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Who hasn’t wished for a better relationship with his father? Is there ever any doubt that Chris (the name means “bearing Christ”) Gardner, the hero of The Pursuit of Happyness, loves his son? Even when this father forces his son to abandon his beloved Captain America doll so that they can catch a bus to stand in line for a bed at Glide Memorial Church, we  see the love of this father for his son.

Chris Gardner vowed to have a relationship with his son, come hell or high water. And in the film of his life story,The Pursuit of Happyness, both come to him and his only son Christopher in abundance.

Happiness for the Christian comes from knowing and experiencing God our Father. To the degree we seek His Kingdom, the Father’s rule and reign in our lives, the blessings of His Kingdom are available to us. And even if we do not, as Jesus suggests, seek first His Kingdom so that all else might follow , the Father Himself is seeking us, loving us, working for us, non-stop. The parable of the Good Shepherd who leaves his job to find the one sheep who is lost tells of God’s relentless pursuit and work on our behalf. Even more than Chris Gardner knew, loved, and worked for his young son, Christopher, God our Father knows us to the very number of hairs on our heads, loves us unconditionally, and works for us 24/7, even when He appears to our limited vision to be doing the opposite.

Can you imagine Chris Gardner sacrificing his young son’s life for anything? This earthly father loves his son too much. But our heavenly Father loved us with a love so beyond our human comprehension, that He actually sacrificed His only begotten son for me, and you, even when we didn’t know Him, or want Him, in our lives. That is Kingdom love. And that incomprehensible love is available already, right now, for each of us. We don’t deserve it. And we can’t ever win it. All we need to do is run to our Father’s outstretched arms and accept it. When we do, we still will have not yet exhausted all our Father has in store for us.