Daddy's Little Girl
When my parents separated, I moved across the country with my mom. We left everything I knew in Indiana, including my dad and two brothers, to live closer to my mom’s family in Texas. That move was the start of many things. A new life, a new city and state, a new family structure, and definitely a new relationship with my dad. From that point on, I was no longer daddy’s little girl. Oh, sure, he’d still call me that. But the truth was, their failed marriage brought a failed father-daughter relationship as well.
From that point on, things were different. Without really meaning to, he treated me more like an adult than a child. The few summers I stayed with him, he focused on the “big” things of parenting (drugs, sex, etc) and on explaining what went wrong with him and mom. There wasn’t much playing anymore. No snuggle time. At ten, I’d be promoted to fully grown.
Now I’m not blaming my dad or saying he was a terrible father. I’m sure he did the best he knew how during that difficult time. But even so, I lost that special relationship and I spent the next eight years looking to get it back. Unfortunately, no one seemed to fill that void. Even if they would try, it wasn’t the same because it wasn’t my real dad.
What is it with us girls and our fathers? Oh, we love and cherish our moms, but there is something special about our dads. No matter how strong, independent, smart, or talented we are, we still long for that bond. Know why? Because it is an earthly representation of the bond we share with God. But because so many of us don’t have a great relationship with our earthly fathers, we have a hard time understanding the true father heart of God.
I spent this past week watching a healthier example of a father-daughter bond in Andy and our girls. There are times when either one of them can test the bounds of his patience. And, let’s face it, playing dress up or Barbies is NOT Andy’s favorite pastime. But there are those moments when Andy finds himself in heaven. For instance, he’ll play on his guitar way longer if it means one of them will keep twirling and dancing to the music. He loves to see them so free and uninhibited. Snuggle time is his favorite, too. Often while watching tv, both Becca and Abby will crawl up into Andy’s lap and I’ll hear him sigh and say, “It just doesn’t get any better than this!”
Holding his kids close has been a favorite thing for Andy since they were babies. Back then, he loved “warm fuzzies.” This is when he’d take his shirt off and lay them down on his chest. Then he’d wrap his arms around them and they would calm down by listening to his heart beat beneath them. Warm fuzzies were a sure way to get our babies to sleep. In fact, I used to joke that Andy had the “magic touch” because he could get any of them to sleep in under 15 minutes!
Andy loves his girls, and there’s not a single thing he wouldn’t do to keep them safe. But they don’t always get that. Sometimes, when Andy is playing with Abby, he’ll swing her up over his head. Abby will freak out and start to panic. With Becca, it is the bathtub. She is terrified of water. No matter how close Andy holds her, she will wiggle and fight once that water is poured onto her. In both cases, the girls won’t relax and trust in their dad. They get too caught up in their own fears and the unknown. Then they fight and struggle, many times endangering themselves, when the whole time their dad is right there holding them and trying to keep them safe.
So many times, that is how we are with God. He starts taking us into the unknown and, in our fear, we fight against his will. It not only puts a kink into our closeness with God, but it also endangers us! We fight and struggle, and, the whole time, God is there telling us, “Relax! I’ve got you! I won’t let you go!” He wants to be that protection, that security that we are so desperately searching for. You see, snuggle time is a favorite with God, too. He longs for us to climb up into his lap and rest. That is His kindness in action. Do you know what kindness is? It is “generous or considerate in nature.” That is God! He is generous in His love for you and considerate of your need for protection, security, love, reassurance…(fill in the blank here!).
I love that song we sang on Sunday at church. I found it so incredible that Brandon kept coming back to it during the service. It fits so completely with what I was planning on sharing:
The more I seek You, the more I find You.
The more I find You, the more I love You.
I want to sit at Your feet, drink from the cup in Your hands,
Lay back against You and breathe, feel Your heartbeat.
This love is so deep, it’s more than I can stand.
I melt in Your peace. It’s overwhelming.
How long has it been since you laid back and relaxed and listened to the heartbeat of God? Did you know that He is waiting for you to do it? Whatever you are facing, He is there to comfort and protect, as a daddy does his little girl. Even if everything is going well, He still desires for you to climb into his lap and rest. Zephaniah 3:17 speaks of this: “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
I know what some of you might be thinking. Like me, you had a bad example in your earthly father, so you don’t even know how to begin to relate to God as Father. Some of you have been so let down or hurt by your dads that you are afraid to trust God in a similar role. And some of you have been through such difficult times, that you have felt abandoned by God himself. But even when you feel alone, you are NEVER alone. Isaiah 49:14-16 reassures us of this:
But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”
I did a little digging on the last verse. The walls mentioned mean walls of protection. Ever before him means for time out of mind. Engraved means hacked. The palms is referring to the hollow of the hand, one of the softest and most tender parts of the body. Together it translates into this: God is saying that He holds us so tightly that we are cut (hacked) into the tender hollow of His hands, and our protection is a priority always, for time out of mind!
If today you are feeling alone and abandoned, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. If you feel lost or afraid, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. If you feel broken and empty, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
GOD IS WITH YOU AND HE HASN’T FORGOTTEN YOU.
FOR FURTHER STUDY:
1. Regardless of the pain or joy you are experiencing, let’s make this week a week we get back to being our Daddy’s daughter! Rest in Him, tell him your thoughts and fears, dance in front of Him, play, whatever! I give each of you permission to LET GO! If you are needing a little help with that, here are some scripture passages to get you started in your Daddy relationship with God:
Psalms 49:14-16
Zephaniah 3:14-17
Romans 8:15
Galatians 4:6
Psalms 27:7-14
Psalms 145:8-9
Also, you can turn on some great worship music if you need a little prodding. If you have access to itunes or other online downloads, get "He Is (Kristie's song)" by Barry and Michelle Patterson. You can also pick the whole cd up online. It is called "Birth." This particular song, though, is a fantastic reminder that God is healing our hurts and will be there for us. Or, take a look at this wonderful video from youtube. It features a song all about God’s love for us and is done by a great worship leader, Kim Walker.
2. Is God trying to hold you and you are fighting against him? What is it that you are holding on to or fighting against? What fear is keeping you from resting? Share your thoughts about God as a Daddy. Don’t be scared, this is a safe place. We are here for you and will pray with you.
3. Maybe you are in a great place with God right now and have a memory of when you really felt him with you. Share with the group. Let’s post and support those who this week need to know they are not alone.
I love you all and I am truly blessed to get to share with you each week. I pray that each of you feel God so strongly this week and in a way you have never felt before.
Sonya
From that point on, things were different. Without really meaning to, he treated me more like an adult than a child. The few summers I stayed with him, he focused on the “big” things of parenting (drugs, sex, etc) and on explaining what went wrong with him and mom. There wasn’t much playing anymore. No snuggle time. At ten, I’d be promoted to fully grown.
Now I’m not blaming my dad or saying he was a terrible father. I’m sure he did the best he knew how during that difficult time. But even so, I lost that special relationship and I spent the next eight years looking to get it back. Unfortunately, no one seemed to fill that void. Even if they would try, it wasn’t the same because it wasn’t my real dad.
What is it with us girls and our fathers? Oh, we love and cherish our moms, but there is something special about our dads. No matter how strong, independent, smart, or talented we are, we still long for that bond. Know why? Because it is an earthly representation of the bond we share with God. But because so many of us don’t have a great relationship with our earthly fathers, we have a hard time understanding the true father heart of God.
I spent this past week watching a healthier example of a father-daughter bond in Andy and our girls. There are times when either one of them can test the bounds of his patience. And, let’s face it, playing dress up or Barbies is NOT Andy’s favorite pastime. But there are those moments when Andy finds himself in heaven. For instance, he’ll play on his guitar way longer if it means one of them will keep twirling and dancing to the music. He loves to see them so free and uninhibited. Snuggle time is his favorite, too. Often while watching tv, both Becca and Abby will crawl up into Andy’s lap and I’ll hear him sigh and say, “It just doesn’t get any better than this!”
Holding his kids close has been a favorite thing for Andy since they were babies. Back then, he loved “warm fuzzies.” This is when he’d take his shirt off and lay them down on his chest. Then he’d wrap his arms around them and they would calm down by listening to his heart beat beneath them. Warm fuzzies were a sure way to get our babies to sleep. In fact, I used to joke that Andy had the “magic touch” because he could get any of them to sleep in under 15 minutes!
Andy loves his girls, and there’s not a single thing he wouldn’t do to keep them safe. But they don’t always get that. Sometimes, when Andy is playing with Abby, he’ll swing her up over his head. Abby will freak out and start to panic. With Becca, it is the bathtub. She is terrified of water. No matter how close Andy holds her, she will wiggle and fight once that water is poured onto her. In both cases, the girls won’t relax and trust in their dad. They get too caught up in their own fears and the unknown. Then they fight and struggle, many times endangering themselves, when the whole time their dad is right there holding them and trying to keep them safe.
So many times, that is how we are with God. He starts taking us into the unknown and, in our fear, we fight against his will. It not only puts a kink into our closeness with God, but it also endangers us! We fight and struggle, and, the whole time, God is there telling us, “Relax! I’ve got you! I won’t let you go!” He wants to be that protection, that security that we are so desperately searching for. You see, snuggle time is a favorite with God, too. He longs for us to climb up into his lap and rest. That is His kindness in action. Do you know what kindness is? It is “generous or considerate in nature.” That is God! He is generous in His love for you and considerate of your need for protection, security, love, reassurance…(fill in the blank here!).
I love that song we sang on Sunday at church. I found it so incredible that Brandon kept coming back to it during the service. It fits so completely with what I was planning on sharing:
The more I seek You, the more I find You.
The more I find You, the more I love You.
I want to sit at Your feet, drink from the cup in Your hands,
Lay back against You and breathe, feel Your heartbeat.
This love is so deep, it’s more than I can stand.
I melt in Your peace. It’s overwhelming.
How long has it been since you laid back and relaxed and listened to the heartbeat of God? Did you know that He is waiting for you to do it? Whatever you are facing, He is there to comfort and protect, as a daddy does his little girl. Even if everything is going well, He still desires for you to climb into his lap and rest. Zephaniah 3:17 speaks of this: “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
I know what some of you might be thinking. Like me, you had a bad example in your earthly father, so you don’t even know how to begin to relate to God as Father. Some of you have been so let down or hurt by your dads that you are afraid to trust God in a similar role. And some of you have been through such difficult times, that you have felt abandoned by God himself. But even when you feel alone, you are NEVER alone. Isaiah 49:14-16 reassures us of this:
But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”
I did a little digging on the last verse. The walls mentioned mean walls of protection. Ever before him means for time out of mind. Engraved means hacked. The palms is referring to the hollow of the hand, one of the softest and most tender parts of the body. Together it translates into this: God is saying that He holds us so tightly that we are cut (hacked) into the tender hollow of His hands, and our protection is a priority always, for time out of mind!
If today you are feeling alone and abandoned, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. If you feel lost or afraid, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. If you feel broken and empty, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
GOD IS WITH YOU AND HE HASN’T FORGOTTEN YOU.
FOR FURTHER STUDY:
1. Regardless of the pain or joy you are experiencing, let’s make this week a week we get back to being our Daddy’s daughter! Rest in Him, tell him your thoughts and fears, dance in front of Him, play, whatever! I give each of you permission to LET GO! If you are needing a little help with that, here are some scripture passages to get you started in your Daddy relationship with God:
Psalms 49:14-16
Zephaniah 3:14-17
Romans 8:15
Galatians 4:6
Psalms 27:7-14
Psalms 145:8-9
Also, you can turn on some great worship music if you need a little prodding. If you have access to itunes or other online downloads, get "He Is (Kristie's song)" by Barry and Michelle Patterson. You can also pick the whole cd up online. It is called "Birth." This particular song, though, is a fantastic reminder that God is healing our hurts and will be there for us. Or, take a look at this wonderful video from youtube. It features a song all about God’s love for us and is done by a great worship leader, Kim Walker.
2. Is God trying to hold you and you are fighting against him? What is it that you are holding on to or fighting against? What fear is keeping you from resting? Share your thoughts about God as a Daddy. Don’t be scared, this is a safe place. We are here for you and will pray with you.
3. Maybe you are in a great place with God right now and have a memory of when you really felt him with you. Share with the group. Let’s post and support those who this week need to know they are not alone.
I love you all and I am truly blessed to get to share with you each week. I pray that each of you feel God so strongly this week and in a way you have never felt before.
Sonya
posted by Sonya Day | 3:03 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home