{source}<iframe style=”float: left; border: 1px solid #000000; background-color: #C0C0C0; padding: 2px; margin: 10px; -moz-border-radius: 3px; -khtml-border-radius: 3px; -webkit-border-radius: 3px; border-radius: 3px;” width=”400″ height=”225″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/GiOJuIPl8vE?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>{/source}I remember my first date – and that is all I’m going to say about it!  Actually, it was quite fun.  The guy picked me up in a Model A and we went to a drive-in movie.  It was the 1970s and you can imagine the looks our “ride” earned us that evening.  I only went out with him once, which disappointed my dad greatly.  He loved that car!    

A colleague sent me a video that I had not seen.  I wonder where I have been!  The video has been seen by more than 8 million people and has 21,000+ likes on Facebook.  I hope every parent, grandparent, friend, pastor and everyone else will watch it.  It is called, “The Best First Date” and I think the title is perfect.  (Spoiler alert:  Watch the video now before you finish reading this blog post!)

Okay…didn’t you LOVE that?  I hope you will pass this on to someone you love.  There are a million ways to tell your daughter that you love her.  A father’s love is unique and should set high standards for every other relationship in life.  If you are a dad, if you know a dad, think about what you can do to teach children what to expect from someone they date.

I ran across another article that is along those same lines.  David Moore is a special dad with a special daughter.  David was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and isn’t expected to live very much longer.  One of his regrets was the knowledge that he wouldn’t be there to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding some day.  Last June, his daughter Whitney decorated the back yard of their home, donned a wedding dress and walked the aisle with her dad in front of their friends and family.  They shared wonderful words of love and commitment to one another.  A dad who adores his daughter, a daughter who will always adore her dad.

Whitney told ABC news, “I hope that that people look at this and are inspired.  If they’re as close with their daddies as I am, this is something they should do. I’m a true Christian believer and I have so much faith and I believe everything happens for a reason. For this to happen, yes it’s devastating news and I’ve questioned it and I’ve also gotten mad, but it’s truly opened my eyes to a lot of things.”  Whitney went on to say that she has no regrets with her dad.  She said, “I have said what I wanted to say.  I told him what he needed to know.”

Parents have such an important role in the lives of their children, and fathers have a unique role that no one else can fill.  I have spoken with women through the years that have struggled with their relationship with God.  We call God “Father” and for some, that is a difficult image.

Have you ever wondered why God established the concept of “family?”  It didn’t have to be that way.  We could all be one massive group of humanity, but God created and instituted the important role of the family in our earthly lives.  There are a lot of lessons to unpack in that thought, but for today, consider why God wanted to be called Father.  It is a special love, a special influence and a special role to play in someone’s life.

I hope the video and Whitney’s story help you to reassess the importance of the title “Father.”  If you are a dad you have an enormous job.  Teach your children that they are loved, cared for, protected, disciplined and guided.  If they learn those qualities from you, they will understand why God is called Father too.  Make it easy for your children to want to bow their heads and say, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”  

• You might want to have a “first date” to teach your daughter that she is highly loved.
• You might want to go fishing and talk about what it means to be a “fisher of men.”
• You might want to walk an aisle to make certain that your daughter knows you are always going to be part of her life – no matter what!
• You might want to treat your wife like you hope some man will one day treat your daughter.

And for all the women – you might want to think about ways that you can help your children love and appreciate everything their dad does for them.

The concept of family was instituted by God.  He wanted us to understand how much we are loved.

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