5 Things I Want My Daughter To Know About Her Body

October 1, 2014October 1, 2014 - Amy Leave a comment

1. It’s not about looks.

You are not defined by wearing all of the hottest trends, having the cutest hairstyle, or sporting the latest popular shoes. You are not defined by your outer self. God wants you to shine from the inside by sharing your heart! God says it’s what’s on the inside that counts. People will try to tell you that it’s important to stand out by making yourself unique, when they are only making themselves more like each other. A gentle and quiet spirit speaks volumes over striving for acceptable outward appearances any day.

Your body is simply a vessel carrying the more important spirit inside.

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. – 1 Peter 3:3-4

The world focuses on appearance; hair, make-up, clothes, skin tone, the entire body. They will nit-pick it to the very core. And yet, God looks past those things and straight to your heart. He knows who you really are despite what others may think. And even despite what you may think even about yourself.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. – 1 Samuel 16:7

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. – 2 Corinthians 4:16

Your value is completely unrelated to appearance. Period.

2. It’s a temple.

After accepting Jesus Christ, your body is where the Holy Spirit lives. He wants you to take good care of His temple. This means eating healthy, getting proper exercise and rest, and abstaining from physical sin.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Our bodies are already God’s, but offering them fully over to Him as a sacrifice is the ultimate worship to our Creator.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2

3. It’s made just like God’s.

You weren’t made to be just like Selena Gomez or Madonna. You were made in the very image of our amazing Creator. You are so important that God made you with Himself in mind. That’s a pretty awesome blessing! He gave you similar characteristics and the ability to reflect His greatness. You aren’t called to absorb the world’s influences and then reflect that. Your body is a vessel for showing the world God’s character.

Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. – Genesis 1: 26-27

4. It’s perfect the way it is.

You were made so perfectly precise the way you are. He put more thought than you can ever imagine into every detail of your body. He knows exactly how many hairs are on your head. Praise God for making you so uniquely you!

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. – Psalm 139:14

Comparison can be a terrible thing when it comes to accepting yourself. The images on TV, in magazines, and all over the internet are nothing but visual representations of physical appearance. They try to set a standard for you that this world wants you to live by. Do NOT fall for this false idea of who you need to be. God made you exactly how He wanted you to be. There is no need to try to be anyone else.

You will always be beautiful to God. He knows and loves you more than anyone else. After all, he DIED for YOU!

5. God cares about your body.

We’ve recognized that the most important part of our being is what is inside, yet we are also called to take good physical care of our bodies. Not because of looks, but because we have to be healthy to carry out the work on earth that God has called us to. It’s obvious that physical fitness is of some importance to God to be mentioned in the scriptures. He wants us to keep our body healthy both physically and spiritually.

Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come. – 1 Timothy 4:8

He wants you to enjoy things that you can put into your body, yet…

Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. – Ecclesiastes 3:13

Everything in moderation.

Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. – Philippians 4:5

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. – 1 Corinthians 10:31

Our bodies belong to God and they were made for a purpose: to worship Him.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. – Romans 12:1

And I finally I want to pray this prayer from Ephesians over my girls so that they understand God’s love and how powerful that it truly is. Pray this over your daughters too!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3:14-21

Five Things A Daughter Needs From Her Father

August 29, 2014August 29, 2014 - Amy Leave a comment

This one is for all the fathers out there. It seems as though there is a lot of emphasis on the role of a mother in a family. But today I really want to focus on fathers. Specifically, a relationship between a father and his daughter. A father has an impact on his daughter’s life the way a mother cannot.

This planet is such a influencing place. A strong male role model is so important in a daughter’s life. From birth all the way into adulthood, women are essentially shaped by the relationships they have with our fathers. Without a father’s influence, a girl will look to the world to find her identity and reassurance for herself and this can leave permanent effect on her life. Her behavior, self-esteem, emotional stability, and mental health can all depend heavily on the love from her father.

The Bible paints a clear picture of how important a daddy’s love is with how we are loved by God himself. God sent Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice for His children. I can’t think of a bigger gesture of a father’s love than that. And we are to live as close to his example as we can.

While a mother certainly has her place in a daughter’s life, nothing can compare with a father’s love. It’s never too late to put these things things into practice.

1. Love Her Mother

One of the biggest things a father can give is an example of love towards his wife. Daughters watch these things and learn from them. She watches for the way he expresses his love for his wife. Spoken words, gestures, tones, affection, respect. Theses are all ways that she learns what a loving relationship looks like. They become the example she goes by when looking for a husband later in life. Believe it or not, this will also shape the way sees intimacy when she is married.

The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. – Rev. Theodore Hesburgh

If there is a divorce involved, the best thing a dad can do for his daughter is to be respectful towards his ex-wife. There is nothing worse for a girl to hear, than negative comments about her mother. Respect is key.

2. Presence

A daughter needs her father to be involved in her life. Not just when she is young, but also as a teenager and even an adult. Simple conversations with her and interest in activities. These are opportunities to really dig in deep to help out with her physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Isn’t that sneaky? She may never know that this time invested is shaping the way she perceives herself and the world, but it will make a HUGE difference in her life.

Daddy-daughter dates are great ways to catch up with each other. Find out what’s going on in her life and be intentional in creating a firm relationship. Take this time to go out and have fun making memories. Teach her to ride a bike. Let her paint your nails! Ok come on, let go of your manly pride for 10 minutes so your princess can paint your nails. Take her for driving lessons when she gets her permit.

And most importantly, show up to all of her firsts and big events. It will mean the world to her that you are there to support her. From the first day of kindergarten to her wedding day and every little-big thing in between, share in the excitement of things she will remember forever. Cherish every moment.

3. Verbal Affirmation

Daughters naturally want the approval of their father. Not necessarily the “you are the most amazing and gorgeous daughter that ever walked the earth” kind of approval, but genuine and simple words that remind them that they are loved. They want to know that they matter. That they are accepted no matter what. That they are enough just the way they are.

Daughters need their fathers to tell them that they are valued even when the world may not. Simple encouragements like “you are so creative!”and “I’m proud of you” go a long way to boost a girl’s self-esteem. Each positive affirmation a stepping stone that leads to confidence and good self-esteem. It will become what she believes about herself.

A father’s love will make a big difference by what he says and doesn’t say.

4. Know She Is Beautiful

This is a HUGE part of building confidence and self-esteem. A daughter needs to know that she is beautiful in her daddy’s eyes. Beauty is not just skin deep. Girls need to know that they are beautiful inside too. The world likes to define beauty as a certain body type, hair color, etc. Fathers help to make sure that those things DO NOT define her beauty. This is so essential in the development of a healthy body-image.

Most importantly, tell her that she is perfect just the way that she is. Let her know that God made her perfectly.

I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are your works,
And that my soul knows very well. – Psalm 139:14

Compliment her smile. Verbalize that she is beautiful. She needs to hear this from her father.

5. Protection

A father’s protection is so crucial in all stages of life. In the beginning there’s bad dreams, stranger danger, and bullies. Later on, that protection is needed for her heart and emotional needs, too. Whether girls realize it at the time or not, they are depending on their father to help them develop morals and value themselves. Fathers protect their daughter’s value by showing them how special they are. Know who she is spending time with. Be there when she needs you to listen. Point her in the right direction when she is having trouble on her path.

Daughters need their fathers to cover them in prayer. In the trials she will go through she needs a strong spiritual leader to lead her to Jesus and pray over her. The enemy is afraid of the powerful prayer of a father for his daughter. What a great time of teaching and example this will be for her to learn how to pray.