Stages as the child of our earthly father:
From “Da, Da” to “Daddy” to “Dad” to “Father,” we each progress through the stages of being the child of this man, our God-given parent.
“Da, Da” may be our first spoken words to him. We bond with smiles and bottle feedings, love and basics. We need him for everything.
“Daddy, please,” we plead as toddlers. We test him with our endless explorations and curiosities about life. “Why, Daddy?” “How, Daddy?” “Lift me up, Daddy.” Atop his shoulders, we see the world.
“Dad” is the more adult name we choose when we enter pre-adolescence. Dad is on the sideline as we spend more time with friends. Yet, he can be fun to hang out with too.
“Dad, you just don’t understand!” we utter in annoyance, walking away, the misunderstood teen child. We think often of our independence and escape from this sometimes boring man who lives in the past -but we still need the car keys. We come to the realization that dad doesn’t know much.
“Dad, my next college tuition payment is due.” Speaking as the young adult child, Dad is the source of our wants and needs—college funds, car payments, cash, and maybe a little advice on the side.
“Dad, let’s talk.” Now the older child, we bond more as friends. Surprisingly, we discover that Dad knows more now. We acknowledge his experience. “How should I teach my son to ride a bike, Dad?”
“Father,” we speak with endearment for our aged parent. We, the maturing child, know father has wisdom that we wish we had more time to uncover. Mortality is increasingly visible in father’s body; immortality is viewed in his eyes. There is little time. . .
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Stages as the child of our heavenly Father:
Have we not, also, progressed through these stages in our relationship as children of God, our Father? We begin with Him in the beginning. We are first fed with the milk of His Word. We feel His presence and His love always. As we strive with impatience to try and be patient with our own children, we are in awe of God’s long-suffering love and faithfulness during the many stages when we, His children, test Him, neglect Him, walk away from Him, put others and things before Him, use Him for our wants—and yet, He continually waits, constantly waits for us to grow up and walk with Him.
In our “older child” stage of faith, when we do walk and talk with the Father in conversation and in prayer, we seek His advice in the Word. We grow through the relationship. In our maturing stage of faith, we show reverence for the Father and recognize His great wisdom. We long to be with God, sensing the eternal in Him through the soul He implanted in us. We know there will be forever time with this Father. . .

Even as we view our own offspring as “children,” regardless of their physical age, our heavenly Father, also, beholds us as His children and has prepared a home for us to be with Him always. Father’s Day is every day to honor our heavenly Father and remember His sacrifice of His only Son, given so we can be His adopted children. We have a Father who will never fail us, who will never leave us, who will always love us.

Worthy of reverence, deserving of honor, we give you thanks, ABBA Father.

(Sharon G. Tate blog) teacherforjesus.com Meditations on God’s Word