Dear Daughters, You are beautiful. You are completely and absolutely beautiful in every way. And I never want a day to go by where you don't hear that. And I never want you to doubt that. I want you to hear it often and know it deeply. Because the older you get the less you hear it and the harder it is to believe. So we want you to be equipped to face that and grow up without wondering if you are beautiful. The world will throw all sorts of conditions on beauty and qualifications for beauty and false definitions of beauty your way. Don't fall for any of it. You are beautiful because God created you. You are beautiful because you are you. When I look at you, the foolishness of my own insecurities is revealed. I look at you and I am stunned. Your beauty points to the One who created you, the One who saw you and formed you and made you exactly how you were supposed to be. Every part of you was created on purpose. You were fearfully and wonderfully made. You are beautiful. May you embrace that truth and allow it to sink in. May it help you view others as beautiful, fearfully and wonderfully made by God as well. May your confidence be built on having a Creator who intentionally made you uniquely you. Continually Learning This Myself, Mama "For you formed my inward parts;
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Dear Daughters,
Allow yourself to dream. And allow yourself to dream big dreams. Because you can absolutely chase those big dreams. And you can be world changers with those dreams. Yes, some dreams might not come to fruition because of life circumstances or other realities, but the important thing is to keep dreaming. As you dream you learn more about your passions and your personality. When you allow yourself to dream, you become engaged in those passions and you begin to explore your unique purpose. Be a dreamer. Unless you dream, you won't have goals to aspire to. Dreaming enables you to cast a vision and works towards something powerful, beautiful, meaningful. Dreaming is the first step to creating and to producing and to accomplishing. It is the first step to learning where you want to go. The adventure of dreaming will lead to something magnificent. It can lead to a discovery about yourself or to the most wonderful actualization of the dream itself. So dream big dreams and see where they lead. A Fellow Dreamer, Mama Dear Daughters, There is One that cares so intimately and so deeply for you. He desires to be your shepherd and in Him is all you will ever need. He restores, leads, and protects His sheep. He perfectly comforts and graciously provides. His love is tender; His goodness is constant; His mercies are great. With the Lord as your shepherd, you can walk through anything in this life with peace because of His presence and joy because of His faithfulness and hope because of His promises. To be dependent upon the Lord, upon the great shepherd, is the absolute best place to be. A Simple Sheep, Mama "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Dear Daughters, Any time you say, "thank you" it brings my heart so much gladness. To grow in gratitude instead of entitlement is beautiful. It is something so simple, but gratitude can make such an impact on your own heart and on others. Never underestimate its power. It can greatly encourage, foster joy, and cultivate generosity. It reflects a heart of contentment and joy, peace and humility; it reflects a heart dependent on the Lord. It's a simple message: Say thank you. But it is so important. And it is something you never outgrow or do too much. Show appreciation to people and recognize the many good gifts the Lord has given. It will make life so much better. Learning to be Grateful, Mama "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Dear Daughters, God intentionally created you. He created you in His image. And because of that, you are valued. "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." {Genesis 1:27} You are to be held in high regard, respected, and cherished. You were created by design, with intention, with thought, on purpose. Please always remember that. Remember that you have a Maker who chose to make you the exact way you are. You have a Maker who delighted to create you. You have a Maker that says you bear His image and likeness. And what He says about you, and about others, surpasses all else.
So remember you have immense value. And when you dwell on that truth, may that allow you to see that everyone else has value too. Every person you meet, every person around the world is to be held in high regard, respected, and cherished. They were each created by design, with intention, with thought, on purpose. And they also have a Maker who chose to make them, delighted to create them, and says they each bear His image and likeness. You have value, and our neighbors next door and all around the world have value. That truth is cause for celebration! And it should radically alter how we see ourselves each day and how we see others. I pray you always know how significant it is to bear the image of God. It impacts everything. A Fellow Image Bearer, Mama Dear Daughters, There will be times in life where you feel completely alone. Whether you courageously stand up for something you believe in and get chastised, or you have a season of not being known by those around you, or you go through something it seems no one else you know has gone through, or whatever the case may be, a time will come when you feel alone. But please believe me when I tell you: You are never alone. There will always be someone who will empathize; there will always be someone to walk with you. No matter what you go through, there is someone who has gone through it before and understands. Sometimes our feelings mask the truth. Actually, often times they do. You must learn to rely on truth and not on feelings. Truth remains steadfast even when circumstances change and feelings deceive. Don't ever believe the lie that no one understands or cares, knows or sees. The truth is, we are always here for you; the Church is always here for you to guide you with the authority of Scripture and love you and encourage you in perseverance; and Jesus is with you always. And that is a comfort to cling to. We have a God that does not leave us as orphans. He does not forsake us. He will not abandon us. He intimately knows us and continuously draws near to us. When this world makes you feel deserted and forgotten, neglected and overlooked, rest confidently knowing you are never alone. Beside You Through Life, Mama "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth." Dear Daughters,
The way you sing with abandon is beautiful. The way you make up songs makes me smile so much. The way you remember lyrics always amazes me. Keep singing. The world needs your song, your voice, your words. Never let desire to make music dampen. Keep singing. Keep making music. You will be told to quiet down. You will be told to stop. But just keep on singing. Your voice is beautiful and your joy is contagious. The world needs more celebration, more to smile about. So keep singing. Some might laugh or mock or scoff, but others will join in. And that lovely chorus will impact the world. Your words, your voice, your song are needed. Keep singing my sweet girls. Singing with You, Mama Dear Daughters, You are loved. You are so very loved. I never want you to doubt that truth. I never want you to question it for even a moment. We love you simply because you are our daughters. There is nothing you can do to earn our love and nothing you can do to lessen our love for you. We love you because you are you. May you rest confidently in that. We want you to know, without any uncertainty or hesitation, we love you, but more importantly we want you to know that your Maker loves you. And He displayed His love for you, for all of us, by sending Jesus to bear the weight of your, and all our, sins by dying on the cross. If you ever begin to question if you are loved, look to the cross. Look to the cross and see His body broken for you and His blood shed for you. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." {John 3:16-17} And after looking to the cross, turn and look to the tomb. Look to the tomb and see that He is not buried there. He not only died on the cross, but He rose from the dead. Love conquered sin and conquered death and reigns victorious! His love knows no bounds. "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died-more than that, who was raised-who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, 'For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." God's love is everlasting. It is a love like no other. It is fierce and it is perfect; it is gentle and it is pure. I pray you know His love, experience His love, share His love. May you be continually captivated by His love for you.
And we hope our love for you points you to Him. We hope you wake up everyday completely convinced you are loved. You are so dearly loved. Love You Always, Mama Dear Daughters, I will mess up. It happens way more often than I would like. And some days just seem to be characterized by my frustrations. So at the end of those days, all I know to do is admit my faults to the Lord and to you. And it has happened this week already. I'm sorry. Will you please forgive me? Know that when I get frustrated, it is often more of a reflection of my own heart rather than something you have done. When I get overly upset, it is usually because I haven't taken a moment to gain some perspective, reflect on grace, and set aside my selfishness and pride. Now, of course there will be times when you will need to be disciplined, but whenever I am in the wrong, I want to be quick to ask for your forgiveness. We want our home to be a safe place, a place of authenticity and forgiveness, patience and love. We want you to hear from us that we are sinners, too, in desperate need of God's grace and mercy and forgiveness. And the wonderful news is God loves a repentant heart and wants to forgive. It is woven throughout all of Scripture. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. {1 John 1: 9} When we remember the grace we have been given and all we have been forgiven of, we can readily give grace to others and forgive. We can go to others with humility knowing the restoration that comes after repentance and forgiveness is so worth it. Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. {Ephesians 4:32 Daughters, know that confession is powerful. It fosters gospel community and it will keep you from suffocating in sin. And know that seeking forgiveness is not a sign of weakness. In fact, it is the opposite. It is courageous and brave. It brings light to the darkness. Humbling yourself to seek forgiveness from another is incredibly compelling. The world will take notice of a humble heart and a meek spirit, even if it doesn't admit it.
Stay low before the Lord and before others. Jesus will raise you up in due time. Seeking Forgiveness, Mama Dear Daughters, I want you to know, you are not enough. That might seem like a strange way to start this collection of letters. It might seem completely negative. And it is a message contrary to what the world, and even many in the Church, proclaim to women today. But I promise there is incredible freedom found when you let this truth sink in deep. I can testify it is so easy to feel like you aren't enough. Not pretty enough. Not smart enough. Not outgoing enough. Not quiet enough. Not funny enough. Not disciplined enough. Not athletic enough. Not creative enough. Not small enough. Not big enough. Not strong enough. Not good enough. Just not enough. And while there seems to be a sweeping manifesto telling women they are in fact enough, Scripture shows me that is not the message of the gospel. The gospel declares I am a sinner, lacking in every way. I'm not enough. And I cannot ever be enough. But that isn't the final word. Praise God that is not the final word. There is great hope. Let the words of 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 speak truth to you: Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. My sweet girls, we actually aren't enough; we are inadequate; we are insufficient. But God is enough; He is more than adequate; He is all sufficient. And praise God that He hasn't left us alone. Jesus, and all His divine perfection, came down to dwell with us, and all of our weak inadequacies.
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus is the ultimate Prophet, Priest, and King. Jesus is fulfillment of the Law. Jesus lived the perfect life and accomplished all the righteous, atoning work. Jesus is the One with the strength, the power, the sufficiencies. And when I rest in that truth, freedom washes over my weary soul. Striving and earning and comparing and working can cease. I can be confident and content in who I am in Christ. I can live with constant joy because of who He is and all that He has done. You are not enough, but He is. And that is such good, liberating news. Enough in Christ, Your Mama |
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