3 Reflections on the Daddy-Daughter Dance

3 Reflections on the Daddy-Daughter Dance
“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” –Proverbs 22:6

 Fatherhood is central to the Biblical story and central to the way of life the Bible prescribes. In fact, God instructs us to call him “our Father” in the Lord’s Prayer. Throughout the Bible, fathers are instructed to raise their children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” as Ephesians 6:4 puts it.

Yet fatherhood is falling apart in our world today. According to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 18.3 million children in the United States who are living without a father in the home. In other words, roughly 1 in 4 children in our own country have no father in the home. Fatherlessness is not the children’s fault, but they face the consequences of life outside God’s design all the same.

At Christ Presbyterian, we want to be a part of the solution to the problems that are ailing our nation. Our Daddy-Daughter Dance is one way we are seeking to help families in our community. Here are three reflections on that event:

1) Biblical Fatherhood Requires Connection: At the Daddy-Daughter Dance, dads had to be intentional about engaging with their daughters. The dads brought them. The dads asked them to dance. The dance was a time for dads to connect with their daughters. When dads intentionally connect with their children, they imitate their Heavenly Father who intentionally connects with his children. God is always the initiator of our relationship with him.

2) Biblical Fatherhood Requires Sacrifice: I met a dad at the dance who was a single parent. When he learned about the dance, he cancelled all his plans for Friday night, took his daughter to get her hair done and get a dress, and brought her to the dance. He sacrificed for her. When dads sacrifice for their children, they imitate their Heavenly Father who sacrificed everything for them. “For God so loved the world that he gave [sacrificed] his one and only Son.”

3) Biblical Fatherhood Brings Joy: Every time I looked around at the dads on Friday night, they were smiling. They were living out their Biblical calling to be fathers and it brought them great joy. When dads rejoice over their children, they imitate their Heavenly Father who “rejoices over us with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).

Will you join me in praying for fatherhood in this country? May our Heavenly Father continue to raise up more earthly fathers in his image.

Your Pastor and Friend,
John Knox Foster