Sunday, June 22, 2008

Fathers and Daughters

"My son, hear the instrustion of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother; for they will be a graceful ornament on your head, and chains about your neck." -Proverbs 1:8-9

One of the facinating things about the book of Proverbs is the fact that it is a book of instruction: of a father discipling his children. The reason I find this facinating? Because despite the fact that there is an entire book in the Bible devoted to fathers discipling their children the church still somehow thinks that it's their job to teach the children and if the fathers aren't interested, too bad. I am thankful all the more with each passing day for the parents that God has so graciously given me. I am especially thankful for the relationship that my father and I have. The father-daughter relationship is unique and incalcually valuable. Women, as the weaker vessel, are vulnerable, physically, spiritually, emotionally. We were created to be helpers, to further the vision of another. Men were created to be stalwart and valiant leaders, protectors, providers. If a daughter does not have the love and protection of her father she is left vulnerable to the world who would gladly steal her loyalty and destroy her life by selling her on a cheap, counterfit vision of womanhood. And sadly this lesson keeps on hitting closer and closer to home as I watch the lives of three girls I dearly love fall apart. One is involved in a situation so bad I won't describe it for the sake of any young readers. The second is a run away on illegal drugs to numb the pain of life, and the last has been labled "mentally unstable and depressed" and has been put on legal drugs to numb the pains of life. In the case of the first girl, her father lead her into the sin she is now in, in the situation of the second girl although her father dearly loved her, he had no idea how to protect her from the world and in the end he lost her heart to it. And the final girl has a similiar situation, her father had no idea how to show her love and protection and now that she is 20 he assumes that most of his responsibilities toward her are through! Does that mean that at 20 she loses the character of a woman? That she is no longer the weaker vessel, created by God, of equal importance (though a different role), but in need of the protection of her father?
I ask you to pray for these young women, that God would bring them to repentence and teach their fathers to be what their girls need them to be. And if you have a father who seeks to love and protect you, be sure that you let him know how thankful you are and pray for him faithfully. Show him you love and respect him, be the daughter he needs, remembering that women were created to be helpers, what can you do to help your father in the work God has given him?
I for one, am thankful and humbled to be my daddy's girl.

4 comments:

  1. I enjoy your point of view and writing style- I particularly liked your post titled ‘purity’ it really touched home for me.

    I am not sure how I stumbled into your blog but I am happy I did and I wanted you to know!

    Respectfully,
    Elijah

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  2. Hi Elijah,
    I am glad you are enjoying my blog and I appreciate you letting me know :) I really want God to be glorified in my posts. . .
    nice to 'meet' you!

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  3. Yankee Maiden,

    Thank you for the beautiful post!

    I wanted to let you know you've been tagged over at my blog -check it out to see the rules. :)

    If you decide to post it, I'd be interested to read your answers to the questions.

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  4. Yikes! I've been tagged! Sounds like fun. Thanks Jasmine, I look forward to tackling it as soon as time allows :)

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