Welcome to our brand new website, especially designed with You in mind! God has been speaking to us about His ministry, and how He wants to increase our outreach to you. He has generously provided the funds, inspiration, and professionals to build this beautiful new website to enable Healing Hearts Ministries to encourage, teach, inspire, and provide resource information to you all year long, in addition to our annual Hearts Being Healed Conferences. One of the ways we’ll do this is by keeping a current blog where some of our executive board members will be sharing inspirational thoughts and devotionals regularly, so be sure to check in often to read the newest entry. I have the joy of posting one of our first messages on this site. I pray that it will bless you in your journey to know God better and love Him more each day.  ~ Sara Cain, Executive Vice President

Father’s Day Thoughts…

I hosted a big barbeque on Father’s Day a few days ago.  But like many holidays, not everyone feels like celebrating. That breaks my heart because it means grief in some form; maybe abandonment, abuse, trauma, contentious relationship, or death.

My father passed away six years ago, and I miss him every day. I wish every child could have the childhood that I had. I loved my dad. Everyone who knew us back then always said, “Sara lives in her dad’s shirt pocket” because I went everywhere with him. I rode on the tractor behind him when he plowed the fields. I rode on his shoulders when he would go tend the animals. I followed him around the house and barnyard. If he was going to town, I was going to town. You get the picture: I loved my dad and I knew he loved me. I never had any doubts about his love because he was the kind of father that God intended fathers to be; men who raise their children in love, protect them, and provide for all their needs.

I realize that I had an exceptionally blessed childhood, and unfortunately, a great many children of the past and present, did not or will not have that happy and safe environment.  If you are one of those children, whatever your age now, I’m here to tell you that you do have a father who loves you unconditionally.

God refers to Himself as your father because He is the one who created you, and He is the one who desires to meet your every need.  He will keep you safe and teach you good things and give you wisdom. He wants to lavish you with His love and gifts.

When you step out in faith and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are, at that moment, an adopted child of God – chosen by Him to be His heir, His princess daughter, His delight, and the Apple of His Eye.

The J.B. Phillips New Testament version of Romans 8:14-17 says this:

All who follow the leading of God’s Spirit are God’s own sons and daughters. Nor are you meant to relapse into the old slavish attitude of fear—you have been adopted into the very family circle of God and you can say with a full heart, “Father, my Father”. The Spirit himself endorses our inward conviction that we really are the children of God. Think what that means. If we are his children we share his treasures, and all that Christ claims as his will belong to all of us as well! Yes, if we share in his suffering we shall certainly share in his glory.

Or as NIV version says “…we call him Abba Father”, which means “Daddy”. As a daughter of God, you have the right to call out to Him, and spiritually crawl onto His welcoming lap, and call him “Daddy”, and share the desires and sorrows of your heart.

Father’s Day this year has come and gone, and whether or not you have a good relationship with an earthly father, you can take joy in the knowledge that you do have a Father who loves you dearly. Rejoice! You have the true King of Fathers for your daddy! Remember to express your love and gratefulness to him, the Lord Jehovah, your Daddy God, your Eternal Father, not just once a year, but every day that he gives you breath.