Every Little Girl Wants a Daddy Who Loves Her, Even You and Me

I hugged my pink stuffed poodle to my chest. We were about to have a serious conversation, even though I would be the only one talking. My ten-year-old self looked into his black button eyes and confided the empty ache that I dare not admit to anyone. I didn’t say the words out loud. I didn’t need to. We were close like that.

I wish I had a daddy who loved me, I began. I wish I had a daddy who would kiss me on the cheek when he came home from work, tickle my sides after catching me in a game of chase, and carry me piggyback in the park. I wish I had a daddy who liked me. Hugged me. Said nice things about me.

I wish my daddy didn’t ignore me and act like I wasn’t in the room. I wish I wasn’t afraid of him. I wish I had a daddy who loved me. Poodle understood.

I remember sitting at my friend’s house watching her daddy stroke her long red hair as she sat in his lap and leaned her head on his chest. For the two of them, it was nothing special. To me it was magical. I tried not to stare. Mr. Jack loved his daughters, and I wished I were one of them.

The scars of being an unwanted child, an abused child, or even an ignored child run deep. They cut against the very grain of what God intended the relationship between a parent and child was created to be. But even the deep trenches left on a little girl heart, trenches cut like careless tires through soggy earth, can be filled in with God’s love and healed by His grace.

No parent is perfect. None can be available all the time—physically or emotionally. From time-to-time parents are too controlling, too protective, or too permissive. They lose their temper, patience, and control. They fly off the handle and fly by the seat of their pants. All parents have feet of clay—including me!

Maybe that’s your story, hopefully not. But here’s something that is your story, and mine. We all have a daddy who loves us. That Father is God.

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, He said, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you… your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven, (Matthew 6:6,8-9)

Of all the names Jesus used for God, He used Father more than any other…and He invites us to do the same.

Paul wrote: “And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6 NLT).

Think about that. The God of the universe who created the heavens and the earth; who always has been and always will be; who is all knowing, all powerful, and present everywhere at once—that same God invites you to call Him Abba (meaning Daddy), Father. He said, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV).

One of my friend’s granddaughters taught me a great lesson. Gayle was running errands and had her granddaughter, Carlie, and Carlie’s little friend in the backseat. These two little girls were born on the same day, in the same hospital, and now lived in adjacent apartments. When Carlie came to grandma’s house, her little friend often came too. Carlie knew her daddy; her friend had never known hers.

While riding in the car, Carlie’s little friend said, “I wish I had a daddy like you have a daddy.”

Carlie replied, “Oh, you do have a daddy.”

“No, I don’t. I want a daddy like you have a daddy. I wish I had a daddy.”

“But you do have a daddy,” Carlie insisted. “We all have a daddy. God is our daddy. He’s everybody’s daddy.”

Gayle looked in her rearview mirror and saw Carlie’s friend hold up her hands in exasperation. “Why has nobody ever told me this?”

No matter what kind of father you had as a child, here’s one thing I want you to remember: you have a Heavenly Father who loves and adores you. You are the apple of your Daddy’s eye (Psalm 17:8).

Do you believe that? If so, leave a comment that says, “I have a daddy who loves me!!!”

Heavenly Father, oh how I love You. Thank You for adopting me into Your family and making me your child. Thank You for being my heavenly parent who loves me unconditionally and unceasingly. I am so blessed to be Your child. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Digging Deeper

God’s names reveal His character and His ways, and Father is only one of them. Want to know more? I teamed up with two of my ministry partners to write an interactive devotional, Knowing God by Name—40 names of God that help us know Him more intimately, clearly, and powerfully. Click here to learn more.

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