There's a Dad in the House

A few years ago, when I was worried and stressed about things I don’t even remember now, I sensed the Holy Spirt saying to me, “You are acting like there’s not a Dad in the house”. That got my attention!

I was reminded that a Dad takes care of things and the kids just have to be kids.  That’s what God was asking me to do –just be the kid and trust Him to take care of the things over which I was worried. 

Dads (and moms) protect and provide for their kids. Kids don’t worry about the bills or whether the electricity is going to be paid. Young kids aren’t even conscious there are bills. God used this phrase over and over with me for months. So much so that I stenciled it on a board and hung it in my living room!

I used to work for a non-profit but it closed down. That’s when I started to build my own counseling practice. I soon realized that my paycheck depends on how successful I am at it. There would be no automatic paycheck from a boss. 

I knew God had led me to be a counselor so didn’t doubt that but what if I couldn’t pay my mortgage?   I was anxious about whether I’d have enough money to pay the bills.

One day, during prayer, I sensed the Holy Spirit ask me if I trust Him to provide for me. I thought about it and said, “Yes”. I then realized it was myself I didn’t trust and was afraid I would make bad decisions out of not knowing what was best.

God then asked me, “Do you trust me to be able to talk to you about that”? I felt much relief when I realized He could take care of that, too and said, “Yes”! I could then lay aside all anxiety and rest in Him to be my Dad – to teach, train, and raise me.

I realize many come from homes where dads are not like this and have even been abusive or absent.  They did not represent God as Father, well.

The good news is that when we experience God’s rebirth, He literally becomes our dad. John 1:12 and 13 says: “Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God”. 

No matter what we lacked in the way of a human father, we now have the real one – the one of which all others are to emulate,

Sometimes, worry and stress can become anxiety. There may be deeper roots and you may need someone to help you to deal with those. This is still your Dad working. 

If you need help Christian Care Connection is offering a workshop: Healing for the Soul – 3 Steps to Begin the Journey on September 28 from 9-Noon.  Call 419-500-0089 for more information.

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Jane Ginter, MSW, LISW, LMSW provides Christian counseling and helps people find healing for their souls at Christian Care Connection, downtown Toledo, 2214 Monroe Street. You can reach her office at (419) 500-0089 or on the web at www.ChristianCareConnection.com

Can My Soul Find Healing?

Have you ever felt such deep emotional pain that you thought you would never recover? Have you ever wondered, “Can my soul find healing?”

The gospel provides hope that your soul can find healing!  

Of course, many of us have heard the gospel defined as “Jesus died to pay for our sins so that we can go to heaven”. The gospel is so much more than this, though!  Yes, we get to go to Heaven, but while on earth, He wants us to bring His rule and reign to earth – and that includes healing for our deepest hurts.

Romans 5:17 says, “…those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ”.  The entire chapter focuses on how sin and death, which entered this world through Adam and Eve’s choices, has been defeated and that sin and death are no longer the norm for those who have a relationship with Jesus.

Death is not just physical death, but the overall death we see in this world – sickness, disease, broken hearts, dreams, and relationships, loneliness, isolation, child abuse, destruction, and poverty to name a few. In other words, all those things that afflict us and make us wonder if we will ever be whole again.

Jesus said in Luke 4:18 & 19, “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Isaiah 61:1 from which Jesus is quoting adds, he “binds up the brokenhearted”.

How many have been brokenhearted? Who feels captive in an abusive marriage or as a child who was abused?  Who is entangled in the chains of an addiction or just struggles with something that seems insurmountable? Who has felt the oppression of depression?  Jesus came to free us.

Jesus paid for it all. This means He died for the sin we committed and the sin that was done to us. He wants to free us from both.  There IS healing for our soul, no matter how deep the pain or great the brokenness. It may be a journey, but one in which He can lead us.