Still a Daddy's Girl

In this Relationship with God UPGRADE, Dawn reminds us how much the Father loves us!

I like to think I was my dad's favorite. Sorry, Pam, you may be my sister, but Daddy loved me best. (And in saying that, I recall the humor of the Smother's Brothers: "Mom always liked you best.")

Of course, that's not true. Dad didn't love me more than my sister. It just felt like Daddy loved me to the max. (I'm sure you feel the same way, sis.)

I was a "Daddy's Girl" growing up. Not that I didn't love Mom, but there was a special link to my dad.

• I was the apple of His eye, and he loved me even when I messed up ... a lot!
• I trusted Daddy completely and he was my protector.
• Dad was more action than talk, but when he did share in quiet moments, he gave me wisdom for life; he prepared me to face many difficulties.
• We thought alike and had similar goals; he gave me a sense of purpose.
• And Daddy corrected me in love.
• As a result, I always wanted to please Him.

In later years, after I moved to the opposite coast, distance kept us apart, but Daddy was always in my heart. Even after my dad passed away to be with the Lord, I find I am still connected to him through memories and love.

When I celebrated what would have been Daddy's birthday recently, I took time to contemplate something else: I'm also a spiritual daughter. God is my Heavenly Father.

"... I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:18).

God's spirit wooed me to His love and when I trusted in Jesus to redeem me from my sin and give me new life, I became part of His heavenly family (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 1:5).

"The Spirit himself testified with our spirit that we are God's children" (Romans 8:16).

Maybe you don't have a good example of fatherhood in your history (see note*). I understand that. Some dads, especially those who don't know the Lord, can be hurtful and ungodly; and I grieve whenever I see an unworthy example of fatherhood in the church.

My earthly daddy was a failing sinner who made some bad choices. He was as dependent on God's grace as I am.

Yet in many ways, my earthly daddy did remind me of my "Abba" (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6)—my Heavenly Father. Sometimes my dad intended to give me this model; other times I simply learned about God by watching Daddy's life.

Daddy gave me a sometimes dim, sometimes clear picture of my Father God.

In time, I came to understand at least six things about my Heavenly Father:

1. God LOVED me even when I was unloveable—long before I ever loved Him. "We love Him because He first loved us." (John 3:16; 1 John 4:10, 19) God chose me to be holy and blameless before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4).

He continues to love me today with contant, unfailing love; and someday, out of His love, He will make me like His Son (1 John 3:1-2). His unfailing love is priceless to me (Psalm 36:7a)

2. Father God is my Savior and PROTECTOR, much as He protected His chosen people, Israel. He is a refuge for His people (Psalm 17:7-9a; 91:1, 4).

I can trust Him, for He is a faithful refuge (Psalm 46:1).

3. My Father TEACHES me wisdom for life (Proverbs 7:2; Psalm 25:4-5)

He helps me think His thoughts and see from His perspective as I stay teachable and connected to Him through scripture and prayer.

4. God helps me understand and desire His PURPOSES (Psalm 33:11; 135:6; Isaiah 25:1; 55:11; Ephesians 1:9; Romans 12:1-2).

5. He DISCIPLINES me to change my character (Proverbs 3:12; Hebrews 12:6).

6. I want to PLEASE my good, wise and loving Father, following the example of Christ (John 4:34; 8:29; Romans 8:8; Psalm 147:11; Hebrews 11:6; Luke 6:46).

So as far as I can tell, I will always be a "Daddy's Girl."

By the way, don't let "distance" keep you apart from the Father. He is always present, but you may feel a tug in your heart that says something is wrong—that sin, apathy, idols, busyness, pride or something else is keeping you apart.

If you are a Prodigal child (Luke 15:11-32), come back to the Father.

He's waiting for you.

Are you part of God's heavenly family? Do you understand what that means? (If not, please read here.)

* A note to those who did (or do) not have a positive model of fatherhood in this world.

If you are wise, you will not allow this to fester in your heart with bitterness. Instead, you will carefully and prayerfully look to other strong and godly men in the Body of Christ for a worthy example of fatherhood. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide and guard your heart as you seek out worthy examples to observe and learn from. If he's still alive, pray and consider how to show love to your dad in ways that will draw him into a relationship (or closer walk) with the Lord.

And, remember: in the Bible, you can always study the character of the greatest Father in all creation, the Creator Himself!

Dawn Wilson, founder and President of Heart Choices Today, is the creator of three blogs:Heart ChoicesToday, LOL with God (with Pam Farrel), and Upgrade with Dawn. She is on the board of NEWIM, the Network of Evangelical Women in Ministry and is a contracted researcher for Revive Our Hearts. She and her husband Bob have two grown, married sons, three granddaughters and a rascally maltipoo, Roscoe.

Getting Through Your Grief

I met Yvonne Ortega at AWSA, a writer's and speaker's conference in 2015. I was so surprised by her persistent joy. So many struggles conspired to keep this woman of God down, but she emerged victorious. In this helpful Grief and Ministry UPGRADE, she shares her story and what she learned about grief.

"I’ll never forget that Thursday night after work in May," Yvonne said. "I read an email that said, 'I’m sorry to hear the news about your son Brian. Call me"

I called my friend in California and said, 'What news about Brian?'

"She thought I knew my only child had died unexpectedly after eye surgery. Living on the opposite coast, I didn’t. Tears gushed down my checks. I could hardly talk."

I (Dawn) cannot imagine this mother heart's pain! I wonder, if I knew Yvonne during those dark days, would I have known what to say? Yvonne has some wise counsel about that.

She continues . . .

That was six years ago within weeks after the loss of two aunts and my mother. I walked around in shellshock.

Reality set in one year later on Mother’s Day.

Without my mother and son, there would be no cards, calls, gifts or visits. Only AGONY!

Here are three tips that helped me get through the grief.

First, I realized I couldn’t do it alone.

I went to The Compassionate Friends, a support group for those who’ve lost a child. That group met monthly. I also went to GriefShare, a weekly support group for those who’ve lost a loved one. I received a GriefShare workbook and a devotional.

Second, I needed to be honest about my feelings.

I didn’t need to be strong. I wouldn’t ruin my testimony if I cried.

God made me with tear glands. Jesus wept when Lazarus died, and He knew He would raise him from the dead.

I clung to 2 Corinthians 1:3-4:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

As I poured my heartaches and struggles into my journal, I sensed God’s presence.

Third, I accepted the fact that some people would do better not saying anything.

Friends like Job’s said,

• “We all suffer little losses.” (How could the loss of my only child be little?)
• “At least you know he’s in heaven.” (I was doubled over in pain because he’d never walk through my front door again, never call me or send me a card again. I couldn’t call or visit him or send him a card or a gift either.)
• “I heard your son committed suicide.” (She heard a lie.)
• “Call me if you need me.” (I never called anyone who said that.)

Others knew what to say:

• “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
• “I will miss Brian.”
• “I’ll be over tomorrow at 1:00 pm to clean your house.”
• “I want to fix dinner for you tonight. Do you have food allergies or foods you dislike?”
• “I’m on the way to the post office. I can buy stamps for you.”
• “What can I pick up for you when I go to the grocery store?”
• “I’m going to the bookstore. If you need thank you notes, I’ll get them.”

I received God’s comfort and now share that comfort with others. I found peace and joy again, but not overnight.

If you’ve lost a loved one, what will you do this week to help you get through your grief?

If you know someone who is grieving, what can you say that’s helpful?

Yvonne Ortega is a licensed professonal counselor, a bilingual professional speaker and a speaking coach. She's the author of Moving from Broken to Beautiful: 9 Life Lessons to Help You Move Forward (2015) and Finding Hope for Your Journey through Breast Cancer (2010). She has not only survived but also thrived after a domestic violence marriage, breast caner and the loss of her only child. With honesty and humor, Yvonne uses personal examples and the truths of the Bible to help women move from broken to beautiful.

Graphic adapted, Image courtesy of Witthaya Phonsawat at FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Mount Up with Wings as ... Horseflies?

Rhonda Rhea. Just thinking of her makes me smile. This God-centered humorist never fails to make me laugh ... and think. In this SPIRITUAL LIFE and ATTITUDE UPGRADE, she calls us to trust God in our struggles and learn to soar with Him.

"Unbelievable. First of all, it was the biggest horsefly-looking thing I’d ever seen," Rhonda says. "Was it a bird? A pterodactyl maybe?"

Didn't I (Dawn) tell you? She always has a funny perspective on life.

Rhonda continues . . .

More horse than fly, really. I think I could’ve saddled it. We’re talking about a horrifyingly large horsefly here. I read somewhere that the lifespan of the average horsefly is only a few days. If that’s true then this one had been alive for about four years.

But in addition to being huge, it was scary-strong.

The thing stayed on the windshield of my moving vehicle for 10 miles—during most of which I was clipping along at a speed of at least 55 miles per hour. What even WAS that thing?

He just kept staring through the windshield. Like he was creepily saying, “I’m keeping a compound eye on you.”

Also interesting was the fact that although it looked like he was having a hard time keeping his wings attached to his body, he could’ve just let go and flown away any time. But he just kept hanging on. I kind of wonder if he thought he was actually pulling the car.

How often do we struggle? Flapping our flimsy wings, thinking we’re hauling some heavy-duty situation along ourselves, acting for all the world like everything depends on us?

Hey, fellow-horseflies! We’re not pulling the car! It’s too heavy. It’s too big. It’s too…it’s just too “TOO.”

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding.  

He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless. Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31, HCSB).

The Lord knows our struggles. And He knows exactly what we need to be able to persevere, to overcome, to experience victory—to fly. He will strengthen us at our every weak place.

Horsefly wings? No thanks. How about that set of eagle wings instead. The key? It’s trust. “Those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength.”

The word for “trust” in Isaiah 40:31 is a word that includes the idea of looking eagerly for, lying in wait—expecting.

Oh blessed thought, expectantly knowing that the Lord will be our strength? That activates our strength! And it’s that trust that can launch us into victorious flight. Fifty-five mph? That’s nothing! No flapping and sputtering either. Peacefully soaring.

There’s nothing that’s “too anything” for our never-tiring, ever-trustworthy God.

Poor horsefly, he never soared. Before he finally let go and took off in a new direction, he looked a little like he’d taken a ride in a blender. We have choices too. Struggle to lift the car on our own and take a ride on blender blades, or let go in peaceful trust and let the Lord be our strength. And then…soar.

O Lord, let us trust in You in every struggle and soar in Your strength and peace!

As far as the bug on my windshield, I hope he doesn’t blame me for his lack of soaring. What if he decided to take revenge? It’d be like, an eye for an eye for an eye for an eye….

Are there struggles/obstacles weighing you down, keeping you from soaring? Ready to trust of the great God of the universe and let that trust outweigh all those temporary things?

Rhonda Rhea is a humor columnist and the author of 10 nonfiction books, including Espresso Your Faith and Join the Insanity—Crazy-Fun Life in the Pastors’ Wives Club. She also coauthors fiction with her daughter, Kaley Faith Rhea. Their first novel, Turtles in the Road, releases this fall with two more completed and coming soon. Rhonda speaks at conferences and events all over the country and she and her daughters host the TV show, That’s My Mom, for Christian Television Network’s KNLJ airing in mid-Missouri.

Photo in graphic from Morguefile.

The Secret to COMPASS-ionate Ministry

Sue Badeau and her husband are two of the most compassionate people I know. In her Ministry UPGRADE, we can learn how to pursue more compassion as we serve the Lord.

"As travelers today, we use GPS so we’ll know where we’re going," Sue says, "Yet, I remember traveling with my husband and children using a map, highlighter and compass."

Ever get lost? The first time I (Dawn) got lost, I sure wished I had one! A "compass" can keep us on track in a lot of ways, and Sue describes an important compass for ministry.

She continues . . . 

There are many great needs in the world – people who are hungry, without clean water, abused, homeless, wounded – the list goes on and on. It's easy to become overwhelmed.

Jesus calls me to compassion, but where do I begin?In the face of such overwhelming need, can I make a difference?

Sometimes I wish I had a compass pointing me to the "true north" of showing Christ-like compassion in a hurting, chaotic and self-absorbed world.

     Compass.      Compassion.

These words don’t have the same roots in their original languages, but in English, the similarity gives me pause. Is there a compass to compassion?

Can I find and follow true north, tuning out noisy static and tempting distractions?

A compass is an "instrument for finding direction." God’s Word provides a compass, clearly laying directions to a compassionate life and ministry.

 “When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick" (Matthew 14:14 NASB).

A Compass for Compassion

E (East): EMPATHY

Compassion begins with a deep feeling. Jesus felt compassion. He was moved.

No one person, family or church can meet all the needs they encounter. The first secret to a compassionate ministry is to tune-in to those needs that you feel deeply.

My husband once read a letter about refugees. He felt their plight so deeply he was moved to open our home to them. Later, he told me, "I didn’t even have to pray about that one; the letter itself was an answer to a prayer already inside me."

Of all the needs you see, which ones move you most deeply?

 S (South): SEEING

 Compassion requires seeing the humanity of all people, especially the suffering. Jesus saw first and then was moved. Compassion is never earned and rarely deserved.

The second secret to a compassionate ministry is to see people as precious children of God.

Twenty-five years ago, the woman who started the homeless shelter where my husband works encountered a beggar. She asked his name. He began to cry, saying that no one had asked his name in years. She was the first to see him.

That simple yet profound exchange began a ministry that has served thousands. It began when she was able to see as God sees.

W (West): "WHAT shall I do?"

 Compassion always moves us to action. Jesus saw people, felt compassion for them and acted.

The third secret to a compassionate ministry is to act.

Don’t get bogged down in planning, prayer and preparation. Act. DO something.

N (North): "NOT about me."

 Exercising compassion can be exhausting, overwhelming and seemingly thankless. Always remember: its not about me.

We are able to feel and act with compassion because Jesus showed us great compassion when we did not deserve it.

True north on the compassion compass will always and continually point to Jesus.

Do you want to have a compassionate ministry?

• Notice what moves you deeply.
• See the humanity and dignity of all people.
• Act on your feelings, and
• Always stay true to Jesus.

What is one example of a need that moves you deeply today? Are you ready to act upon your feelings with compassion?

Sue Badeau is a nationally-known speaker, author and child welfare and trauma expert. Sue and her husband Hector are lifetime parents of twenty-two children—two by birth and twenty adopted. They wrote the book Are We There Yet: The Ultimate Road Trip Adopting and Raising 22 Kids. Learn more about Sue at suebadeau.com and badeaufamily.com.

Graphic of compass adapted, from Pixabay.

Ways to Remember God's Goodness

In this Spiritual Life UPGRADE, Janet Thompson says our forgetfulness of God needs to stop with this generation!

“If we don’t remember what God has already done, we won’t believe what he is capable of doing in the future.” Janet says. “Memory builds faith.”

I (Dawn) am excited with Janet’s new book on this topic—Forsaken God?—not only because I shared a story in the book*, but also because each story encourages us to remember our good and faithful Father God.  

Janet continues . . .  

Today’s culture is quickly forgetting the goodness and power of our Great God.

The Bible describes the potential destruction through all generations to people who forget God. The dangers are paramount. We read the Old Testament and lament at how forgetful the Israelites were of God’s goodness.

Every time He did something good for them, they started grumbling that they needed something else. They repeatedly rejected God, even though He:

• freed them from bondage and slavery by miraculously parting the Red Sea for them to pass through on dry ground,
• provided manna from heaven,
• guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night,
• never let their shoes wear out even after walking for 40 years,
• and he offered them a land flowing with milk and honey.

God was only as good as the next miracle or provision. A forsaken God.

“But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren” (Deuteronomy 4:9 NLT).

We wonder at how the Israelites could be so blind and ungrateful. Why couldn’t they trust that a God who provided and protected them in the past, would do the same in the present and future?

But their memories were short. As often as Moses and God tried to help them remember, still they forgot. And at great sacrifice. The original generation freed from Egypt never got to see the Promised Land because they doubted God’s goodness. Even Moses wasn’t able to enjoy its beauty because at a crucial moment, he took matters into his own hands and forgot that God was in control.

We shake our heads at how dense and blind they were. But wait . . . can’t we be guilty of the same forgetfulness?

God has done amazing things in our lives too, but when the next crisis arises, we panic that He might not show up for us this time. Or when prayers are answered, we take credit ourselves or offer praise to someone else instead of giving God the glory and recognition He deserves.

But forgetfulness needs to stop with our generation. We live in a world that is quickly trying to eliminate God from the public square and even in the private domain.

Christians need to help a lost world remember God, and that starts with remembering Him ourselves.

In Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten, there are suggestions for ways to remember all that God has done in your life and then experience the power of sharing those memories in your sphere of influence and with the next generation.

One effective way is to share our testimony. As a Christian speaker, I give parts of my testimony every time I speak. “Feed my sheep” is my testimony of God clearly speaking those words to me. When I said an obedient “OK,” he revealed the "sheep" were women and "feeding" was mentoring.

That was 20 years ago, and today God has taken Woman to Woman Mentoring around the world as women enjoy the blessings of being in Titus 2 mentoring relationships. I still stand in awe as I write that story and every time I tell it from the stage. I will never forget how God used me to start a worldwide ministry and I give him the glory for the blessing it has been to so many.

But you don’t have to be a speaker to share your story.

Someone today needs to hear how Jesus changed your life. Our hurting world needs to hear from the Christian world the source of our joy and peace. Mentoring is a great way to share our testimony to encourage other women to know the Jesus of the Bible that we know.

In Forsaken God? there are over 50 ways to help us remember God.

Here are just a few:

• Taking pictures
• Journaling
• Reading our Bibles
• Receiving Communion
• Making a thankful list
• Joining a small group

What are some ways that help you remember God’s goodness?

Note: This article includes excerpts of Forsaken God: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten, shared with permission. Dawn’s story appears on pages 121-122.

Janet Thompson is an international speaker, freelance editor, and an award-winning author of 18 books including Dear God, They Say It’s Cancer and Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter. She is also the founder of Woman to Woman Mentoring and About His Work Ministries. Each chapter in her new book, Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten, includes questions and conversation starters for discussion in small groups, Bible study groups, book clubs, mentors and mentees or with family and friends. It is available at Christian bookstores, Amazon, Christianbook.com, and signed at author’s website.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of pixabay.com.