Father/Daughter Beginnings - The Natural & the Spiritual

"My raising task seems filled with just two vital things
At first to give her roots and then to give her wings"

from Raising Child by A.A. Talbert

NOTE: I, the writer of this blog post, was not raised with my father. I didn't have him in my life until I was 34 years old. Therefore, the insight on father/daughter relationships comes from observation and conversation with those who were blessed to have good daddies from the start. ~ Melissa

To know who we are as God's daughters, we must know Him as Father. Many who read this may not have known the fatherly love and interaction that will be discussed in upcoming blog posts. Being unfamiliar with a healthy father relationship can often be a barrier to a healthy relationship with God. Just trying to imagine God as Father is challenging because many daughters have not experienced a loving earthly father.

But God is a restorer who is able to supersede our natural experiences with flawed human fathers,  and give us all the chance to know what it feels like to be Daddy's Little Girl.


The Beginning of a Great Relationship

The relationship between a parent and child is probably the closest thing we can compare to our relationship with God. However, the birth of a daughter to a father, and the relationship that starts in the delivery room is different from any other. Some fathers have been known to state that this bond requires a unique level of sensitivity, gentleness, and compassion greater than that exercised with a son.

The coo of a baby girl can bring tears to the toughest eye. Many fathers have shared that the initial feeling of unconditional love following the birth of a daughter, is immediately overshadowed by a sense that they are the designated protector of this small, precious, vulnerable gift.

Observing some of the earliest images of  father-daughter beginnings brings to mind one word--PROTECTION.

This is not so different from our Heavenly Father, Who makes it clear in His Word that He is our protection.

"The Lord is my rock, my protection, my Savior. My God is my rock. I can run to him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength, my defender." Psalm 18:2 (NCV)

As daughters of the Almighty Father, we must allow God to be our protector.

This idea of being protected by a father may be difficult to grasp. Many daughters have not been protected by their dads.We live in a society where daughters are vulnerable, particularly those of color. With abortions on the rise in America, just being born is a miracle. Many of those who are born, are brought home to houses where the father is absent, either literally or emotionally. Too many daughters are born into homes where they are abused physically and sexually by fathers, or father figures. Emotional, psychological, and verbal abuse are experienced regularly through the media, as well as those who claim to love us.

God's protection is dependable and real...
An essential part of accepting the idea of Fatherly protection is that God's promise to protect does not mean we will not experience danger, harm, suffering, or pain in this sinful world where we live.

What the promises of protection from God do mean is that in spite of whatever we might face, God is with us. He is able to provide refuge, shelter, in the midst of the storm. He is able to take a terrible situation and work it out for our good.

The key is to seek Him in the time of trouble. Get alone and talk with God about the situation. Find references to what you're going through in the Bible (use a concordance if necessary) and see what God is saying about how to wisely handle your circumstances. Seek the advice of a godly father, or father-figure that you can trust for wise counsel (someone who fears God and lives like it).

The protection of the Father is one of the first ways we see God working in our lives. We recall times when we should have been harmed, but were not. We are reminded of quiet (and not-so-quiet) urgings to avoid danger that we couldn't explain in the natural.

Thank You, God,  for being my protector in a world full of danger and vulnerability. Thank You for Your Presence when I was overwhelmed by negativity and fear. When trouble comes, and I know it will, may I hide in You, surrounding myself in an atmosphere of worship. Thank you for being my Daddy, the One who takes the responsibility of guarding me from all that seeks to destroy me. Thank You for the honor of being Your Little Girl. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Daughters Becoming Women of Faith

We had the privilege of hearing the message of God delivered through our dear sister, Pastor Ja'Ola Walker today. She educated us on the process of becoming Women of Faith.

Well, needless to say, we were inspired...

The revelation that came forth to this blogwriter was to take a closer look at that process, going from the infant daughter of the Father to a full-grown woman of faith walking in the Spirit of God. Just as a child must develop from stage to stage in the natural, the woman of faith develops through spiritual stages. It's not, as we were reminded earlier, an overnight event, but a lifelong process.

Join this blog for the next month to explore what God's Word says about this process.

Pastor J, you really started something! Thanks again.

Our Identity: Princess AND Daughter

 God's Princess /Daughters

We have been exploring the idea of our nobility and how we are God's princesses, along with the expectations that go along with that title. We became princesses upon our second birth...but sometimes, just like in the natural, it takes time for us to act like it.

Let's take a step back to remember that not only are we God's princesses, we are also His daughters.

This is our position, and our relationship with Our Father because of Jesus.

As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Therefore, 'Come out from them and be separate', says the Lord.'Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. And, I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters', says the Lord Almighty.”  - 2 Corinthians 6:16-18

...And guess what? The next letter in our name, "CANDACE", is D for "daughters".

 The parent-child relationship between us and God is fascinating! He is the perfect parent rearing the imperfect child to a perfected state.

As parents, we can sometimes see the parallels between God's parenting and ours. (Although His ways are exponentially greater, of course.)

He parents with grace and mercy, unconditional love, high expectations, forgiveness, praise, encouragement, and sacrifice. Many of us, as parents or children in the natural, can relate.

It's great being God's princess, but sometimes that title carries so much responsibility. So, this month, let's set the princess tiaras aside for a moment, and just focus on being daughters of the perfect Father.

A Noble Assignment

Back on the subject of what it means to be noble...

Let's focus on the noble expectation to REPRESENT THE FATHER.

So we are Christ's ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ's personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] and be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:20

As daughters of the King, we are also noble representatives of Christ .

We are the chosen ones who are to speak for God, our Father, to this world.

Our words are POWERFUL! They should speak for God, and not against Him (or His biblical principles).

It starts with our love for God. We represent our Father by our love...our words to one another should be LOVING.

Our message, as Christ's ambassadors, is to be one of reconciliation. We ought to bring people together with God, and with each other, by what we say.

Test: If what we are saying is not bringing others to closer to God or each other, is it really worth saying?

This includes what we say to each others' faces, and behind each others' backs. 

Who do your words represent?

The Road to Nobility is a Straight Line

Many of us have heard the phrase, "the shortest distance between two points is a straight line".

Well, how about "the quickest path to nobility is the straight line of integrity"?

Integrity for a Christian is when your "walk" lines up with your "talk". Integrity is a decision. As believers, we are not perfect, but we ought to make regular decisions to act out what we say we believe.

Last time, we talked about being a princess in Christ. Princesses are expected to keep their word. They are to practice integrity regardless of the circumstances. How?

Our nobility depends on our relationship with the Father (the Sovereign One), the Son (the Word), and the Holy Spirit (the Guide that takes up residence within us upon our second birth). In order to walk in nobility, which is part of our identity, we must nuture these relationships by spending time with each regularly -- in communion/fellowship, meditation/devotion, worship, and prayer.

How's your walk?

Our Identity is Found in Our Nobility

Nobility, according to online dictionaries, can be defined as the following:

1. Possessing hereditary rank in a political system or social class
2. Having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor
3. Showing magnanimity (the habit of feeling and acting worthily under all circumstances)
4. Grand and stately in appearance; majestic

So, we see that the second characteristic identified in our name, CANDACE, is one that we gain through an inheritance. Princes and princesses, historically, are born into (or marry into) their nobility. It is a quality gained by way of relationship.

We may not  have been born into noble families, biologically, but through our second spiritual births, in Christ, we have inherited our position of nobility. We are daughters of the King, joint-heirs with Christ, royal priests, who must learn to live as such, regardless of our circumstances.

Lately, we have seen stories on the news and in magazines about the upcoming marriage of England's Prince William and Kate Middleton. As a princess, there will be certain expectations made.

A princess is expected to REPRESENT THE KING.
A princess is expected to GIVE UP HER RIGHTS FOR THE KINGDOM
A princess is expected to OVERCOME FEAR IN CHALLENGING SITUATIONS
A princess is expected to DEMONSTRATE CHARITY AND GENEROSITY TO THOSE IN NEED
A princess is expected to FUNCTION WITH INTEGRITY AND GRACE

What are some of the characteristics that you expect of a princess?

Throughout this month, we will look at these and others on our continued journey to understand our identity in Christ...