What's a Girl To Do? pt 1

 Our goal  in raising daughters is for them to love Jesus and embrace a spirit of Biblical femininity.

 In our culture today, a mama must take care not only to nurture femininity in ourselves,

but also in our homes, 

and in our daughters.

 We need to celebrate the gentle feminine side as God’s gift to us.

 But in our hectic hard-driven society it’s easy to lose track.
I do not force our girl’s into a "cookie-cutter" mold of what I think a godly, feminine daughter should look like.  Instead I allow them to be themselves, and encourage them to be the best they can be.

Godly femininity may be gentle and tender, as I encourage my daughters to be in all that they do,

but it is far from weak.

 Emily Barnes has said very well,
“Filling our lives with loveliness takes physical stamina, emotional strength, and spiritual courage.  Beautiful women of all ages have shaped the world with the power of their femininity.  When we make the effort to cultivate such gentle strength, we not only enrich our own lives and make life a little better for those we encounter, we also pass on the spirit of femininity to the next generation. ”

Balancing good industry with a chance to relax, think, pray, and be still is an ongoing challenge to me, but definitely something I value and embrace.

 Women today desperately need the soul-settling contented state of a quiet spirit. 
With all the demands of life that can press in on a woman, we must seek opportunities to rest, plan, regroup and draw closer to God.
 There is nothing of greater value that I can impart to my daughters than to have a “Mary” kind of heart; one that longs to sit at the feet of Jesus and be with Him,
 enjoying His presence.
  My daughters need to see me modeling this in my own life.
 They need to see me loving God, reading and memorizing the Scriptures, praying, and living in a gentle, servant-hearted manner.

 

“It is the glow within that creates beauty.  People are like stained-glass windows.  They sparkle like crystal in the sun.  At night they continue to sparkle only if there is light from within.”  - Bonnie Green

 Being still and having a quiet spirit does not mean that one is not industrious.

I am learning that there is a hard-to-keep balance in attaining productivity with a sweet calm manner.  

It starts with taking time to be still and getting your heart quiet. 

Then, and only then, can I relate well with others and coordinate my activities

with gentleness and serenity.

 It reminds me of a glow-in-the-dark sticker;

the sticker has to sit in front of a bright light for a time and get infused with light. 

Then it can be placed a dark space and it will radiate light for a span,

then it must go back and sit in the light.  

I am just that way.

 Time alone with God in the morning,

a walk in the afternoon, 

a moment here and there to ponder the goodness of God. 

Here is the way of life I have found that best enables me to walk with a glow of serene femininity.

I desire to aid my daughters in finding whatever fosters

the calm and gentle spirit of loveliness in her life.

If she is prone to putter, like mama, if she is energized by alone time,

or if she prefers to be right in the smack dab middle of everything,

talking while she is reading and studying her Bible,

either should be allowed and encouraged to establish a priority of quiet time in her day. 

It is the inner beauty and  tranquility that comes from abiding with our creator that strengthens and gentles our souls for the day ahead. 

 

Nurturing the spirit of femininity in our daughters lives begins with training them to care for themselves from the inside out, 

teaching them to pay attention to what is truly important.

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes, instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”  1 Peter 3:3,4