It is interesting to note in sacred scripture that the only relationship not mentioned by Jesus to be riddled with conflict is the relationship between a father and his daughter.
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. (Matthew 10:34-36)
The relationship between a father and daughter contains a special softness and gentleness that is not found in other relationships. It is not surprising that Jesus came into the world as a result of a daughter’s love for her father, and his desire to bring goodness to all creation.
Of course there are many father-daughter relationships that fail to emulate the love reflected in sacred scriptures. Yet, there is no greater blessing in a daughter’s life than to know her Father’s love.
Reflecting on my own childhood, I recall my Dad’s eyes tearing up when I won races as a downhill skier. The sport of skiing carried a long history in my Finnish/Scandinavian ancestry reflecting one’s ability to find some degree of mastery over oneself and God’s creation.
I see these same tears gather at the corners of my husband’s eyes when he watches our daughter succeed in her own sporting events. I recall how my husband sang songs to our newborn daughter and looked at her tiny body as a bundle of potential energy ready to enlighten the world. He either disciplined or joked with his sons; but holding his daughter, it was as if he was holding his own heart.
A healthy father takes great joy in the successes of his daughters because he knows that their earthly successes, are his spiritual successes.
Joyful Living 