dear daughter,
these days we say grace
and bedtime prayers.
we read through that tiny bible
and i tell you about how there is a God who loves you,
who made you, who has plans for you.
and you listen and you believe
because i can still scoop you up.
i can still hold on to you.
but someday,
someday you will hear different ideas.
you will be inundated with media
that screams a different message to you.
and like eve and that fruit, you will be drawn to this message.
and like eve and that fruit, it will destroy you.
e m p o w e r m e n t
you can do anything!
you can be whatever you want!
you can shatter glass ceilings!
daughter, the truth is,
the God who formed you in my womb,
who knit you together with a love
that we can neither understand, nor fathom.
He does not call you to be whatever you want.
this life isn’t about your goals.
it is about His plans.
it isn’t about what you can accomplish
but what He can accomplish through you.
it isn’t about how much you are able to gain
but about what He gave up for you.
daughter,
i don’t tell you this to keep you from dreaming
or to discourage you from pursuing your passions
but so that someday
if your life doesn’t look the way you planned
if the audience you wanted isn’t there
if the door you’ve been banging on doesn’t open
you remember that God is for you.
and that it is His plans you should lean into.
Scripture says,
for I know the plans I have for you
plans to prosper you [eternally]
plans to give you hope [everlasting]
plans to give you a future [with Him]
Rick Warren said,
“you were made by God, for God.
and until you understand that
your life will never make sense.”
so daughter,
hear those messages.
that you are strong
that you are beautiful
that you are worthy
that you matter
but hear them humble
from the whisper of a God
who treasures YOU
more than all the riches that may come
from being whatever you want.
***
This article originally appeared at An Ordinary Adventure.
