No One Could Know

Daddies have a profound impact on their daughters … at any age.

Time spent intertwining the souls of a little girl and her father is never wasted time. Ten minutes singing in the car on the way to school, ten minutes making butterscotch pudding together, or ten minutes that it takes to read a bedtime story can forever cement such a relationship.

But it must be continual. A once-off ten minute segment will never do.

My Daddy and I were fast friends when we first met in the hospital that cold January day that I was born. In fact, I blew him away when he first laid eyes on me. OK, so the story actually goes more like this: He fainted. And, the doctor just left him there on the cold tile floor of the delivery room while they attended to me and my mother. Little girls often have that effect on their dads.

Take for instance, the first time a father sees his innocent darling wear makeup. Or, when she shuns him to take the sweaty hand of a zit-faced boy on their way to her first dance. Handing her the keys to the family car the first time she pulls out of the driveway alone can be like hitching a chain from the bumper to his heart. When she steps on the gas, his churning guts are yanked out onto the asphalt and dragged, flopping down the road. It happens on her wedding day too, of course. His heart is again wrenched from his chest and bounced like a tin can behind the “Just Married” sign on the back of the car.

I’m grateful that my Dad has so positively imprinted my heart. But, it wasn’t always that way. Our pudding making time was severed by divorce when I was 6 years old. Mom and Dad remarried each other a year later, only to divide yet again within months. I know what hearts feel like when flopping behind the cars of loved ones as they pull away from the curb. We had some horribly choppy years that shredded my childhood and self-esteem.

But when God is invited into our lives, He brings His gentle healing balm with Him, and hearts that yield to His love are restored. Our God promises to be a “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places those who are lonely into families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.” Psalm 68:5, 6

If this Father’s Day conjures up a painful past, there’s actually good news for you: our Father God’s love never fails. He promised to never leave you or forsake you. He wants to spend more than ten minutes a day with you. He wants to enjoy your entire day with you, and be a part of everything you do! Why? Because He likes you. He might not be too happy with some of the things you do, but YOU, He really likes. He’s always there … inviting you to sing with Him in the car, enjoy His company while cooking butterscotch pudding on the stove … and reading a bedtime story. Try reading His book with Him tonight and allow Him to speak to your heart through His Word.