Set the Bar For Your Daughters

I can testify to what happens to a girl who is looking for love in all the wrong places. It is a picture of brokenness that doesn’t have to be.
 
Valentine's Day—the epic day of love—was yesterday. My sweet husband had beautiful flowers delivered to me at our house. But even better than my flowers was the arrangement he sent to our daughter. Aside from God Himself, my daughter—your daughter(s)—need to know they are loved. Otherwise, they will look for it somewhere and not every girl is fortunate enough to find their knight in shining armor on the first try.

I know some of you are thinking, "I don't know how to show love. I didn't have it shown to me when I was younger. My father was mean or distant or cold." Get over it. There is no better example of a father who loves than your Heavenly Father. Want to know what a good example of a father is? Then learn the character of God. 
 
God is love.
 
“But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8).
 
God is not a demanding Father who desires to rule over His children with rules without love. His boundaries are because He loves us. There's a balance.
 
“Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good” (Deuteronomy 8:5).

You too must find that balance. Men, love your daughters well. Show them what it means to love and live with boundaries. Where else will they learn what it means to have physical love lived out? 
 
Lead your daughters to Christ. Be an example for them to follow. But also realize, their walk with the Lord is going to have its own challenges and ups and downs. They may forget that God loves them unconditionally. They may feel as though God is disappointed with their choices. This may cause them to grow distant from the Lord and forget His promises. They'll need your unconditional love. If they lose that, they'll look for it with someone or something else.
 
We all have a heart that has a need and we all fill it with the things we choose to put in it. Let the first thing your daughter puts into her heart be the love of her earthly Father. Don’t just tell her that you love her, show her that you love her. Someday she is going to fall in love with the man she will marry. Who do you want that person to look like? Set the bar high and she will achieve and exceed it.