I still remember when my daughter first realized that no matter what happens to her, her daddy was there to solve all her problems. For example, her dad spanks her, and she started crying and ran away and came to me and I sent her back to her dad to apologize. Picture a 2-year-old crying silent tears, her face with the look of how unfair life is. She walks over to her dad, stands in front of him still crying these silent tears and he looks at her and says, “come on, stop crying, you were naughty that’s why I popped you”. He hugs her and gives her a kiss and literally two seconds later, she is hugging her dad and smiling.

Every time she is naughty, she goes through the cycle of crying silently in-front of her dad waiting to be picked up. It has never occurred to her that her dad might not pick her up and hug her. To her it’s normal, he will always love me. In her mind no matter what she does, he will always be there to pick her up, hug and kiss her and smile at her. That is the reality she believes. Just like God’s love for you. It is a fact! It is not dependent on your behavior but on His love. Understanding that His love for you is not dependent on if you are good or bad, or if you feel you are righteous or a sinner, will help your relationship with God.

Why do we have a different opinion when we sin or disobey God? Has it occurred to you that He is your Father? Just like my 2-year-old knows about her earthly father,and that He will never stop loving you, irrespective of what you do? As a child you make mistakes, you get punished but there is love in the punishment. It is not a punishment of hate. Why do we believe that when God disciplines us for something we did wrong, He does not like us? It is amazing how I have never personally felt that way. My mentality is if God is your Father, He has the rights of a father. To me, that means He loves me unconditionally, when I do something wrong, He disciplines me, but I know I can always go back to Him.

David was such a person. Remember the story where David decided to count the children of Israel and Judah in 1 Chronicles 21? God did not like that he counted the people and so He sent Gad to speak to him. Gad came to tell David that God was angry with him and gave him three choices for his punishment. One, there will be famine for three years, his enemies will constantly defeat them for three months or the Lord will send a horrible disease to strike the land for three years. I Chronicles 21:13 says

“David was miserable and said, “It is a terrible choice to make! But the Lord is kind and I’d rather be punished by him than by anyone else”.

He did not have to think about it, in his mind, the Lord is kind, even in punishment.

David was the prime example of someone being thankful. Everyone uses him as an example of how we should act. Now, he was not the best person, but he was called a friend of God. He went through a kidnapping of his wife and children, almost being crushed by bears, Goliath, and so many other things. He realized that without God, nothing good would have happened to him. His whole life was molded and planned by God. Majority of his psalms had Thanksgiving sprinkled in there. David understood that thanksgiving was not only to be done when we are happy, it is always to be done. Happy times, sad times, depressed times, frustrated times, not-feeling-like-it times, ALL TIMES!

Like a child, David believed that even in punishment, there was love and he was proven correct because in verse 15 :

“…the Lord felt sorry for all the suffering He had caused the people, and He told the angel, “Stop! They have suffered enough”.

Has it ever occurred to you that being punished by the Lord is not a bad thing; but something every father who loves a child does? If He did not love you, He would not discipline you. We all know Jeremiah 29:11. We quote it all the time

“For I know the plans I have towards you, plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

“In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me”

Has a child ever tried to find his/her father and not found him? Have they asked for something and their father will not provide? (Talking about parents and children who love each other).

Let us begin to have a simple but profound relationship with our heavenly Father. His love for us will never change irrespective of our situation. He loves us, plain and simple. As long as you have given Him your heart, you have no choice in the matter, He is your Father, you are His child; enjoy the relationship that brings.