God's Roadmap

Now may the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father God, who loved us and in his wonderful grace gave us eternal comfort and a beautiful hope that cannot fail, encourage your hearts and inspire you with strength to always do and speak what is good and beautiful in his eyes (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 TPT).


Sunday, June 18, 2017

Earthly Dad and Heavenly Father – Childhood Memories and the Role of Joseph in Jesus’ Life

by Barbara Latta

My Dad
His arms covered in sawdust and sweat, my dad would come out of his shop after working on another piece of wood he had created into a work of art. He had many hobbies over the years including scuba diving, leathercraft and archery, but woodworking was his favorite. Photography was another at the top of the list that he developed into a sideline business. He was busy week after week recording on film the memories of weddings, graduations, school functions and sports. My brothers and I were among the subject matter for photo practice and our images filled up numerous photo albums. I spent a lot of time with him in his darkroom watching the magic of glossy paper immersed in chemicals become a black and white photo. Ah, the days of film. Eastman Kodak never dreamed the days of celluloid would end.

Dad was a quiet man but could make his opinion known when necessary. He hardly ever spanked me, but I do remember a time when I was about seven years old sticking my tongue out at my mother. I was across his knee before I knew I had left the floor. Needless to say, I kept my tongue in my mouth for the rest of my growing years. He worked for forty years as a butcher and Mom would always tell him to pick out the meat to bring home for dinner. Our dogs loved following him around because his work shoes picked up the residue under the meat cutting saw. Those pets were treated to meat scraps that made their coats shine like a pair of patent leather shoes.
Joseph taught Jesus the trade of carpenter.

My family hasn't broken any Guinness records or earned any historical landmarks named after us. We are ordinary. Jesus’s family was ordinary, too. God chose to send His Son into an everyday family instead of a king’s palace.

We don’t know much about the Joseph who served as Jesus’ earthly parent other than the record in Matthew and Luke. While the two had no biological connection, the hard-working carpenter filled the role of raising the young Messiah and teaching him a trade He used until the day the Man left home to preach and teach about God’s kingdom. Joseph and Jesus would have attended synagogue where the boy learned about the Law of the Lord.

Jesus had an earthly dad as the Son of Man and a heavenly Father as the Son of God. When we believe on the Son we are born as children of God into His family and the heavenly Father becomes ours.

Is He your Father, too? If not, Father’s Day is a good time to be born as His child.
Share your thoughts about Father’s Day.

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2 comments:

  1. Such a good article. Enjoyed reading about your father. I'm thankful for Christian fathers who led us in the path's of righteousness.

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