Why A Daughter Needs A Dad

I stumbled upon this today when I was reading through some old messages between a friend and I. This is all so true! Thank you to the men in my life that have been amazing fathers and father-figures to me. You have loved me when it was hardest. 

Why A Daughter Needs A Dad;
to learn that when he says it will be okay soon, it will.
who will make sacrifices so she will not have to sacrifice.
to teach her that her value as a person is more than the way she looks.
who will laugh at her at the right times.
who will always have time to give her hugs and kisses.
who does not mind when she steps on his shoes while dancing.
who will always make sure she has a place to come home to.
who will never think she is too old to need him.
to make the family whole and complete.
who will not punish her for her mistakes, but help her learn from them.
to teach her to believe that she deserves to be treated well.
to teach her to accept the differences in others.
to teach her to weigh the consequences of her actions and make decisions accordingly.
so she will know what it is like to be somebody's favorite.
to tell her truthfully that she is the most beautiful of all.
to protect her from scary nighttime creatures.
to answer the questions that keep her awake at night.
to make the complex simple and the painful bearable.
to protect her from thunder and lightning.
to teach her that family is more important than work.
to be the safe spot she can always turn to.
to show her how it feels to be loved unselfishly.
to be the standard against which she will judge all men.
who will influence her life, even when he isn't with her.
to tell her that all is not hopeless, even when she feels it is.
to join her journey when she is too afraid to walk alone.
to make the tough decisions for her until she is able to make them for herself.
so that she will have at least one hero who will not let her down.
to tuck her in at night.
to help her take risks that will build her confidence.
who will let her know that while she may not be the center of someone else's world,
she is the center of his.
to learn what she should expect from her husband.
to teach her what it means to always be there.
to teach her that a man's strength is not the force of his hand or his voice,
but the kindness of his heart.
to teach her to be honest in all her dealings.
to help her try again whenever she fails.
to remind her of what she may not remember.
so that when no one else is there for her, she can close her eyes and see him.
to think highly of her when no one else will.
to hold her as she cries.
to carry her just because she wants to be carried.
who teaches her she is important by stopping what he is doing to watch her.
to remind her of the comfort of being held near and feeling secure.
to teach her to stand up for herself.
who gives her refuge in a home secured with faith.
to show her that true love is unconditional.
to teach her not to let pride get in the way of discovering new things.
to show her all the boys are not like the one who hurt her.
to stand with her on the day she marries the man she hopes will be just like her father.
because without him she will have less in her life than what she deserves.

Regret-Moving On

Regret.

We all have it. Whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, we do. There are many a things we can regret in life. Personally for me, I regret decisions I have made. Or choices I have made. I never knew how much my heart would ache for a baby, until I was told I couldn't have one. I never knew how much I would regret something I did when I was a teenager. I never knew how much I would regret even simple things that I could have done differently.

There are so many things in my life that I think about and say to myself, "If only I could have that moment back. I would make a different choice. I would have responded differently. I would have thought more about the long term outcome, instead of what felt good at that moment." There are a million other thoughts that go through my head, but those are the main ones, and often the biggest lies from the deceiver. Satan wants me to believe that all the things I regret are things that make me a bad person, or make me unlovable. He is really good at that.

This past weekend I went back to BG for two of my closest friend's wedding. Brittany and Andrew were married this past Saturday. It was so great to be back and get to spend the weekend with some of the people that I have shared the last four years of my life with. It was wonderful to laugh with them and joke around, and even cry with them..hey, who doesn't cry at a wedding? But at the same time, it was equally hard to be challenged by them in the hard things in life. Some of my best and closest friends are in BG and they are most often the people I go to when I need someone to ask me the tough questions.

I am realizing that while regret is something that I will always have in my life, I also need to not let Satan trick me into believing that I can't overcome that regret, and move past by bad decisions and become better than the mistakes that I've made. I realize that the only reason that I can't be better than my past and my regrets is if I am choosing not to believe that God has forgiven me, and can make good out of those regrets and my past. I also have to choose to not allow myself not to be defined by the regrets and mistakes of my past.

Regret.

We all have it. How do you let it define you? Help me change my regret into learning experiences and help me to find Him in all my regret and mistakes. I am trusting God to show me the beauty in my mistakes and my regret.