe you feel like your Heavenly Father is a thousand miles away and you've not seen or heard from Him in what seems likes years. Or perhaps you feel like He let you down because life has not turned out the way you thought it should. Please don't let misperceptions and missed expectations keep you from the relationship you were meant to be in.
And hopefully, like the quote from The Last Song, the time you've spent apart from each will make you love Him even more!
And just as importantly, don't let the love song from the Father be kept just in your heart. Share the amazing news of reconciliation with everyone you know that is living in a spiritual orphanage and see the amazing difference it makes when they come home to their true family.
Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action
Talk to your friends about their relationship with earthly Dads, and how it has impacted who they are. Pray for an opportunity to share the news about trusting Jesus for salvation and being adopted into God's family with a perfect heavenly Father.
Accelerant: Feed the Fire
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11).
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (Matthew 10:28-30).
"For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:50).
