Sometimes God works directly in our lives to show us things about Himself. He sets up analogies to demonstrate the reality of his nature, His will for our lives, and His incredible love for us. Romans 1:19-20 talks about how God can be seen through the things around us. These things include our spouses, our children, our coworkers, people around us, our pets. This is not a new concept. Paul uses marriage as an analogy of the relationship between Christ and the church. Gary Thomas explores this in his book, Sacred Marriage. His premise is “What if God gave us marriage, not to make us happy, but to make us holy.” Marriage is an excellent example of the idea of seeing God, who He is, and who He is to us, in the things around us.
God uses my children to show me Himself. For example, I understand a lot better the sacrifice made by the Father, of giving His only begotten Son for me. I don’t know that I could willingly give my precious child for some rotten sinner. That’s God love. Huge! Likewise, loving my child, I have a much better comprehension of the love my Heavenly Father has for me.
My children also give me a greater appreciation for the incredible patience of God. You know the old joke: insanity is hereditary - you get it from your kids. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
I understand better the provision of God, giving me what I need, not necessarily what I want. Matthew 7:11 says, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those that ask him?” I understand better how giving a good gift to my children does not mean giving them everything they want. It’s better that they work for some things. The concept of delayed gratification, and its value, becomes more clear in my own relationship with my Heavenly Father.