Father And Daughter Series

George Barnell, a Jew living in North Carolina, back in 1871

fathered one of the most unusual daughters in Americans history.

Jane Barnell grew up to become the famous Lady Olga, the bearded

lady of the circus. She had a thick beard hanging 13 and a half

inches, and also a large mustache. The beard started to grow when

she was 2 and at 4 she was being displayed, and 65 years later she

was still going strong.

When Jane was a toddler, and her father was out of town on

business, her mother took her to the Great Orient Family Circus,

and came home without her. When the father returned home he

was frantic. He appealed to the police, and North Carolina and

surrounding states were scoured, but the circus and Jane had

vanished. They had gone to Europe. It was several years later in a

Berlin orphanage that the father finally found her, and brought her

back to the United States. She grew to adulthood on a farm where

she shaved just like the young men. At 21 she was persuaded to let

her beard grow and enter the circus. She did, and spent the rest of

her life traveling the world as an exhibit to the curious.

The story of Mordecai and Esther is also a story of a Jewish

father and daughter, but with this distinction that Esther was as

unusually feminine as Jane was unusually masculine. Esther was

one of the most beautiful girls that ever lived. She was the Miss

Universe of her day. She was the most beautiful girl in the Persian

Empire, which included most of the known world.

Our focus on this Father's Day is not upon Esther, however, but

upon Mordecai. A contemporary bitter male said, "The only

thoroughly masculine domain not yet invaded by women is growing

a mustache." He obviously never saw Lady Olga, or the many other

bearded ladies of history. The real uninvaded domain of

masculinity is fatherhood. No woman can beat a man at this role,

for no matter how good she is with children, she is always a good

mother, and not a good father.

Mordecai was an excellent father event though there is no record

of his having any children of his own. Esther was his adopted

daughter. We have established in a different message that you do

not have to give birth to a child to be a good mother. The same

holds true for being a father, and Mordecai is proof of this. Joseph

was also a good father to Jesus, even though he did not actually

father Him in the sense that He was from his seed. That is the

easiest part of fatherhood. The real challenge is to so love a child

that it becomes a mature and balanced adult with a solid foundation

of spiritual principles to guide them through life. Mordecai was this

kind of father to Esther.

Most all of the Bible accounts of fathers are those who deal with

fathers and sons. Here we have a rare case of a father and daughter

combination. And what a combination they were! They saved

Israel from destruction, and they changed the course of history. It is

of interest to note the balance of the Bible where we see any

combination of people can be used of God to accomplish His

purpose. In the New Testament it is Mary the mother and Jesus the

Son, with the father only faintly in the picture. Here in the Old

Testament we see Mordecai the father and Esther the daughter, with

the mother not in the picture at all. God can, and does, use any

combination, for any of them can be winners.

It is important to see this, for life is complex and uncertain.

There are all kinds of ideals that are best, but the fact is, they are

not attained by millions. I don't know why Mary had to raise her

family without Joseph, nor why Mordecai had to raise Esther

without his wife. Nor do I know why there are so many other less

than ideal family situations. All I know is that there is good news,

for any of these less than ideal situations can be used of God for His

glory, and for His purpose, and life can be full of blessings. Let's

look at some examples of how Mordecai was a successful father in a

less than ideal situation. He gave to Esther three things that made

her a successful daughter, and him a successful father. First of all

he gave her-

I. AID IN ADOPTION.

Esther was of a minority race, in a foreign land, and a pagan

culture, plus she was an adopted child. Adoption can be less than

the ideal simply because there are complications in the minds of