My Real Dad

I had to wait a day or so to write of our Father-Daughter Banquet. It was regal. Decorated by three awesome ladies – Shirley, Janet and Irene – the tables truly were fit for princesses. They had been taken to the beauty shop, so their Daddies didn’t see them until they walked in, hair upswept with tiaras, daughters of the king.

They sang for their fathers -- a rendition of Steve and Annie Chapman’s Goodnight Kiss, substituting Daddy for child/children. Way before the end, we were crying. Some for recognizing how quickly children grow up. For others -- many of us are far beyond the time we can give our Daddies a good night kiss, and we miss them.

At early Beautiful Princess Program meetings, there were as many as a couple dozen attendees. Each of the girls earned their way to the banquet through consistent interest and participation over the summer months. At the end, there were seven girls who worked through the whole program. It was interesting to note that those who reached the banquet came from unbroken homes whose parents supported their summer activities.

Thanks to those of you who joined us in prayer for these girls. Now, please join in prayer for others.

We have an information sheet we ask new girls to fill out for our Sunday School class. It asks for their name, address, contact information, parents’ names in case of emergency. Sunday morning one of the girls asked, “Do you want my real dad or my current dad?”

Do you realize how much is revealed in that one sentence? Can you think of the next questions to ask to learn more about this child?

Our answer was, “The dad who lives with you.”

How can we teach of a Father, unchanging, who loves his children to the point that He gave himself for them, when their dads change. No question mark – it’s rhetorical. A few years ago, one girl in the class had several siblings. Same mother, each sibling had a different father. Her favorite was not her biological father, nor the current live-in situation.

Nothing for these girls can be changed back. As much as a child wants their parents, as sad as we may feel, the original unit no longer exists. It cannot be “fixed”, cannot return to the parents they knew at birth. What we work toward, what we pray will occur is that our girls will learn about love that does not leave. About why we love God.

We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19 KJV)

Christ confirmed this often, from gospels to John’s revelation.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 KJV)

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, (Revelation 1:5 KJV)

If we can teach these girls to follow God’s loving plan for their life, they will carefully select the husband God has planned for them. Their children will thrive in a family unit designed to nourish. Their children may grow up with their real Dad.