God’s Desire for Our Daughters

Recently, I wrote about the things I would like my son to know about Jesus as he becomes a man of God.  It made me think about my daughters and what I would like them to learn as they grow.

Self-esteem, be it high or low, influences the choices we make in life.  Naturally, I am concerned about my daughters’ self-esteem as they get older.  As a mom, I endeavor to instill in them self-worth, understanding that even their shortcomings are a part of who they are. While I want them to always strive to be better, I am aware that every child is different.  My youngest daughter is not as good at Math as her sister, so we encourage her artistic talents while helping her improve in the areas she finds challenging.

Young girls need to learn to value their bodies.  As parents, we need to teach them why it’s biblically and logically wise to be abstinent.  God commands us to save ourselves until marriage for spiritual and physical reasons.  He knows what’s best, so it’s our job to teach our girls (and boys) that way.

While we all make mistakes, it’s better to reach our daughters now the wise way to make decisions rather than rely on the correction we may give down the road.  I want to help my daughters make the right choices by making them feel they are worth respect.  Our daughters need to learn to have the courage and wisdom to walk away from any man who abuses them.

These days, sex can be confused with love as can abuse.  It’s almost as if dysfunctional relationships are OK, that if there is no drama, there is no love. This is not true.

My daughters have in them a light and love God gave them.  It is up to me as their mother to nurture this so that they someday will be the strong women of God they are supposed to be.

From where does self esteem come? The home. If we constantly pick at our children or fail to point out their gifts, we are not helping our children. We should always focus on our beautiful daughters in a way that no matter how cruel the world can be, they feel safe knowing God loves them and they are loved at home.

Our daughters should seek God, not men, the Bible and not the latest trends.  We all want our daughters to be happy, healthy and secure in the Lord.  Let’s do our part, as parents, to see that happens.

God has great plans for our children.  He gave them to us for a reason.  We will all fail, as moms and dads, but God can restore.  Love is the key to showing our children who God is, and that will help them make godly choices.