The scene is practising music for morning Church. We attend quite a large Church with different music teams each week, musicians, singers and sometimes children are involved on stage. This particular day, we had 2 young daughters (aged about 7 & 8 yrs) of one of the music team members practising with us. They arrived a little late and were looking for their Dad. When they found him, their eyes embraced each other.
Absolute adoration filled their little faces as they looked up at their Dad. It was priceless. They looked up to him with such innocence and trust. He looked at them with such tenderness and care . He held them with his gaze, such a look of love, eyes of love, a beautiful exchange. I almost felt intrusive looking at them looking at each other, but it was so precious, such a moment in time that I have buried in my heart as something to cherish. With this exchange you could see the depth of their relationship, their respect and love for their father and his all consuming love for them.
It was so precious that I welled up with tears. Surprised by my own reaction over a fleeting exchange, have thought about it since and wondered if it is my own longing for this with my own father that stirred the emotional response. My parents divorced when I was very young and I have never lived with my father, nor saw him much as a child. Though my step Dad has been incredible and cared for my sister and I like his own, their was never 'tenderness' between us like I saw exchanged with these young girls and their Dad.
My daughters share this same pure love with their Dad and when I see him hug and hold them, they melt in his arms and love. He treats them like total princesses (within reason of course) and they are totally secure in his love, care, and protection of them. It is so beautiful. So healthy. So how it should be. I am so grateful.
This makes me yearn for eyes of love for all young girls, to have a healthy, wholesome relationship with their fathers or significant males in their lives. Not always possible in our age of divorce, family breakdown and societal changes. Culture, country and differing values of women throughout the globe make this hope almost an impasse, yet we can hope against hopes.
"A father's relationship with his daughters can make or break her, she needs his approval, and most of all, his unconditional love. She wants and needs him to respond. And if he doesn't respond, at some time, somewhere down the line, someone else will. And unfortunately, her new responder may not have her best interest in mind." (Javier Sanchez)
Young girls today are struggling more than ever to find their identity - some of them are literally killing themselves with anorexia, self harm, to achieve a 'perfect' look and acceptance. The media constantly bombards us with conflicting and often negative messages about how we should look and behave. Fathers play such an important role in planting seeds of positive identity and healthy self-esteem within their daughters in those formative, foundational times in their life. Planting seeds of love and acceptance in their hearts and mind creates healthy, open, contented girls who hopefully grow into confident, healthy, happy, contented women.
We cannot stop unwanted stares and looks from strangers, but my hope is that pure eyes of love look upon our daughters more. In the absence of earthly ones, we can be comforted that there is a Father above who looks with compassion, unconditional love and acceptance for all.The Father Heart of God has been a solace to my soul since teen years, a book read in my YWAM days maybe of interest to you, it can be found at Amazon;
http://www.amazon.com/The-Father-Heart-Floyd-McClung/dp/0890814910
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