You’ve Always Had a Dad
I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
— 2 Corinthians 6:18
If I’m honest, I almost didn’t write this week (I even skipped my last one, oops). Life has been a lot. Between homeschooling two kids full-time, running them around for appointments, taekwondo, jiu-jitsu, military programs, working part-time from home, and trying to stay faithful in a few ministries at church, every minute seems spoken for. (If you know, you know. 🙃)
But even in the chaos, God has this way of reminding me of what truly matters—and this post is one of those reminders.
I’ve wrestled with the word father for most of my life.
My relationship with the man I call my dad has been rocky at best. My biological father? He’s been in and out of my life by his own choice—twice now. My father-in-law? Distant and polite, but never close. The idea of a loving, supportive dad felt like something other people got to experience… not me.
So when people in church would talk about God as a Father, I’d flinch a little. It wasn’t comforting; it was confusing. I couldn’t help but think of what I was missing.
One Sunday during worship, the weight of it all hit me again. I’d been in therapy, doing the heart work, trying to forgive, trying to let go. But this wound ran deep. I couldn’t seem to stop wishing that someone would have stepped up and been the dad I needed.
And then, right there in the middle of worship, I heard Him.
Not audibly—but so clearly in my spirit that it stopped me mid-song.
“You may not have had any earthly father there to meet your expectations of what a good dad is, but I have been your Dad your whole life.”
It broke me in the best way.
Tears streamed down my face as His presence wrapped around me like the hug I’d been missing since childhood. I started thinking back through my life—through the hardest seasons, the loneliest moments—and suddenly, I saw Him everywhere.
Every time I cried alone in my room, He was there.
Every time I needed guidance and had no one to ask, He was there.
Every time I longed for comfort, support, or someone to just stay, He was already there.
Maybe you can relate. Maybe the word father stirs up more pain than peace. Maybe you’ve been let down more than you’ve been lifted up.
But friend, here’s the truth that changed everything for me:
You do have a Father.
He’s been there all along.
And He’s not going anywhere.
No human relationship can compare to the steady, unshakable love of our heavenly Father. He doesn’t abandon. He doesn’t forget. He doesn’t stop showing up.
He just is. Faithful. Kind. Present.
So even when your heart aches for the dad you never had—or the one you lost—remember this: you have always had, and still have, a Father.
And He’s still holding you close.
Can you think of a time when you realized God was there for you like a Father? I’d love to hear your story in the comments.
“Though my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.” — Psalm 27:10
