Tonight a first for this blog; it is an honour to share
a guest post by my daughter Emily
““Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.””Mark 14:36 NIV
On the eve of Good Friday, we find Jesus in the garden, pleading, praying to his Heavenly Father, his Abba Father.
The definition of abba is an Aramaic term of profound intimacy and endearment, translating to “papa or daddy” signifying a close relationship with God rather than a distant one. A trusted, loving, perfect father.
When you pray, is this how you view God? Or do you picture a distant God on a throne, looking disapprovingly at humanity making a mess of things down here on earth?
Or in contrast do you know him as Abba, a gentle, loving, kind Father, perfect in every way with a depth of love for us that is unfathomable, despite our broken, sinful, messy lives?
In the garden we see Jesus, who knows the excruciating suffering he is about to endure, knowing God’s plan of redemption has to unfold this way, showing us in his human likeness the only worthwhile place to go when we feel utter despair and heartbreak.
We don’t have to look very far to find difficulty and hardship. Wars wage around the world, people keep getting sick, families are breaking apart, people are full of anger and hatred. We are hurting and lonely and it can feel so unbearable.
But our Heavenly Father doesn’t want us to try to bear this life on our own. His arms are reaching down, like a father reaching for his dear child, wanting to help us, carry us, meet us in our suffering.
Over the last 18 months I have experienced heartbreak after heartbreak, losing some very special people in my life. I’ve been in pieces, crying out to God in the midst of my despair. I have seen God as my Abba father in a way I never had before.
In the fall of 2025, I was still grieving the loss of a good friend who passed away a short 7 weeks before. My heart was still healing after the sudden loss of a dear aunt one year before. Then on October 4th, my husband Rob and I received more devastating news. Two friends of ours were in a car accident and didn’t make it, leaving behind 3 beautiful girls, one being our daughter’s best friend.
Through tear filled sobs I said to my husband “ I can’t do another grief journey already. It’s too soon. I can’t do this.”
Really God? More heartbreak, more loss? Those poor kids. That poor family.
I cried out to God in disbelief, anger, pain. I couldn’t understand. I felt so broken.
A few days later while I was doing dishes, my daughter cried out “Mom, look at the sunset!”
Something we had started doing together, especially after my aunt Lucy had passed away ;a woman who cherished the beauty of this earth, finding joy in so much of God’s creation, was to drop what we were doing and run outside to marvel at something as simple as a sunset. So out we ran, my oldest son, daughter and I. It was stunning, fiery, and breathtaking.
I was snapping pictures when my dear daughter exclaimed “Mom, turn around! There’s a rainbow behind you!!”
A rainbow? Seriously?
I turned around, and sure enough, peeking though the clouds was a tiny rainbow.
A rainbow? Seriously?
I turned around, and sure enough, peeking though the clouds was a tiny rainbow.
Faint, and hardly visible.
What is a rainbow exactly?
A rainbow is “an optical phenomenon that appears when sunlight and atmospheric conditions are just right-and the viewers position is just right to see it. It requires water droplets to be floating in the air, which is why you see it right after it rains. The sun needs to be behind you and the clouds cleared away from the sun for the rainbow to appear.” (NESDIS)
Speechless.
In front of me, a cloud filled sky, but within it tucked a small symbol of promise and hope.
The clouds in front of me, the sun behind me was the most profound metaphor for what it felt like was facing in my life. And as I stood there, tears streaming down my face the rainbow grew and grew, still very faint…
What is a rainbow exactly?
A rainbow is “an optical phenomenon that appears when sunlight and atmospheric conditions are just right-and the viewers position is just right to see it. It requires water droplets to be floating in the air, which is why you see it right after it rains. The sun needs to be behind you and the clouds cleared away from the sun for the rainbow to appear.” (NESDIS)
Speechless.
In front of me, a cloud filled sky, but within it tucked a small symbol of promise and hope.
The clouds in front of me, the sun behind me was the most profound metaphor for what it felt like was facing in my life. And as I stood there, tears streaming down my face the rainbow grew and grew, still very faint…
And as I stood there it felt as though my loving, Heavenly Father reached down, wrapped his arms around me and said “ Though it’s hard to see the light right now, though life feels stormy and uncertain, do not lose hope. I am with you. You are not alone .”
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalms 23:4 NIV (emphasis added)
And then, as quickly as the rainbow appeared, it was gone. We had been out there a total of about 3 minutes. Yet, we were positioned just right to see it. We almost missed it, though I knew it was no coincidence. It was a gift straight from heaven.
Abba Father. Love that we simply cannot fathom.
Through sniffles I said softly to my oldest two kiddos something along the lines of , “God knew we needed this gift. He sees our pain. This is how much he loves us.”
God doesn’t always show up in such tangible and miraculous ways, but I promise you, He’s always there. He never leaves us, he never forsakes us.
As Easter is approaching we are reminded of the depth of our Heavenly Father’s love.
Sending his Son, his perfect Son to take our place on a cross meant for sinners, a cross meant for you and I.
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
Psalms 23:4 NIV (emphasis added)
And then, as quickly as the rainbow appeared, it was gone. We had been out there a total of about 3 minutes. Yet, we were positioned just right to see it. We almost missed it, though I knew it was no coincidence. It was a gift straight from heaven.
Abba Father. Love that we simply cannot fathom.
Through sniffles I said softly to my oldest two kiddos something along the lines of , “God knew we needed this gift. He sees our pain. This is how much he loves us.”
God doesn’t always show up in such tangible and miraculous ways, but I promise you, He’s always there. He never leaves us, he never forsakes us.
As Easter is approaching we are reminded of the depth of our Heavenly Father’s love.
Sending his Son, his perfect Son to take our place on a cross meant for sinners, a cross meant for you and I.
Rising again and defeating death.
Making a way for us to experience relationship with Him, a closeness with him, like a father and a child.
He is so worth knowing and pursuing and living for.
I pray that whatever you are facing in your life right now, whether you are on a mountaintop or valley or somewhere in between, you would recognize your need for Jesus in your life. That you would let him step in and carry whatever you are carrying. We were not meant to walk through this life alone. Fall at the foot of the cross, and give it all to him.
Making a way for us to experience relationship with Him, a closeness with him, like a father and a child.
He is so worth knowing and pursuing and living for.
I pray that whatever you are facing in your life right now, whether you are on a mountaintop or valley or somewhere in between, you would recognize your need for Jesus in your life. That you would let him step in and carry whatever you are carrying. We were not meant to walk through this life alone. Fall at the foot of the cross, and give it all to him.
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