Of course, that translates into issues with “men” as well, which might explain the title of this blog! But the fact is that my father issues create another drawback … my father issues affect my relationship with God.

 

Recently MM was honored to have Dineen Miller guest write for us. Dineen writes on the subject of navigating a marriage to an unbeliever at her site Spiritually Unequal, and her topic got me to thinking …

I’m not saying that the believer might not be a “good” Christian—whatever that means! Even though my issues with my earthly father have negatively impacted my relationship with my heavenly Father, that doesn’t mean I’m spiritually drifting, ambivalent, or running from God. I actually feel as if my relationship with God has grown deeper and closer throughout the years.

• Made Him a Priority – I pray every day or as close to that as I can. That doesn’t mean I only pray once in the morning, but it does mean that I try to give Him my undivided attention in a focused prayer time each day.
• Call Him by Father – For years I’ve addressed God as “Lord” in my prayers. Now, I’m not saying that’s wrong or bad, but for me it felt a bit impersonal and removed. So I’ve been practicing referring to God as “Father” in my prayer times and it’s creating a significant emotional shift for me.
• Imagine Him Loving Me – At the beginning of my prayer time, I imagine coming into God’s presence. I imagine him welcoming me before his throne. I imagine that he’s glad to see me, inviting me to sit by him or even embracing me. Sometimes my imagination takes me to other places, like walking with Christ instead of the Father. But it’s always a moving experience and increases my sense of being loved by Him.
• Meditate on His Love – I meditate on verses that remind me of God’s love for me. If you’d like access to some of the ones I use, click here. And if you have any new ones to add, please let me know!

If so, let me know how your father issues have impacted your relationship to God and your spouse, and I promise to pray for you in this!

And, by the way, in a future post, I’ll explore just how this negative view of my father and my Heavenly Father has impacted my marriage.

Photo credit by mikebaird (Flickr)