Article March 27, 1995 Issue

No deadbeat dads

Joanne Edith Bennett

As we understand who is truly fathering all children, and parents, too, we recognize the tender, loving nature of our heavenly Father's care. We see that the only real Father there is does not neglect His children, and they can in no way be separate from Him and all His goodness. We learn that because Spirit, God, is the origin and creator of all, we are actually His offspring, reflecting Him. True fatherhood is ever present and is expressed through such God-derived qualities as strength, honesty, reliability, and integrity. Christian Science helps us to comprehend these spiritual facts and apply them in a practical way.

The example of Christ Jesus in the Bible helps direct our path in this adventure of learning the true nature of fatherhood. Jesus states, "... no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encourages us to turn to God in prayer for our needs (see Matt. 7:7–11). He tells us that if mortals know how to take care of and give gifts to their children, "how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" It is truly always God who is supporting and caring for us and our children, even though we are deeply grateful for our human parents and all the love they share with us. In fact, tender parenting love, wherever it occurs, reflects God's love.

As a single mother, I had to get a deeper sense of God's fatherhood. I had expected to remarry to bring what I felt would be a greater balance to the children's and my life. But I remained unmarried until the children were grown, and they rarely saw their dad. I pored over the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy to gain a better understanding of this passage from Isaiah: "Thy Maker is thine husband" (54:5). I could see this also meant God was the Father my children needed.

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