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| Daddies and Daughters: Cultivating Tender Hearts by Shelby Rawson
She was sitting in her chair – not the happy chair, but the trouble chair. She was two, and I will never forget what she said as I sat her down for discipline. “Be kind compassionate to one ’nother, forgiving oochother juzzin Christ God forgave you.” My two-year-old daughter’s version of Ephesians 4:32. I was amazed. I was watching a legacy in motion. At this point, she has no idea how richly her daddy is investing in her heart. If I were to ask her what legacy means, she would be without a clue. Her dad is planting seeds to fill the garden of her heart. Not only does he plant, he prunes. The pruning of parenting may not be fun, but without it, fruitful growth will not happen. She has a father who is willing to pursue her when she pouts or pitches a fit. Whether planting or pruning, my husband takes careful watch over his daughter’s heart. Dads, this brings me to a question. What is growing in your daughter’s heart? Have you been carefully tending the fertile soil of her tender soul? Weeds will grow if no one is there to take care of her garden. While she is young, she won’t remember all your wrongs. Your voice has an amazing presence in her life. As she grows, what you have planted will grow as well. Invest in the richness of her soul, and your voice will be heard in the years ahead. I am not discounting moms. We are very important! However, a father figure is important in the life of a little girl. Dads, I could write pages explaining why your influence is so crucial. (In fact, I have!) In lieu of adding several thousand words here, I will leave you with a few thoughts to ponder. God has given fathers the gift of naming. It was Adam – not Eve – who named every single creature. The names a dad gives to his daughter hold weight. It just isn’t the same when Mommy calls her little girl princess. When Daddy says it, she believes it. What special names have you spoken over your daughter? Something else you must speak over her is her beauty. Even as young as two years old, she wants to know how pretty her daddy thinks she is. My daughter doesn’t run to me when she plays dress-up. “Where’s Daddy?” she smiles. It is her daddy’s delight for which she longs. Train yourself to notice her beauty and name it. If you don’t name her loveliness, one day she will find someone who will. Who will help your daughter recognize the beauty God wove into her every fiber? Your calling is crucial. Your commitment must be without question. Invest in something whose return is without measure – the garden of your daughter’s heart. Shelby Rawson is the mother of two young children, with a third on the way, and a writer and co-author of Daddy, Do You Love Me? A Daughter’s Journey of Faith and Restoration. How do you "tend" to your daughter's heart? | Top | Share Your Thoughts... Be the first to comment on this article! |
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I have loved watching my husband speak – even whisper – Scripture over our children. As he tucks them in at night, as he shows them the trees God created, or delights in a sunset fashioned for our eyes, my husband shares the Word of our Father with our children. He is passing on a legacy, and he is blessing my babes with the beauty of eternal truth, which they may carry with them forever.
