by Lesa

“A wise son heareth his father’s instruction:
but a scorner heareth not rebuke.”
{Proverbs 13:1} 

It was a beautiful spring day as we came out of church that Sunday morning. As all of us children ran to play tag or some other game before our parents started gathering us to go home, our attention was drawn to some little boys running between cars, grasping at something. My sister Hayley and I went to see what it was, and found two baby ducks lost in the church parking lot. They were so cute! We helped catch them and the others crowded around to pet them. Others searched the poor duckies’ mother, but they came back with the report she was nowhere to be found.

We showed mom and dad the baby ducks and told them we couldn’t find their mother anywhere. We hoped, of course, as little girls will do, to adopt them.

“Please can’t we take them home?” I asked. “The pavement is so hot and they have nowhere to go.”

“And I think there are some big dogs around here that could eat them!” Hayley said as she tried to convey their immanent.

“Girls, I’m sure the mother duck is close by, and when we leave, she’ll call them,” Dad told us.

But at the heart of our “concern” for these ducks’ wellbeing, was a desire to have pets to enjoy, and we were not easily persuaded. Despite his cautions to us that these were not hamsters and rabbits, but animals that belong in the wild and should stay there for their good, we persuaded our father to let us keep them—at least until they were old enough to go free in the creek.

“Honour thy father and thy mother:
that thy days may be long upon the land
which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”
{Exodus 20:12} 

Happiness knew no bounds as we drove home that day! We named our beautiful ducks Millie and Molly. Hayley and I planned for their new home in the bathtub upstairs. When we got home, all five of us kids worked together to give them water and something we thought baby ducks would eat, a cozy “nest” and towels to make them comfortable.

We so enjoyed those baby ducks! They were eating well and even would search out little things to eat in the grass. They would nestle in our hair and would go to sleep while we sat and read a book. We loved them, and they seemed very happy.

But when God set up fathers as the head of their homes, He also gives them a wisdom He doesn’t endow to the children. We had not come to understand this principle quite yet.

However, only a few days later, Millie started acting strange. She quit eating and was very lethargic. Then to our horror, she began throwing her little head back and was unable to control her movements. We cried as we watched our beloved baby duck pass away and held a somber funeral for her in the back yard.

We were still so grateful for the duck that was left; she was still very healthy. Perhaps Millie had gotten sick. Certainly it wasn’t anything we had done—we had given her the utmost care. Thoughts played in the back of my mind, wondering if we should have listened to Dad…

The next day we gave all of our attention to poor little Molly, who was now alone. We tried to make her feel less lonely by putting a doll in the bathtub with her so she could snuggle in the hair. But by the following day, as I sat with her on my lap while I read a book, I noticed the same symptoms I had seen before Millie passed away. I jumped up and ran to the kitchen. “Mom! She’s dying too!” I wailed.

After Molly was laid to rest beside her sister, Hayley and I tearfully came to the conclusion that our father had been right. The next time we went to church, we saw a mother duck swimming in the creek with several other ducklings. At that moment we realized that sometimes fathers will have a caution about something; as we strive to be submissive daughters, we need to heed these cautions and not demand an explanation before we make a choice. We hugged our daddy and promised him to always obey him from our hearts.

“We need to heed [our father’s] cautions
and not demand an explanation.”

Since that day there have been many times when the ideas of us girls have been different from Dad’s. Our minds go back to two baby ducks in the bathtub and the tragic lesson they taught us. We look at Daddy, and with a new respect we say, “We will obey you. We trust your heart.”

“The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice:
and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.”
{Proverbs 23:24} 

~Lesa McKay
{Guest Writer}

 

…But God’s Vessel of Honor
by Ashleigh

“I am only one
But I am one
And I cannot do everything
But I can do something
And what I can do I will do
And what I will do I must do
For I am one.”

 Two years ago, when I read this quote, I realized something very significant…something amazing. I am one!

I am the third daughter of ten children. I have realized that because I have eight younger brothers and sisters watching me, my life is influencing them greatly! I often have to stop and ask myself, am I blessing or cursing? Am I building or breaking? Am I leaving a life-changing imprint on these younger lives for the use of God?

We regularly have well-meaning people tell us girls that we should be out there, finding ministries and getting busy. While visiting the doctor a couple of months ago, he heard that I was the daughter of ten children and homeschooled. He asked me, “Do you find that you get your own independence with all that?” He almost sounded concerned. I didn’t quite know what he meant, but it suddenly dawned on me, our family is different! How often do you see a family all travelling in one vehicle at one time? Or going for walks on the beach, going to parks, singing together in the home, going to birthday parties all together? It surely is a beauty that is disappearing. God has done much in our lives for this to take place, and is still doing so much more. I already have a ministry—my family. They are one of my biggest ministries at the moment: living with my family and helping out where needed.

If we all realized that we each are a significant one; that we can make such a difference just through washing dishes or hanging out laundry, or giving time to siblings. God places each new day into our lives almost as a test, a fresh test for His children to praise and honor Him. If we would “let go, and let God,” how much more each one of us would be transformed!

I see my time of serving my family as training ground for the future. I told one mother that my big dream is Africa, going to remote villages and orphanages. She asked me how I was preparing for that today by serving my family. I realized that it’s not me who is preparing; it’s God who is preparing me: He has placed me in a home were I cook for “big numbers,” clean, look after little ones, and more. He’s preparing me for something, maybe not Africa or overseas, but something.

In all that God brings into our life, do we girls realize that He’s wanting to shape us into His tools? He’s making us into rubies, worth much in the eyes of Jesus. Isn’t it wonderful? When I tire, I have to remember that He is making me into something—a vessel for His use and glory!

“Will He plead against me with His great power?
No: but He would put strength in me.
But He knoweth the way that I take:
when He hath tried me,
I shall come forth as gold.”
(Job 23:6,10)

The Lord has given us daughters different opportunities and circumstances to serve. However, are we seeing that even the simplest things have the capacity to be great ministries for Him? He’s given us “ministries” that are not always seen as ministries, but God’s working on us through the unique opportunities of serving our parents, brothers and sisters.

It’s a hidden service that, most of the time, is only seen by God. We do not need to worry about what others don’t agree with in our lives, as long as we know that we are right where God wants us!

“The Lord is my helper,
and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
{Hebrews 13:6} 

~Ashleigh
{Guest Writer from New Zealand}

by Victoria

Our culture today promotes young women to pursue higher education, careers, and life outside the shelter of their father’s home. It tells us to think about the paths we should take for careers when we enter high school, and the day we hit our senior year, the all-powerful question comes—“Where are you going for college?” It’s assumed that you will acquire some form of higher education, because the world tells us that is where we find our value.

Yet, a generation of young women is rising up that is going against the flow of the world’s expectations, and is seeking God’s requirements instead. We are taking a stand against what is considered “normal,” and living radically different from the world. We are set-apart(Leviticus 11:45; 1 Peter 1:14-15), yet it’s still hard to retrain our minds from the college/career paradigm that has been driven into us. We can easily slip and find ourselves looking at the fast-paced track of “success” that other young women are on, forgetting that our worth is found in being virtuous and productive at home.

Some of the world’s lie remains in our heads because we deceive ourselves into believing that being a daughter-at-home is boring and a waste of time and talent. On the contrary, it is exactly the opposite! There are more opportunities to grow and further your talents at home while blessing others around you, than in pursuing your own selfish desires. Instead of seeking higher education for a career that we will one day put on the shelf and no longer use after marriage, we must seek a multi-generational cause. The home is an exciting, exhilarating place when you are able to:

· Spend unlimited time with the Lord. Although you have responsibilities at home, you also have the freedom to ponder Scripture throughout the day, read your Bible whenever you desire, and be in constant praise to your Maker! By being at home, you can invest spiritually in the lives of your siblings, mentoring them and sharing what the Lord has been teaching you. You can also disciple other young women in the ways of the Lord.

·Learn homemaking skills. You can pursue and master important skills that will bless not only your family now, but also your future husband, children, and their children after them. Beyond the basics of culinary arts, housekeeping, and childcare, you can become proficient in sewing, soap making, lesson planning, budgeting, and other pursuits that will be beneficial for years (and generations) to come.

·Become like Christ. Above all, the beauty of staying at home and blessing your family is that you will become more like Christ—Who came to serve, and ultimately lay down His life. (Matthew 20:28) There is no greater purpose than that, to pour out your life for the Master’s use. Learn to become His hands and feet, always ready to do His will and touch the lives of others.

So, let us prepare our minds for action (1 Peter 1:13), grounded in the truths that we believe (Ephesians 6:13), and be ready to give an answer of the hope that we have (Col. 4:6).

“Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:
and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you
a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”
{I Peter 3:15}

What an opportunity we have to do this while being virtuous and productive daughters at home—finding our worth in God’s plan!

~Victoria
{Guest Writer}

 

by Sarah & Rachael Bryant

What a great blessing God has given daughters who abide in their father’s house! The Lord has ordained father as our spiritual head, protector, and guide – and in this is found the greatest joy and preparation. It should be our desire to honor and respect our father as our God-given authority and to learn submission toward him.

One of the best ways we can bless our father is simply by maintaining a spirit of honor toward him. The attitude we show is incredibly important and conveys our heart’s respect for his responsibilities and position as a provider of a family. Do we show our father love, care, concern, and respect? “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass…And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor…and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing” (I Corinthians 13:1). King David noted in Psalm 40:6, “Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire.” May we seek to serve and honor our dad with a true heart of love. We can ask ourselves, “Does Dad know I stand behind his hard work? Does he know I appreciate his diligence to diligently provide for his family?”

Another area in which we can honor our dad is by displaying grace to cover his faults. No parent – or daughter! – is perfect, therefore, as the Lord has shown grace toward us, may our lives reflect that toward the mistakes and weaknesses of our fathers. Take your eyes away from failures and instead choose to pray for him and thank him consistently for his obedience to the Lord. Ephesians 4:32 commands, “Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Because Christ has shown us such immeasurable mercy and forgiveness for our own vast transgressions, we are told to forgive others. Evaluate your heart and be sure that no bitterness or lack of forgiveness remains in your heart toward your father. This attitude of transparent love and honor for your father will greatly bless your entire family and be an example of the believers to the watching world.

Although on Father’s Day, we especially remember the priceless blessing God has given to us – our father – may we not forget to honor him every single day of the year. Learning this role of honor and submission as a daughter will be greatly beneficial and sanctifying, in preparation for a future marriage, if the Lord so wills.

Ten Ways to
Honor Your Father…

1. Cheerfully say “good morning”
2. In the morning before he goes to work, put a note in his lunch with a Scripture
3. Make his favorite meal or dessert (I am sharing my dad’s favorite pie recipe below)
4. Polish his boots (with permission)
5. Wash his car
6. Help keep the home tidy and clean
7. Decorate and set the table fancy
8. Keep in mind his preferences and honor them
9. Be obedient
10. Tell him “I love you”

Lemon Meringue Pie
From Rachael Bryant

• ½ cup lemon juice – fresh is best
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind or ¼ teaspoon lemon extract
• 1 (15-ounce) can Eagle Brand condensed milk
• 2 eggs, yolks separated
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tarter
• 4 tablespoons sugar

Combine lemon juice and rind or extract. Gradually mix in milk. Add egg yolks and mix well. Pour into baked pie shell. In chilled bowl, beat egg whites. Adding cream of tarter, beat until stiff and then gradually add sugar. Spoon stiff egg whites onto lemon mixture, spreading carefully to edges of pie pan. Form peak on top by gently tapping spoon into whites and pulling up. Bake at 325 degrees only until peaks are brown. Watch carefully or it will burn. To make a really pretty pie, use 4-6 egg whites to make the meringue.

“He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
and the heart of the children to their fathers.”
{Malachi 4:6}

May the Lord bless each of you as you choose to honor your fathers – as unto the Lord!

~Sarah & Rachael Bryant