I fully believe we will have a healthier country from the ground up with healthier women. Yet, we can often trace her lack of health to father wounds or voids. I’m here today to affirm that healing is possible and when dads lead the way in forging that path, everyone wins.

If you’re reading this blog, I assume we’re mutually committed in our resolve to unite fathers and daughters so as to see health, wholeness, and healing burst forth in women (and in men). One key path to this end is for fathers to lead with humility, vulnerability, honesty, and authenticity. Daughters are thirsting for this kind of leadership from their dads, which requires them to step forward with tenacious courage based in selfless love.

If you’re a GirlDad who is doubting your place or influence in your daughter’s life, perhaps even questioning whether you have value or worth to her, I want to encourage you today.

Here is my summation of why GirlDads are essential to their daughter’s health and well-being:

1. God says dads carry significant weight in their daughter’s life. One antidote to a broken daughter is a heart-connected relationship with her father.

2. When a dad’s heart is turned toward his daughter, she will believe she is worthy of being loved. The more a daughter is intentionally pursued and loved by her dad, the stronger her core sense of identity and security will be.

3. Daughters internalize their dad’s view of them. The way a father sees his daughter is intertwined with how she sees herself. When a dad takes time to notice his daughter’s presence, he communicates that she is valuable, which shapes her view of herself. Yet, the converse is also true. When a dad is angry or dismissive, his harsh words deliver a blow and wound her spirit.

4. Daughters who feel connected to their dads are more confident, healthier, and happier. As the overriding themes in research state, a father makes a vital difference when he consistently dials into his daughter’s heart and champions her as she becomes a world changer.

5. A strong father-daughter bond protects her from influences that seek to steer her away from being her authentic self. Women often fear being rejected or displaced, which can chip away at self-confidence and the ability to step into their true calling. Fathers provide protection against the onslaught of negative influences that threaten to keep daughters from being who God created them to be.

6. When a daughter is known and seen by her dad, she is less apt to look for love in all the wrong places. Instead, she will look for love in all the right places as her father’s active presence proactively shields her heart.

7. Earthly fathers build a bridge to God, her Heavenly Father. Though no father is perfect, every dad needs encouragement to be the reason his daughter turns to God as her Father, not the reason she doesn’t.

I agree with the prophetic words of my husband, Dr. Ken Canfield, founder of the National Center for Fathering: “There’s a huge opening before us, and I believe God is going to send a wind of renewal right into His kingdom through the dad-daughter portal.”

The time is now for every GirlDad:

• to pursue his daughters’ heart with intention and consistency

• to find new ways to actively participate in her life right now

• to lead his daughters to connect with the heart of God the Father

Do girl dads matter? Absolutely!

And if you’re ever in doubt, be reminded that a daughter is more vulnerable without a father, yet her safety and success are more secure with an engaged father.

I long for the day when every daughter will know her dad is in her cheering section, no matter what she’s done or not done, and regardless of their history. I long to see every woman know she is loved by her Heavenly Father, even if her earthly dad isn’t able to carry that message to her heart.

Join me in praying that we will see an uprising of stronger, healthier women who know who they are and Whose they are as they are released to love and lead in their spheres of influence, whether in their home or out in the world.

Now it’s time for action: Choose one of the 7 reasons listed above and make it your goal to focus on that one thing today to be a better dialed-in dad to your daughter!

[You can save this graphic with all 7 reasons dads matter to their daughters as a quick reference for yourself and so you can share it on social media]