Do we trust our generous Heavenly Father?

At the time of writing, we are in the short period between our two children’s birthdays. My husband and I have been chatting about the fact that choosing and giving gifts to our kids is one of our favourite parts of being parents. It gives us the chance to consider each child and their likes, their skills, their personalities, and the people they are becoming as they turn another year older.

I genuinely think that I love seeing my kids’ faces when they open a gift I’ve chosen for them more than I love receiving presents myself. (That said, I may have shed a tear when presented with the finger-knitted snake my son had lovingly made for me this Christmas.) But even though I know God is my Father, I don’t often think of Him in this way: the Father who loves to give good gifts to His children, who delights in them receiving good things from Him. And as such, I’m missing out.

Every good and perfect gift

Sure, I can quote James 1v17 that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,” but I so often view this as a rap on the knuckles for not being thankful enough to God for what He’s given me. I’m quick to forget the “all things” God graciously gives to those for whom He gave up His Son (Rom. 8v32) and somehow view God as someone who gives us our needs, but is begrudging about giving us treats lest they rot our teeth or something.

Where does this view of God come from? Maybe a lack of belief in His goodness and grace. Maybe from our own upbringing. Maybe a sense that such good things are too good to be true, after all we do live in a fallen world. Perhaps part of us believes that we need to please God before we can expect Him to give us good things. It could be that in our Evangelical churches we are so focused on believing right theology and applying it correctly that this can end up a little dry, and we might miss the overarching picture of what God is like.

He won’t give us snakes

Matthew 7v7-11 reminds us that God gives to those who ask. That human parents don’t give their son a stone if he asks for bread, or a serpent if he asks for a fish. That “if you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

I wonder if you’ve ever found yourself hedging your prayers with “but your will be done, not mine!”, feeling like you shouldn’t ask for something because God is too busy with more important things. That He might begrudge what you’re asking. But would you have that attitude towards your child? OK, sometimes maybe, because we don’t have the patience or resources of God. On a good day, though, if you know the thing your child asks for is good for them, don’t you delight to give it? Do you resent them for asking?

Paul reminds us that “God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4v19). This doesn’t sound stingy or resentful, does it? We can choose good presents for our children because we know them and love them. How much more does God know us and love us? God purposefully knit us together. He chose for us to be how we are. And He is never irritable, is slow to anger, and abounds in steadfast love.

What difference would it make in our walk with God, and in our parenting, if we remembered that He is our loving Father who longs to give us good gifts? I’m praying that as we give presents to our children, for whatever occasion, that it’ll remind us of the best Father, who knows us inside and out, and delights in his children.