Father and son relationships

I have 3 sons and 1 adopted son. I was there for the birth of my 3 sons, and met my fourth when he was 7 years old. To me, there is a difference between how each responds to me.

My natural sons don't remember a time in their life when I wasn't there. The things that I ask them to do, the advice that I give has a certain weight based upon the fact that my reputation has been established with them.

Things are different with my adopted son. He is 9 years old now and he doesn't understand my methods or why I may ask him to do certain things, and as a result he misses out on a lot of benefits because I don't want to impose on him in an overbearing way, so I share what I think he can handle in hopes that one day he will understand what a full and rich relationship feels like.

I don't think I fully understood my relationship with God until I experienced this.

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the son does also. John 5:19

Jesus, who was with the Father from the beginning has a layer of trust that I do not have.

As an adopted son (Romans 8:15), it is my responsibility - just as it is with my adopted son with me, to embrace the methods of my heavenly Father.

So, that's my challenge to you this weekend. Look at your relationship with God. Take a sincere look and see whether or not you fully embrace His will, even if it doesn't make sense, or do you treat Him like a step-father that you are still learning to trust.

Family has this element of blind trust... let us struggle to have that kind of trust and faith in God.