The Duty of a Daughter

This week, God has taught me more about what my relationship with my father should look like. Daddy and I have always gotten along really well. I do not remember ever having an argument with him or being mad at him. Ever. I have loved him, respected him, admired him, and looked up to him for over two decades. However, I do not confide in him the way I should. I do not always seek his counsel and approval. I have not been his prayer warrior. I have not made serving him and helping him my priority. Though I live under his protection and authority and I support him in his ministry, I have not fully embraced my role as his daughter. I have not made an effort to submit my will to him. I have not fully given him my heart.

But I want to.

My parents raised me in such a way that all of these ideas are natural to me, but up until now, I had not made them my own, deliberate decisions. I know that my life's purpose does not begin at marriage. I am preparing diligently for marriage, but I have a duty to perform right now, while I am yet single. My calling is to be my father's helper. My purpose is to help him fulfill his calling.

Sounds like great practice for marriage, doesn't it? God designed the father/daughter relationship this way for a reason. A woman is not supposed to be independent; she is to be always dependent on a man. While she is single, this man is her father. And her father will one day transfer his authority over her to the man she will call husband. What a beautiful, natural transition!

So many women go through unnecessary struggle because they are living out their single years as independent individuals and then they marry and have to learn submission and respect. Submitting to a man is very difficult for a person who has never done it before. Years of ministry are wasted because women have not already learned how to be wives. They are obstacles to their husbands, hindering them and holding them back from all God has for them. This can be avoided simply by realizing that we were never meant to be self-reliant, self-sufficient females. In the very beginning, God created woman for man. She is his helper. It is her purpose.

This is not meant to be a drudgery. Contrary to what many people believe, living out God's design brings unimaginable joy. I am sure it breaks His heart to watch us ignore His plan and try to live out our own. If only people could see what they are missing! My prayer for each of you is that you will embrace His purpose for your life and encourage others to do the same. And may your joy in doing this be sweet. As mine is.