Something to sing about

A couple days ago I ran across a radio broadcast entitled "How to Mess Up Your Daughter's Courtship" in which Kevin Swanson interviews Doug Wilson. Now I've heard pretty much everything the Christian community has to say about courtship and then some (or so it would seem). But it was refreshing to hear these two pastors clarify several common misperceptions regarding courtship and the nature of the father/daughter relationship.

There are people that automatically assume that a dad who seeks to shepherd his daughters is a patrio-centric, self-righteous, sheltering, overbearing, foolish male chauvinist.

There are other people that automatically assume that because they have chosen to reject some of the follies of the typical dating setting they are therefore wise, and they expect their children to respect and trust them.

But ultimately, the whole point of courtship is about pursuing biblical, Trinitarian relationships within the body of Christ: relationships based on love, humility, and the unique nature of our roles in relation to one another (father to daughter, husband to wife, father to son, mother to daughter, etc.). And without love, everything collapses. (I Corinthians 13:1,13)

Listening to Swanson and Wilson talking about a daddy's relationship with his little girl, I couldn't stop smiling and thinking of the daddy I love so much--the one who has invested in my "emotional back account" and made me rich. Look for a couple of Father's Day posts over the weekend, because I have something to sing about.