Our Father

Ephesians 6:4
⁴ Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (NIV)

He was blamed for everything. His mother put all responsibility on him to clean the house, feed his younger siblings, and make sure they acted perfectly all the time. This was the pressure he felt at nine years old. He was being asked to do what he didn’t have the knowledge, understanding, or resources to do. But if it wasn’t done to his mother’s liking, he was beaten. It was unfair and unjust. His exasperation from childhood has never left him. He struggles with a very short temper.

We are to parent our children so that we don’t exasperate them, but what causes this type of frustration? When things seem unjust or hypocritical, seeds of frustration and anger are planted, watered, and fed.

When a parent loses their temper with a child doing something that they do themselves all the time…exasperation. Falsely accusing a child of doing something they did not do…exasperation. Asking a child to do what they are not capable of doing, excessive punishment, letting a sibling get away with everything…exasperation.

We may have had parents and other authority figures who acted unjustly treated us unfairly, punished us excessively or for no reason at all, but those people are nothing like our Father in Heaven.  He is always fair and always just. He never shows favoritism.

When we look out our windows, this might be hard to see. It may look as if God executes an exasperating parental role. He may seem to love and care for others more. He may seem unfair. This is only the case when we miss the reality that exists above and beyond basic human understanding.

It is a generational system so that as we live by these principles, we flourish more and so do our children and their children. When we don’t, the spirit of death kills the life in us. God is working with each human being with the unique knowledge of what they need to start living by these principles. He is fair and just even if we don’t see it.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being a Good Father and forgive me when I treat You as if You are not. Open my eyes to your love and fairness to all that I might not be exasperated with you. Amen.

Don’t forget to share this truth with someone.

Sign up for daily devotions

Read more daily devotions

Reserve a time for spiritual direction/counseling