CHAPTER 1
Recognizing Your
Father’s Face

“I got it!” Briana Robinson leaped from her bed and sprinted to the telephone. Not much longer and she’d have her own cell phone. It was the call she’d anticipated all morning long. In sixteen more hours, she would begin her first day as a seventh-grader at Live Oak Junior High School. It was the biggest day of her life so far. After years of watching her older sister, Ashley, do cool stuff like hosting sleepovers, Briana figured the time had finally come for her to have some fun too.

The consummate fashionista, Briana’s idea of fun meant facing life’s monumental moments in style. She considered the matter of what to wear on the first day of school a major decision. The incoming call from her best friend, Jessica Moore, would help her make a good one. Briana grabbed the telephone, catching her breath before speaking.

“Hey Jess! What are you wearing tomorrow?”

“I don’t know yet. How ‘bout you?”

“I’m not sure either.”

“Nothing we can’t solve with a trip to the mall, right? Do you think your mom would take us?”

“Maybe. She doesn’t get home ‘til four thirty, though.”

“Call her and ask her.”

“No, I’m only supposed to call for something serious. She’ll call to check on me. Then I’ll ask.”

“Cool. What are you gonna get?”

“Ashley has a cute pair of jeans that I like. And I know the perfect hoodie to go with ‘em.”

“Why don’t you just borrow Ashley’s jeans then?”

“Please. They are so big on me I can’t even walk. I’d rather have some skinny jeans anyway. Besides, Mom doesn’t let us share clothes.”

Briana and Jessica desired to look good. They were glad their school permitted them to wear their own clothing instead of uniforms. In the sixth grade, Briana earned the best-dressed award and her picture in the yearbook. She was determined to keep that status in junior high too. The telephone beeping with another call interrupted her goal-setting daydream.

“Jess, let me get that. It’s probably my mom.”

“Okay. Call me back when you get done.”

“I will.” Briana switched calls. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hello, Bree. Is that the proper way to answer the telephone?”

“No. But I knew it was you. We do have caller ID, remember?”

“Don’t get sassy, Briana Robinson. You still need to answer the phone correctly. You doin’ alright?”

“Kinda. Well actually, no. Not really … Mom?”

“Mmm hmm.”

Briana zipped her question out as fast as she could. “Do you think you can take me and Jess to the mall when you get home? I really want to get a hoodie like Ashley’s to wear to school tomorrow … please.” She grimaced as she waited for her mother’s response.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry. I have to work late. That’s what I was calling to tell you. I’m really sorry, Briana. I promise I’ll make it up to you. Anyway, what about all the stuff your grandmother sent you?”

“It’s nice. But I want to wear something slammin’ on the first day.”

“Slamming?”

“You know what I mean, Mom. Something cool. All that stuff Granny got is too babyish.”

“I understand. Well, try to find something in your closet just for tomorrow. We’re not going to the mall tonight. I won’t make it home until six thirty.”

With that, Briana’s hope of becoming the most popular girl in school began evaporating. Her mother seemed not to care. “Where’s Ashley?” she asked.

“She’s in her room.”

“Let me talk to her please.”

“I’ll get her.”

Briana pushed the hold button and then placed the telephone back on the cradle. She also hung her head, disappointed that her pursuit of popularity was now on hold, and Mom wouldn’t take her to the mall. She considered begging, but it was useless. Briana envisioned her mom planting her hands on her hips, with that look on her face. You know the one. It means, I said no. Now no more whining, and do not ask me again.

In moments like that, Briana thought about her father.

She gently tapped on Ashley’s closed bedroom door. “Mom’s on the phone.”

Ashley opened the door, noticing the tears slowly filling Briana’s brown eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Briana shrugged. “Nothin’, I’m fine.” She turned from her sister, hurrying off to her own bedroom. Closing the bedroom door behind her, she sighed and plopped down at her desk. The huge calendar on top almost completely covered it. It was easy for her to notice the dreaded Saturday date. She had circled it at least a hundred times with a hot pink heart.

Briana had her dress. She had her shoes. And of course, she had her jewelry. There was only one thing she was missing for the Father-Daughter Sweetheart Dance: her father. Even though her uncle William would take her as he did every year, the fact that he was not her actual father only made her even sadder.

She understood the importance of being grateful for Uncle William’s love and kindness, and she was. Still, knowing all the other girls would be at the dance with their fathers, and that she would not, left Briana feeling empty.

Drumming her fingers on the desk, Briana resolved to make the best of her situation. She thought, oh well, he’s not going to magically appear ‘cause I’m sitting here tapping this desk. She got up and slowly opened the closet door, as if she were afraid of the clothes inside.

The door creaked, reminding her that everything in her closet was old, and nowhere near good enough to wear on the first day of junior high. She stood there, arms crossed in disappointment, deciding what outfit would have to make do for her debut. “Ugh!” she yelled, slamming the closet door. The wall shelf holding her cheerleading trophies shook. All her awards tumbled to the floor.

The crash alarmed Ashley. She dashed through the door to Briana’s room. “What happened?”

“I just closed my closet door too hard. Geez, don’t you knock? Calm down.”

“If there’s something bothering you Briana, you should just say so. What’s up?”

Ashley could be a cool big sister at times. When Briana felt like her mother didn’t understand, Ashley was willing to listen. “What’s up with that,” Briana said, “is I’m tired of not having Dad around! Don’t you ever wonder why our dad left us and Mom?”

Ashley sat down on Briana’s bed and patted the vacant spot beside her with her hand. Briana complied with the request and sat down. “You know, Bree, I used to wonder but not so much anymore. There are times when I miss Dad too. But, I’m learning that adults have a lot of responsibilities. They have to make choices that we don’t even think about yet. Sometimes they make good ones, sometimes they don’t. But it doesn’t mean they don’t love us.”

“Yeah. But shouldn’t you be with someone if you love them so much?”

Ashley held up her pointer finger, got up from the bed, and walked out of the room. When she came back in, she carried a mustard yellow colored photo album. Sitting down on the bed with Briana, Ashley opened the old album and took out a picture. She showed it to Briana. “Does this look like someone who doesn’t love you?”

“Is that baby me?”

“Yes. And that’s Dad holding you. Mom told me he had just finished giving you a bath. It was his nightly routine. You would scream when he took off your clothes to get you all cleaned up. But after that, you loved it! He would bathe you, dress you in that goofy looking outfit, and then read you a story before you went to sleep. Every single night.”

“How embarrassing!” In the picture, newborn Briana is naked, and her dad is holding her close to his chest, bundled in a white hooded robe with pink rabbit ears and feet. “He looks handsome, don’t you think?”

“I guess you could say that. I think he looks proud mostly. Look at that big smile.”

“Maybe.” She handed the picture back to Ashley. “Guess he wasn’t proud enough to stay though.”

Before leaving the room, Ashley leaned over and kissed Briana on the forehead. “You keep it.”

Making her way back to the closet, Briana stared into the eyes of the man in the picture, a man she hardly knew and had no memory of having seen. She could not recognize her own father’s face. In that moment, at first, everything felt unacceptable. Her clothes felt unacceptable. Her life felt unacceptable. She felt utterly unacceptable. Yet, the picture seemed to nag Briana, begging her to stare. The longer she looked, the more she thought that maybe Ashley’s story was true. Maybe this man had loved her, cared for her, and wanted her more than she ever knew. “Where are you,” she whispered. “Don’t you understand how much I need you?”

Thinking her whispers were only unheard words falling to the ground, Briana sank to the floor of her closet. Her heart was sunken too. She started pounding her fists on the floor, angry with Mom for not taking her to the mall, her dad for leaving her, and herself for crying like a baby. Maybe angry with God too, wherever he was.

She took one last jab at the floor, but this time it felt like the floor punched her back! “Ouch!” Briana said. “What was that?” She looked down to see that she had hit her hand on the buckle of a glittery pink belt. Mmm. That’s cute, she thought. Briana picked up the belt and studied it, trying to remember the last time she wore it. Then she noticed the price tag dangling from the buckle. Wait a minute, she thought. Have I even worn this belt yet?

That one question led Briana on a style expedition, hunting vigorously through her closet. Just minutes earlier, she’d considered it a wilderness of toxic material destined for a hazardous waste bin. Not anymore. In the middle of her frustration, Briana had discovered first day fashion that would launch her immediately into the Live Oak Junior High hall of fame for fashion! Yes!

Briana’s Box

How is a girl supposed to understand what it means to be her father’s daughter when he’s not even around? It’s tough. But understanding what it means to be the much-loved daughter of your father is a huge deal in your life, because it shapes how you think about God, your Father in heaven. What you think of your heavenly Father affects your life more than any other belief you have.

If your dad’s not around much, you might feel that Father God is absent when you need him too. That would be totally wrong thinking about God! So, Faithgirlz! is here to help you believe that understanding and receiving Father God’s love is possible and even more than that — it’s actually your future!

The connection you share with Father God matters more than any other relationship you have. The beauty of believing that you are his beautiful daughter means you get to …

• Experience a love-filled relationship that lasts forever.

• Expand your family to include all Father God’s children.

• Envision the bright future prepared for you by Father God.

Sound good? Then get to it, girl! Start by doing a special Faithgirl assignment called a daughter deed.

Daughter Deed

Do you understand how Briana felt because you miss your father too? Maybe he died when you were too young to remember. Is your father one of the brave people serving our country in the military? Perhaps your mother and father divorced. Does your dad spend so much time working to take care of your family that you two share little time together? Do you, like Briana, whisper, “Where are you,” unsure if anyone hears your voice?

Can you do a daughter deed, and share with Briana how you feel about your dad? Take all the time you need, and in the space below write down some of your experiences with your father. If you have any encouraging words for Bree, be sure to write those down too. Let her know what cheers you up when you’re feeling down about your dad.

Thanks, Faithgirl. Sometimes it might seem that no one hears you, or even cares about the special thoughts you just shared with Briana. The truth is there is someone who always hears you. He is Father God, and he’s been waiting on you. Are you ready to break out of the box and meet him? Then read on! Briana’s showing you the beauty of believing and what it means to be loved by God.

Believing with Briana

You can think of Briana’s quest for the perfect outfit as a good way of learning how to begin experiencing the love of Father God. Do you remember why Bree ended up staring into her closet in a fashion fog? First, her big sister’s jeans were too big for her, and she wanted a narrow, skinny fitting pair. What was the second barricade to Briana earning her best-dressed bragging rights? She had no way of getting to the mall. Right. And the final wake-up call from her fashion fantasy was her mom’s injunction against the borrowing of clothing. In the end, whatever Briana was going to wear to school was already in her closet.

In the same way that Briana wanted skinny-fit jeans, you will receive God’s love by walking a path that is narrow and focused on him. Also, just as she was unable to depend on anyone else to take her to the mall, you are responsible for your own spiritual journey. Finally, in the same way that Briana submitted to her mom’s guideline of no clothes sharing, God’s daughters learn to submit to him and obey the guidelines he establishes for your own good. In the end, you too will find everything you need in your closet. You just have to look again and discover what’s inside.

The story captured in Briana’s photograph with her own dad also pictures the story of Father God’s love for you. Just as Briana’s dad loved sharing the nightly ritual with his precious daughter, Father God loves doing special things for you. His desire is to love you so well that he irresistibly draws you to loving him right back and trusting him with your life!

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.

— Matthew 22:37–38

Like Briana’s dad, Father God has a special way of lavishing his love on his daughters. You know that Father God loves you, his beautiful daughter, because he tenderly …

• Cleans you

• Clothes you

• Calms you

Has anyone ever told you how a newborn baby looks? It is a grimy sight at first! Before wrapping you in a toasty warm blanket, dressing you in cute infant clothing, and presenting you to your anxiously awaiting family, health care professionals washed off the messy residue caused by your previous life inside your mother’s womb. That first bath, though, was only one of many. It started a practice of regular washing that would keep you healthy and clean for the rest of your life.

As a baby, you needed help keeping clean. As you grew older, someone taught you what to do, and you were able to wash yourself off regularly, keeping yourself clean on your own. And even though you know what to do now, sometimes the mess gets so big, you need help getting cleaned up.

In Briana’s family, her dad was the one who enjoyed washing his daughter. Father God loves washing his daughters too! Just like that newborn baby, when you’re first born into God’s family, all the grubbiness of your life before you knew him clings to you. Messy birth was a part of being born into your family. It’s also a part of being born into the family of Father God.

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

— Psalm 51:5

Yet, God never intends to leave you icky! Like Bree’s father, it pleases him to wash you clean when dirty situations start to pollute your life. When you’re not in the best of moods, your parents don’t seem to understand, or if your friends start treating you unkindly, your Father in heaven will wash you clean.

As you grow to know him more and more, God will teach you to keep yourself clean. And yes, there will be those times when, although you are all grown up, you still need help getting cleaned!

When you bathe, what do you do after drying off? You put some clothes on! After all, it’s chilly, right? Knowing his baby daughter was unable to dress herself, Briana’s dad clothed her, keeping her protected from the harsh elements — the heat or the cold — of her surroundings. Ashley thought the outfit Briana’s dad chose looked ridiculous. Still, Briana was held close and snuggled by her father, wearing a white rabbit-eared robe as a sign of her father’s great love for her.

Father God has great love for you, and he too loves clothing you, knowing you’re unable to do it yourself. His desire is to cover and protect you from the harsh experiences that inevitably you will encounter in life. At times, life’s pressures make you feel like your heart is being scorched! Other times, situations may seem so cold and dismal that your heart begins to freeze up on you. In those times, remember what it means to be Father God’s daughter. No matter how ridiculous it seems to anyone else, it means he’s intimately covering you in relationship with him, and you’re protected.

Wouldn’t you be ready to get some rest after being all toasty in your cute white robe? Well, yeah! Briana’s dad knew she was too. That’s why the last thing he used to do was softly tell her a story so she could go to bed and rest peacefully. After a long day of drooling, babbling, scooting, eating, and napping — all the tasks of hardworking babies everywhere — he understood that she needed some rest. He lulled Briana into calmness with the sound of his voice, giving her peace and rest from her work.

Father God also softly speaks to you, his daughter, knowing that when you focus on his voice, it calms you, gives you peace, and makes you rest. After all the hard work that you do — studying for school, your responsibilities in your home, serving with your club, and hanging with your friends — God wants you to make time to restore all that energy you’ve expended!

Praise Prompt

Psalm 23 is a favorite song of many of God’s daughters. It shares all the wonderful things Father God does because he loves his children so much. Think about this song, and express your gratitude to Father God however you like. You can dance, sing, clap, or even write your own melody!

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

Don’t you just love praising God? He so deserves it! Now, let’s take a closer look at how Briana learned the beauty of believing, and you can too. Like brilliant gemstones, Briana’s tidbits are principles of great value to help you understand what it means to be God’s beautiful daughter. As you grow to recognize your heavenly Father, your journey will include …

Intentionality	Seeking
Intimacy	Seeing
Submission

Briana’s Tidbit #1: Intentionality

As much as Briana liked her sister Ashley’s jeans, she was unable to wear them because they were too big. Bree’s preference was for narrow, skinny jeans that complement a girl her size. That’s a great choice! The way to finding Father God is a bit like wearing a pair of great fitting skinny jeans. It’s narrow. You’ll begin to experience God’s love as you intentionally focus on him, and then walk in the way he directs you. Make it your single purpose to focus on God, and you will enter into a life of love with him.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

— Matthew 7:13–14

Briana’s Tidbit #2: Intimacy

It bummed Briana out that she had no one to take her and Jessica to the mall. Unable to drive herself yet, she was dependent on adults to take her places. Briana learned a valuable lesson though. She realized she had to limit her dependence on other people. She could only occasionally count on others to take her where she wanted to go. The same is true for you, daughter. You still need other people to help you grow into your love walk with Father God. Yet, you won’t always depend on other people to take you where you want to go in your relationship with him. You will walk with God in the company of other daughters and sons, and you will definitely need help from your brothers and sisters along the way. Still, being loved by God means having your own personal bond with him that carries you to the special, secret place only the two of you share.

Briana’s Tidbit #3: Submission

Sometimes Briana thinks her mom’s rules make little sense. Seriously, what’s wrong with borrowing a cute jacket or sweater from Jessica or Ashley? Despite her own opinion though, she does what her mom tells her to do. Okay. She does what her mom tells her to do most of the time! That’s because in her heart Briana believes her mom only wants good things to happen in her life. Even when she disagrees with her mom’s plans at first, they always seem to work out for Briana in the end. So she’s learned to smile in her heart because her mom’s only looking out for her best interests. After smiling on the inside, she follows Mom’s directions.

In the same way that Briana yields to her mom’s plans for her, being loved by Father God means that you yield to his plans for you. Sometimes God’s thoughts are senseless to you. It’s because his thoughts are higher than yours! As his daughter, though, you can trust that his plans for you are good.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

— Jeremiah 29:11

When you agree to do things God’s way because you understand how much he loves you, he works things out so they turn out good for you, just as they did for Briana.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

— Romans 8:28

Daughter, You Decide

What do you do when you disagree with your parents or other leaders in your life? How do you feel when they ask you to do things and you don’t understand why? Do you do exactly what you are directed to do immediately and with a smile inside your heart?

Briana’s Tidbit #4: Seeking

After pillaging her closet, Bree learned that often the purpose of a problem is to help you make unlikely discoveries in unlikely places. She didn’t know she had amazing outfits yet to be worn stashed right in her very own closet! Fashion success, present the entire time! And to think it all started on her closet floor with one simple question.

That’s part of how it starts for you too. When you find your closet, your secret place of talking alone with God, you discover this about what it means to be loved by God: he’s given you everything you need to face any challenge in life — and win! That doesn’t mean you won’t face challenges. You will. It’s a fact of life. But you can trust God is with you through everything. What you’re looking for is inside of you!

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

— Jeremiah 29:12–13

You’re really on your way to discovering the hidden treasure Father God has for you when you start asking him questions. Like Briana, you may think he doesn’t hear you, but he does. He will answer. Maybe not in exactly the way you want, but God is able to see the big picture, and he will provide for you in the best way he sees fit.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

— Matthew 7:7–8

Briana’s Tidbit #5: Seeing

Do you remember Briana returning the photo of her and her father to Ashley? She really didn’t want to keep it. Briana had difficulty believing her father loved her or wanted her. She questioned her dad’s love because she’d never seen him before. It’s hard to trust someone you’ve never even seen! Yet, as Ashley told her the story of how much her father loved her, her thoughts about her dad started changing. The longer she stared at the picture, the more her way of thinking about her father — and herself — shifted. With each fresh glance, she had a new vision of who her dad really was, and even though she couldn’t see him, she believed that he loved her.

As it was with Briana, so it is with you and Father God. Receiving Father God’s love is mind-boggling! Trust the love of someone invisible to you? Yeah, right. But that’s exactly what faith is all about — the beauty of believing!

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

— Hebrews 11:1

How’s that supposed to happen for you? Just like it did for Bree as she heard the story of the picture with her father. You’ll experience the beauty of believing as you hear the story of God’s love for you, over and over again. The more you hear it, the clearer the image you have of him becomes. With each new glance, you’ll look at and think differently about God, and yourself, than you already do, until at last, you’ve got it! The more you open yourself up to him, trust him with your life and decisions, the more he will reveal himself to you. You’re loving and looking toward Father God by faith — to lead you in your life, help you make decisions, and trusting that he is with you (and he is). That is faith! Remember, you are God’s beautiful daughter!

Aren’t you? Maybe reading all of this is causing you to look at your situation differently. Are you ready to love and look toward Father God through faith? Are you ready to hear Father God call you? Then it’s time to make that step toward your beginning.

Beginnings with Briana

Oh, wait! There’s one detail remaining in Briana’s story about her dad. She thought it was totally embarrassing, remember? Ashley said it made Briana scream at the top of her lungs! No one likes being exposed, but before he could bathe her, Briana’s dad had to make her a bit uncomfortable and remove her clothing.

You see, before Father God can clean up the messiness of life, he has to remove everything that’s covering it up. That means helping you to see what might be hovering over you, around you, like smog. Maybe it’s placing too much time into worrying how other’s think of you, wondering if you are “cool” in their eyes. Are you trying to be a girl that fits into the “world”? As God’s daughter, you have an inner beauty, an inner light to show to the world. But sometimes the light has to be cleaned before it can put forth its brilliant shine. Sure, nakedness can be uncomfortable, but the discomfort is temporary. The pleasure of being cleaned, clothed, and calmed in connection with Father God lasts forever and blows those bare-skinned moments to smoke!

So go ahead and scream if you want, but just be honest with God. Let him know exactly how you feel. Seriously, he already knows what’s in your heart anyway! By sharing and keeping it real with God, you invite him to become a part of your world, like a friend. The more you talk and share, just like with any friend, the closer you become. Then you’ll recognize his voice that’s been inviting you to become a part of his all along.

Daughter, Declare Your Prayer!

Father, thank you for your love! Lead me to your banquet hall, where your sign over me is love. For many waters cannot quench love, and rivers cannot sweep it away. You are making me see and think about things the way you do, and I’m glad. I want to love and look to you through faith. Please, show yourself to me.