“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” – 1 John 3:1
Even though I attended Campus Life since sixth grade, I never attended the Father Daughter Ball before this year. Growing up I always had basketball and many family birthdays or celebrations that often overlapped those weekends. Plus, my dad and I like to spend time doing active things like hiking or playing sports together. So, as the rest of our staff and I were preparing for the Father Daughter Ball this year, I had no idea what to expect. I always thought, what a cool idea that bonds families, but did not know how impacted I would be just by watching the fathers and daughters interact every night.
Every single night when the fathers and daughters walked in, my heart melted. Girls from 2 to 62 were so excited to be out with their dad, and some of the dads were just as excited. Over the course of the nights, seeing fathers dance with their daughters was precious. Whether it was belting out all the lyrics to the song “Let it Go” from Frozen, or dancing to the song “Cinderella,” the bond between a father and daughter is moving. I was able to witness how the fathers and grandfathers are gentle, loving, and funny (providing great entertainment at times too).
It was such a beautiful reflection of how God loves us as our father. He enjoys our fun moments singing along to our favorite worship song, the conversations focused on him in community over a meal, and the moments where he holds us in his arms. God loves to spend time with us, more than just one Father Daughter Ball a year. I remember Jim challenging the fathers to plan at least one event every month to do with their daughter, and to spend time getting to know them. In that time spent together, the love between father and daughter grows.
In the same way, the more time we spend with God, in his word, in worship, in prayer, in a community of believers, etc. we come to love God more as we get to know him. We do not have to do anything to earn the love of our heavenly father, and he enjoys spending time with us. Being at the Father Daughter Ball inspired me to spend more time getting to know and love our heavenly father because he loves us even more than our earthly fathers do.