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Title:
"Raising
Feminine Daughters"
Author: JoyPals, JoyPals.com-ReformedWomen, Editor-Publisher
"Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all."
Proverbs 31:29
Raising feminine daughters today can be a challenge.
It only takes a walk outside the door, a stroll
through the mall or pick up a magazine for women to see how far removed
"femininity" has moved in our society. As godly women, women of the
"Book," we seek to shout our femininity to the rest of the world (or we
should) as witnesses and examples of what God calls women to look and
act like and the blessings of obeying His commands, understanding His
calling for us, growing in knowledge of theology and practical Christian
living and seeking to do "all to the glory of God" in our lives as women
in the 21st Century.
As many of my readers know, I am a strong advocate for women
understanding theology so that they can apply that good theology to
everything they do and understand why they do it. God has called us in
His Word to be "doers of the Word, not hearers only" and to "study to
show ourselves approved" as good workman, i.e., stewards of grace,
children of the Living God. He has called us as women to "teach the
younger women to love their husbands" and to teach and train our
children in godliness. One of our most important duties as Christian
women and mothers is to train our daughters to be "godly" women and the
end result of that teaching will be feminine God-glorifying women who
will grow up to be examples to their own generation. It is a privilege
to be feminine, a gift of God to women for His own glory and their good.
I think about this subject often and teach regarding it and in my
research recently, I happened on Susan
Hunt's article on this and want to share an excerpt with you. She does a
great job and sets out the importance of teaching our daughters to
trust in Christ and not in their own righteousness. This is
important -- godly women can only be truly godly if they are in Christ
and trusting in Him alone and are dependent upon His spirit and grace to
be all that they are called to be as women.
* * *
["Our daughters will be products of their theology.
Their knowledge - or lack of knowledge - of who God is and what He has
done for them will show up in every attitude, action and relationship.
Their world-view will be determined by their belief system.
We must teach our daughters that their value and identity lie in the
fact that they are image-bearers of the God of glory. This will protect
them from seeking significance in the inconsequential shallowness of
self-fulfillment, personal happiness, materialism or others' approval.
Our daughters must know the wondrous truth that their overarching
purpose in life is God's glory. This must determine every decision they
make, from their choice of clothes to their choice of a husband. The
question that guides all of our decisions should be: Does this glorify
God? First Corinthians 10:31 should be one of the first verses they
memorize: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for
the glory of God." And they should see us making decisions based on this
mandate.
The world will tempt our daughters to look to their
feelings and experiences as their authority, but we must show and tell
them that God's Word is the ultimate authority for faith and life.
We must tell our daughters about the expanse of God's love. They must
know that we are justified and sanctified by grace. It seems that women
are particularly prone to a performance orientation of life. We may
acknowledge that we are saved by grace, but somehow we get entangled in
"works righteousness" when it comes to our sanctification. We think that
if we are a little better, God will love us a little more. This
distortion spills over into all other relationships. If I'm a little
better, my parents will love me more . . . or my friends will love
me more. or my husband will love me more. This is exhausting for the one
trying to earn everyone's love, and it drains the people whose approval
we are trying to earn. Children who think they must establish their own
righteousness through accepted behavior eventually becomes so weary
that they give up or become masters of deceit.
A biblical understanding of justification will free our daughters. The
more they understand that God declares us to be just in His sight on the
basis of the finished work of Jesus Christ and that the righteousness of
Jesus is deposited in our spiritual bank accounts, the more they will
live in the beauty of freedom of His grace.
All of this means that I must search my own heart. Am I trying to
elevate myself through my daughter's accomplishments and behavior? Is my
primary concern her happiness or her holiness? Is God's glory really the
driving passion of my own life? These questions take me to the cross.
They take me to Jesus to plead for grace and wisdom."]1/
* * *
Be encouraged that God has called you to femininity
(being female) and rejoice in it. You are beautiful in His sight as His
own glorious Bride, chosen to be His special women in this age to
witness of His marvelous grace and the truth of His Word in your daily
life. Trust in Jesus and His righteousness in all things and look
to the task you have at hand in raising your godly daughters. Read
godly books by authors such as Susan Hunt, Carol Ruvolo and Edith
Schaeffer and you will be encouraged and grow from them and read God's
Word for the strength and grace to help you accomplish all things to His
glory. Thanks be to God for giving us Titus 2 women along the way
to help us on our pilgrimage.
_____________
1/ Excerpt from the chapter "How to Raise Feminine Daughters" by
Susan Hunt from the book "Biblical Womanhood in the Home," Editor, Nancy
Leigh DeMoss, Crossway Books -- available on their website
http://www.crosswaybooks.com
JoyPals.com-ReformedWomen
Editor & Publisher,
“Heavenly Notes 2003”
Want
to share with other sisters of like-faith?
Come and join us at ReformedWomen
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The JoyPals Network
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