You’re not alone if you have wounds in your life due to a less-than-perfect father. There are plenty of stories about abusive fathers, absent fathers, demanding or controlling fathers, and emotionally distant fathers, all of which can negatively affect our perception of our heavenly Father. In Christianity, God is known as God our Father, God the Father, and God the Father of Jesus.

Through these truths of a relationship with our creator, God is seen as the father of all creation and personally to believers through grace. The Bible reminds us that God’s ways are perfect, and He’s a faithful God who’s upright and just and does no wrong, making Him the perfect Father you never had. Suppose you didn’t have a loving, approachable father who had your best in mind. God, as your Heavenly Father, is waiting to make up for what you missed out on. Here are some reasons why God is the perfect Father.

His kindness and patience never run out.

If you’ve ever felt like you used up whatever kindness or patience your dad once had, you don’t have to worry about straining your Heavenly Father. Psalm 103:17 reminds us that God’s love is with those who fear Him. Psalm 106:1 tells us that He is good and His love endures forever. That means that God’s patience and kindness never run thin, and God’s ability to forgive us never wanes. Psalm 103:12 tells us that God removes our transgressions from us, meaning that our Heavenly Father never brings up our past or holds a grudge.

He’s always approachable.

God is never in a bad mood, never has a bad day, and is never too distracted or busy for His children. When you’re in a relationship with His Son, Jesus, you can access your Heavenly Father’s ear, heart and focused attention. Hebrews 4:16 reminds us we can confidently go to the throne of grace to receive mercy and help when needed. Furthermore, Psalm 12:13 reminds us that God won’t let our feet slip because He never sleeps. David sang that when he called on God, He answered him and encouraged him, letting us know that God is never too busy to rescue us when we cry out for help.

You’ll never have to earn His love.

You might have felt like you had to earn your father’s respect and love by accomplishing great things to make him proud of you. God isn’t a father like that. Romans 5:8 says God shows His love for us because while we were sinners, Jesus died for us. While we were still sinners, not measuring up, and while we were oblivious to Him and His love, God sent His Son to die for us. That is sacrificial, unconditional love, unlike anything you can feel on this earth. God is a Father who chose to love us, and you don’t have to do a thing to earn it.

You’ll never mess up enough to lose His love.

Since there’s nothing you can do to earn your Heavenly Father’s love, there’s nothing you can do to lose it. Romans 8:38-39 reminds us that neither life nor death, angels or demons, the present or future can separate us from God’s love in Jesus Christ our Lord. In other words, no circumstances, action, person, or inaction on your part can separate us from God’s love, which is powerful. That’s a promise that only our Heavenly Father has the power to fulfill. Everyone on this earth who claims to love you and never leave you will eventually be separated from you through your death or theirs. However, the Bible promises no separation from God’s love, even in death.

God has our best interest at heart.

It’s common for humans to be selfish and consider themselves before others. So, if you had an unselfish father willing to sacrifice his comfort for yours, you had a gift, a look into what your Heavenly Father is like. The Bible tells us that God didn’t spare His own Son but gave Him up for all of us. In Matthew 7:11, Jesus said if you know how to give good gifts, how much more will your Heavenly Father give gifts to those who ask Him? God cannot only give you anything you want as long as it’s good for you, but He also knows your situation down the road and what’s best for you in the long run and eternally.

God loves us enough to discipline us.

You may have a hard time with this, especially if you were disciplined by your father out of anger rather than his love. In Proverbs 3:11-12, the Bible says that we shouldn’t despise God’s discipline and don’t resent His rebuke because He disciplines those He loves. The Bible also says those who love their children are careful to discipline them, especially in Proverbs 13:24. Have you ever had God deny you something or take something you loved? Trust that your Heavenly Father was either disciplining you out of love, protecting you from something or both.

God’s timing is always perfect.

God doesn’t make mistakes, nor does He forget.

Unlike human fathers, God’s timing is always perfect. When He denies you something, it’s not necessarily because He’s punishing you, angry, or not listening to your heart’s concerns. The Bible reminds us in Psalm 84:11 that no good thing He does stops us from those who walk honorably. If you’re walking uprightly and asking God for a good thing, and He’s not delivering, it either isn’t good for you, or the timing isn’t right. Trust Him, what He knows, and His timing. Trust the process He’s allowing you to go through and that He knows how to give gifts at the right time.

In Psalm 139, David told God that He had searched Him and knew Him. God knows when we’ll stand up or sit down, our thoughts, and is familiar with our ways. He knows our thoughts before we think them, actions before we carry them out, and words before we say them. With all that intimate knowledge of us, God continues to love us like the perfect Father.