Nick and I have been talking, praying, and dreaming about what it will look like to have a little girl join our family this fall. We are so excited, but also feel the weight of this responsibility. There are so many messages that the world will be sending her and we want to make sure she knows who she is in Christ and that she is deeply loved by Him and by us.
What a responsibility it is to help her grow into the person God has designed. If she wants to be the girliest of girls, always covered in dirt from head to toe, a lover of science or the arts, or any combination of all of those things, I hope we support her in those dreams. We have been entrusted with a great gift and responsibility. I know we will be often on our knees before the Lord in the hopes of guiding her well.
A friend shared this photographer’s work with me today that beautifully depicts this thought. Girls don’t have to choose only what society considers feminine, but it’s 100% ok if that is what they choose. I’m so grateful that my parents encouraged me in my pursuits from pageants to music to sports to drama to scholastic goals and so much more.
We know the messages from the world are going to try to teach her that she is “less than” simply because she is female. Her sense of worth will be attacked in an effort to sell her products to improve her looks. In the workplace, she may be paid less than her male counterparts and have to work twice as hard to prove her worth. There are countless ways the enemy of her soul will try to break down her identity and stamp out the light she is uniquely made to bring to the world.
I shared these concerns with a couple of friends from High School who have been constant sources of prayer support and wisdom in my life. Their responses brought so much encouragement.
Joanna shared some advice she received when preparing for her babies:
“One of my favorite bits of advice given to me was that out of all the mothers in history God chose me to be our little ones’ mama. Same for you. Because He saw I could best guide them through my weaknesses and failures to His overwhelming grace and all-sufficiency — and that they would do the same for me. Rest in that assurance, dear friend!”
Jodi helped change my focus on the thought of passing on my own fears and insecurities by saying the following about God’s redemptive plan:
“… maybe this is all part of His plan to erase those attacks of insecurity and the plans of the enemy? If it is His plan, then it’s not entirely dependent on your ability to parent. He’ll use you of course, but as a vehicle to claim the victory we already have from the cross.”
We are already going to war on her behalf against these messages. We believe that our daughter is being fearfully and wonderfully made with a calling and a story designed uniquely for her.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalms 139:13 – 16
God is planting within her the dreams, desires, and passions required to fulfill that calling. Since before the foundations of the world, He knew the numbers of her days and what she will accomplish. We just can’t wait to watch it unfold and play our parts well. Oh Lord, hear our prayers.
The Giardino Journey 