Reading Old Things in a New Light

Through a recent blog find, I came across this blog post from Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin at VisionaryDaughters.com. I've enjoyed reading their posts in this past year and am encouraged by their faithful example.
The post was entitiled: How to be a Better Daughter to Your Father and I must confess that when I first read it a year ago, I didn't really take much of it to heart. I thought it was geared more towards a different audience, one that didn't include me (I was very wrong).
I would encourage you to begin reading their blog if you haven't already, and if you are a young (or older) woman seeking to honor your Dad in each way that you can, I would highly encourage you to read that post.

Here are a few of the sections that I found to be the most helpful and challengeing (all emphasis mine):

"Your father isn’t the only one who’s not perfect… Let your father know that you desire his help and prayers for your character, and be humble enough to tell him what faults in particular you need help with. …and ask him what he thinks you need help with."

"Build the kind of relationship with your father that involves a lot of comfortable communication between the two of you.

Develop habits of talking together about everything.

So many problems daughters have with their fathers could have been solved by talking freely, deeply and frequently all along — by talking about issues before they become “issues.”
Go ahead and initiate the communication yourself. Our father says it is often difficult for men to know how to reach their daughters, and it’s helpful when their girls come to them with a seeking heart. As Deuteronomy 32:7 says, 'Ask thy father, and he will show thee.'

It’s a father’s duty to tell, but it’s our duty to ask."

"We should begin by wanting to really understand who our fathers are and why they do the things they do and think the things they think.

Develop an interest in the things that are important to them, and the battles they are fighting."

Consistently communicating with my Dad is something that I have been burdened with this past year, so it was so nice to be reminded of it again. I really appreciate the clear and straightforward way that the Botkins have in their writing and I found this article to be especially helpful.

This is such an important lesson, not only for now with my Dad but also someday with my husband. I am truly blessed to have the Dad that fears the Lord, who humbly studies the Word, and who takes his role as our father seriously. Also, we have a wonderful relationship, that is open and by God's grace is ever growing. I have much to be grateful for, I know of many girls who either don't have God-fearing Dads or they have a strained relationship.

So, even though I have things that I am working on (as does everyone), there is so much to be thankful for!