God will never tell you “You aren’t good enough.” In the moments when we doubt we can take another step, he propels us forward. When we are weak and unsteady, he cheers us on. Not because of who we are, but because of Who he is and his enduring love. God loves you exactly as you are now.

Romans 15:7 tells us, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” With him, we are accepted; we can’t be shamed and we won’t be defeated. We never have to prove our worth because we already live in the amazing liberty of his authentic love.

As women, we often see ourselves as less than we are. Instead of God’s incredible masterpiece, our critical eyes take over. We berate ourselves and wish we could be like someone else. We see our personal issues and think of ourselves as failures, mistakes or worse.

Yet each one of us plays an exquisite part in the symphony of life making our disapproving opinion of ourselves mute. As Christian women, we possess a divine purpose: to show others who God is through the way we are. The way we live out his love in our hearts will be strikingly different. God made it that way since time began.

We don’t need to look a certain way because we reflect the image of God.  We never need to have it all together. He has already accepted us. This doesn’t mean we will never fail. It means with his grace and strength, we will get up and try again.

God understands we are both beautiful and broken. He affirms and loves us just where we are. All of us are beloved daughters of God, who treasures us beyond belief. He completely understands us and fiercely loves us.

Let’s dare to do the same for ourselves and each other.

Question: How does this truth change the way you think about yourself?

The battle to live a rewarding, self-confident life is won by believing the right voice.

The world will say you have no value. You are small…that you are the product of other people’s opinions.

But you’re not! You are welcomed! The Most High God, in his love, reached out to welcome you into his kingdom…to make you his child, even before you knew he existed. His son, Jesus Christ, stretched across the chasm of sin to bring us to him.

Which means you are not your mistakes,

You are more than your slip ups,

You are not what others say you are when they whisper about you in cold, callous tones.

God says you are worthy; you are significant.

Romans 5:8 tells us, God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. All you need do is pray to God telling him you want him in your life. His love provides victory.

Even when criticisms disparage, you always remain his daughter,

Loved,

Welcomed,

Radiant,

Cherished and Whole.

You are all that and more.

The Creator of Love sees only the best you, your most beautiful self.

With his strength, you reflect back the glory of God.

And when the world comes crashing down on you, remember God loves you and he will hold on to you no matter what.

Listen to him! Listen to his comforting voice welcoming you into his presence.

Question: How does this truth change the way you think about yourself?

Every night, he’d quietly creep into my bedroom. As a restless child when I was awake, I was also one when I slept. So before he went to sleep, my father noiselessly checked in on me, once more pulling the covers I kicked off over me and kissing me tenderly on my cheek.  It wasn’t a big thing and quite honestly, I probably wouldn’t have even known this was his habit except my mother told me. This small gesture, though, was just like my dad. He listened when I was angry, kissed my boo-boos when I hurt myself, taught me his love of reading, shared his excitement of travel, complimented me when I needed encouragement – in general, he had mastered the art of making everything better.

Today, Father’s Day 2016, would have been my Dad’s 93th birthday. Unfortunately, he passed away suddenly 44 years ago, when I was just a teenager. Sometimes my grief is so fresh, it feels like he died yesterday and not over 40 years ago. I miss his ability to see the best in me in any situation. I miss the hope he shared about my future. Mostly I miss his talent for always having the right words to heal my broken heart. I remember his encouraging words when self-doubt creeps in the midst of my tragedies, questionning and personal failures. His character, love and compassion are imprinted into my DNA.

Perhaps, like me, you have no one to call on Father’s Day. Going through life without a father is a bit like sailing at night without a lighthouse.  Adrift on the black waters, navigating the unknown dangers of the dark with no one to call, no one to ask for advice, no one to lean into for guidance and fatherly advice.

Yet God…He never wanted us to drift through life like a boat without a rudder. The Psalmist wrote that God is a Father to the Fatherless.  In Psalm 68:5, the writer declares God to be, “A Father to the Fatherless, a defender to widows, is God in His holy dwelling.”

I used to wonder what these words meant, A Father to the Fatherless. There were many times when I didn’t want an unseen, vague figure as a father, but a living, breathing man who could wrap his arms around me, stroke my hair and gently whisper in my ear that everything would be okay. I thought that human touch would conquer everything.

But now, when I look back on my life, I see the places along my journey when God was there. Where He intervened to save me from danger and where He had my back. Protecting, guiding, loving just as my daddy would have done. God was always there, before and even after my dad passed away.

When I wanted to call my father to ask his advice, I learned the most natural next best thing to do was pray. I started seeking my heavenly Father whenever I wanted a piece of paternal advice. This turned out to be the very best thing of all.

When I sought God, I found Him. When I asked Him the tender questions a daughter asks her daddy, God answered. His voice was clear. His peace was real.

A Father to the Fatherless, indeed – one who was always guarding, guiding, giving. I know this now to be true.

The shifting shadows of life disappear in the radiant light of His love. Like a lighthouse on a hill, God beckons the fatherless homeward and into the safe harbor of His care. He is the heavenly Father who loves unconditionally, provides unreservedly and protects unceasingly.

If you are like me, fatherless on Father’s Day with no one to call, celebrate that God is calling you.