My father was a strict man, and to be honest, we didn’t always see eye to eye. My siblings and I would be playing, but he hated noise. The moment he started hissing to get our attention, we knew we had to quiet down before he reached his third hiss, or else we were in for it. His instructions were non-negotiable; there was no room for “wait” or “hold on.” You dropped everything and obeyed immediately. Explaining yourself or talking back? Forget it.

Skipping school was out of the question unless you were genuinely sick. We occasionally faked illness just for a break. And field trips? Don’t even think about it. He never let us go because of the waiver that said the school wasn’t responsible for anything that happened. So, while our classmates enjoyed trips, we were stuck at home, feeling left out.

Bikes were also off-limits because we “might fall.” At thirty-eight, I still don’t know how to ride one. He also wouldn’t allow my brothers to play basketball because “what if they get injured?”—such a waste, considering how tall they are. Even during Christmas, we couldn’t go out to watch fireworks. He feared stray firecrackers, so we stayed inside the house. We would hear kids laughing outside, and there we were, feeling sad at home.

As a kid, it was hard to understand why he was so strict. It felt like everything was a risk in his eyes. But would you believe this? Despite his overprotective nature, I made a huge mistake. I got pregnant at eighteen. No one saw it coming, especially since I was always at home, school, or church.

My mom initially kept the news from him and took me to a safe place, worried he might hurt me. When he found out, he came to see me immediately. I’ll never forget the fear and anxiety I felt. But even more unforgettable was the moment my father cried in front of me. Instead of me apologizing, he was the one who apologized to me. He thought I had done it on purpose to escape his strictness, but that wasn’t true. I simply made a mistake.

Whenever someone spoke badly about me, especially his siblings, my father would get furious. No one could say anything against me if he was around. That’s when I realized that, yes, my father was strict, even excessively so, but it was because he wanted to protect us. At that point in my life, despite my mistake, he was still the one shielding me.

But above everything else, I was terrified of God’s punishment. I feared for my life, my future, and my child’s future. However, despite my sin and unworthiness, His presence was the only place where I felt peace and strength. Even though I wasn’t sure if He had forgiven my sins, I still held on to Him. I knew He saw me. He even gave me a father who would also love and protect me.

I thought I had known Him for a long time. But in this chapter of my life, with all my flaws and brokenness, I saw a different side of Jesus. I know I don’t deserve Him, His love, or His forgiveness, but I have experienced his unconditional love and grace. Not only that, but He also gave me a fresh start and a beautiful family. He wiped away all my fears and replaced them with something amazing, and more happy stories. That’s all because I found grace in Him.

Most of the time, just like our earthly fathers, we struggle to understand God’s guidance and direction. We often see it in a negative light, thinking He is against us rather than for us. But the truth is, no one will ever love us as deeply as our parents do—especially our Heavenly Father.

And this is my prayer for anyone reading my story:

“For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches, he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide, long, high, and deep is the love of Christ,” Ephesians 3:13-18