We need to believe in…

Cainspirations by Kristi Cain, originally published June 15, 2024

DISCOVERING DESTINY.

Overcoming Darkness.

How are you overcoming the struggle of having a Father who’s hard to see? Let’s journey together!

Fathers might be the biggest endangered species of our time. Faithfully present fathers are becoming so rare, more and more worldly narratives are promoting the idea that they’re not needed.

I believe that narrative is a lie our enemy would love to prosper.

The truth is that good, faithful fathers are needed more desperately than ever.

Every statistical study ever made affirms that children without faithfully present fathers are more likely to struggle with depression, poverty, relational instability, crime, and atheism. I wish more people could see the faces of far too many lost and broken-hearted children who sit in my classroom every year without this critical relationship in their lives.

Unfortunately, due in part to God’s generous gift of free will, the presence of good, faithful earthly fathers is largely out of our hands.

Some of us have a father who has passed away. Some of us have a father who has chosen not to be present in our lives.

All of us have fathers who have fallen short of perfect goodness and faithfulness.

But the good news is that none of us are truly fatherless. We all have access to the most perfect heavenly Father there is. A father who is fully able to be the source of life, love, guidance, and heritage we need to step into a hopeful future.

And the best way we can fill any fatherly gap we or our loved ones might be experiencing is to trust and obey him.

And it starts with a simple act of transformative faith.

A faith that believes in the Father we cannot see. A faith that will transform us from orphans to heirs. From victims to victors.

Because when we walk in close relationship with our unseen Abba, there’s no challenge we can’t overcome or blessing we can’t receive.

But we have to make the first move to trust him, and follow that up by ordering our steps along the straight and narrow path of obedience.

But faltering in trust in obedience isn’t a problem because our heavenly Father is looking for an excuse to hurt and reject us like unfaithful earthly fathers can.

Faltering in trust and obedience to God is a problem because our supernatural enemy is all too eager to turn those moments of doubt and weakness into Ishmaels that we can’t undo.

But our perfect Father has also made a way for his imperfect children to be made whole, even when you’ve not only created an Ishmael, but in those moments when you feel like you yourself are more of an Ishmael than an Isaac.

And the more we keep turning to him as our life-giving source of love, guidance, and heritage, the more we will feel like true kingdom heirs. And the more hurting, rejected orphans we will be able to invite into an eternal family of perfect love.

And if you do have an earthly father that is faithfully present in your life today, be sure to thank him for the vital gap he has filled in an increasingly fatherless world.

YOUR TURN!

Don’t make me do all the talking – I’d love to hear from you!

• What makes earthly fathers and our heavenly One so important to our world?
• Are there any verses that help remind you of the value of the heavenly family our Father is inviting you and his lost children into?
• Do you want to hear about anything else? Any prayer requests?

Just shoot me an email – don’t be shy! And I promise to reply!

Want to know your divine calling? Find out with my “Discover Your Destiny” Quiz!

BEAUTY IN TODAY

Check out these awesome photos from readers like you!

PHOTO CREDITS (top to bottom, left to right): “Inspiration Dawns” by Edie Mahoney Melson, Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, Black Mountain, North Carolina; “Lakeside Serenity,” by Amber Jones (Adventures by Amber – Dream Vacations), Ketchikan, Alaska;  “San Salvador Shores” by Micayla Hafley, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas; “Waters of Life” by Le Huynh Tram Le, Old Stone Fort State Falls, Manchester, Tennessee; “Enchantment Island Sunset” by Sharon Wilson, Puerto Rico; and “Sun Halo Sighting” by Camille Gent, Roseburg, Oregon. 

Want to share your “Beauty in Today” picture or inspirational musings? Shoot me an email and you just might be featured in my next issue!

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Thanks for visiting with us today! I hope I’ve helped you feel encouraged! – Kristi

Want to join my Cainspirations family of heroes? Click here!

https://kristicainbooks.com

Work looks a lot like play for Kristi Cain and includes inspirational blogging, writing fantastical stories of Christian fiction, teaching English to teens, and being able to say, “I’m a former journalist.” Home is a quickly-emptying nest in the Smoky Mountain foothills with her husband and teenage children. If you ever want a little encouragement in your day, check out her newsletter. Hop over to her website for her latest happenings and join her Facebook group, a fun, faith-based community.

Cain’s life experiences and faith journey have lent her the lens through which she shapes stories of unlocking the light of destiny out of darkness. Through her writing, she hopes to encourage people to understand that the difficult places in life can be the very ingredients that shape the greatest destinies.

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