As an intelligent person, you know that there is a lot you can do (physically) with the opposite sex, without actually having intercourse, right? So, in order to illustrate the answer to the question, “How far is too far?” pretend that you are the author of the story below. As you suspend reality just for a moment, try to get in touch with this man’s feelings for his daughter.
Before she was even born, I loved my little girl. Through the miracle of ultrasound, I knew that she was present in my wife’s womb even before she was born. We had decided on names, so I even knew her name before she was born. Many nights of the pregnancy, before I went to sleep, I laid my hand upon my wife’s womb and prayed for my little girl, by name, imploring God’s protection. I had the privilege of being there when she was born, holding her in my arms within seconds of when she entered this world. There were times when she was an infant (as there are times now) when she would cry—simply being held by me was enough to dry her tears and calm her fears. I have seen her grow up as she took her first steps, made her first sounds, and said her first words. When she cries, my words bring her comfort. I love holding her in my arms. When she began to speak, she called me daddy—I am the only man that she will ever call daddy. I have watched her go to preschool, and she even brings home drawings to me; others would consider them scribbles, but to me they are treasures far greater than the Mona Lisa. I will watch her grow up as she performs in her first dance recital, goes to grade school, receives first Communion, and then, over time, she will reach puberty. She will begin to become more attractive to members of the opposite sex. There will be guys who begin to think that my little girl is hot; that will make me very nervous. We will probably allow her to go our on group dates in junior high and early high school, but she will have to wait until she turns 16 to be able to finally go out on a date, alone, with a guy, in his vehicle…
Before I know it, she will turn 16, and I will probably be more nervous than she is about her first date. Pacing the living room floor, I will await his arrival. (Coincidentally, I will be cleaning my deer rifle on this particular evening!) And, when he finally does show up, the young man who is going to take my little girl out on her very first date is a senior in high school (she is a only a sophomore), and he picks her up for the date driving a van! Not a mini-van, either—one of those full-sized vans with a seat in the back that folds out into a bed! Now, pretending that you are me, answer a question as honestly as you can from my perspective…how far do you think I want my little girl to go with Mr. Senior in the van?
That is an excellent perspective on “how far is too far”!
Why? Because, as her daddy, I only want what is best for her. It is not because I want to ruin her life, keep her from having fun, or impose my morality upon her. It is not that I want to ruin the evening of Mr. Senior with the van. It is because she is my little girl, and I only want the best for her. Even if those reading this have not experienced this strong sense of love and care and protection from their earthly father, in the eyes of our Heavenly Father, we are each daddy’s little girl (or daddy’s little boy)! And, each person that we ever date is our Daddy in Heaven’s little boy or little girl, too…
How would you want your little girl to be treated? That is how far is too far…
Related Links
- A perspective from Christianity Today.
- A more thorough answer for older teens.
By Paul Masek
The REAP Team
