Who is your father?

Fred Craddock, one of the last century’s great preachers, once told about a vacation to Gatlinburg, Tenn., where he and his wife were about to enjoy a quiet meal. After ordering, they noticed a distinguished gentleman visiting guests at their tables. Craddock hoped he would not come to them, but he did and soon asked, “What do you do for a living?” Craddock answered by saying he taught homiletics at Phillips University. The man responded, “Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach… well, I’ve got a story to tell you.”

Craddock inwardly groaned, thinking, “Everybody has a preacher story.” The man said, “I’m Ben Hooper; I was born not far from here. My mother wasn’t married at the time, so I had a pretty hard time… my classmates called me a bad name. I used to go off by myself at recess and lunch because the things they said cut me so deeply. Going to town on Saturday afternoons was even worse. I felt like every eye was burning a hole through me, wondering who my father was.

When I was about 12, a new preacher came to our church. I would always arrive late and slip out early. But one day the benediction was so fast I got caught and had to walk out with everyone else. I could feel every eye in the church on me. When I got to the door I felt a big hand on my shoulder. It was the preacher. He asked, ‘Who are you, son? Whose boy are you?’

I felt this big weight coming down on me. Even the preacher was putting me down. But as he studied my face, he began to smile… a big smile of recognition. ‘Wait a minute!’ he said. ‘I know who you are. I see the family resemblance now. You’re a child of God…’”

The old man confided, “Those were the most important words anybody ever said to me, and I’ve never forgotten them.” He smiled, shook their hands, and moved to the next table. Only then did Craddock remember where he had heard the name Ben Hooper. They had just met the former governor of Tennessee.

Hooper found new worth and perspective when he realized that although he did not know his earthly father, he was God’s child. Scripture says, ”But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12, NLT, my emphasis)

If you, like young Hooper, believe your situation or mistakes mean you are worthless, please reconsider; many write themselves off long before God does. Regardless of the details of your life, God sees you as someone with so much value that he wants you to be his child and looks forward to the day when you call him Father.