Dealing With the Dad of Your Past

Practical, biblical counsel for every woman.

Although fathers are not the only determining influence in their daughters' lives, it is true that their impact at times may be the most ignored. Current research shows that a girl's relationship with her father is absolutely critical to her psychological, social, and spiritual development. This is grim news to a group of people whom psychologists are labeling, "The Fatherless Generation." Physically absent dads (the current experience of one-fourth of American children under 18), emotionally absent dads, and abusive dads are impacting daughters as well as sons.

God as Father designed earthly fathers to model His loving care through personal involvement, warmth, discipline, and wise direction and counsel toward maturity. Where these are lacking in a daughter's life, profound effects occur. As difficult as that may be to face, that process is the only way to emotional and spiritual wholeness. It requires a sometimes painful look back and honest assessment of the dad of the past. It means coming to terms with who he really was, who he wasn't, and what can be done about it now. Through God's restoring process, daughters will be challenged to embrace the One perfect Father who is always there and allow His life-changing truth and power to "make all things new."