A Letter to My Daughters: Do Not Listen to the World

To My Precious Daughters,

I’ve been thinking a lot about my own journey and the lies that I have had to overcome in order to find true freedom in Christ. There are so many mistakes I made, so many things I believed about myself that caused me so much pain and grief and torment.

I want so much better for you, My Girls.

I want you to walk in the abundance and fullness of Christ. I want you know how special and valuable you are. I want you to know how very much you are loved.

Because the world will tell you otherwise.

It will battle me and your father each and every day, using every single media portal available. It will tell you that you need to be busy, wear certain labels, own certain things, and have bodies that look a certain way. Each day, it will tell you that you need more, should buy more, and should do more.

Each day, it will tell you that you are not enough. . . And then it will profit off of your insecurities.

If you believe the lies, you will spend your lives looking for something that you will never find. You will miss out on what’s most important in order to seek that which will always be beyond your grasp.

My daughters, do not listen to the world.

Do not listen when it tells you that you are not beautiful enough. The beauty that is sold on grocery store shelves is one that is shallow and counterfeit. The never-ending pictures of longer eyelashes, fuller lips, bustier chests, and flat stomachs are often the result of injections, surgery, attachments, and photoshopping.

It’s not real.

It’s only an illusion to aspire to, one that makes you believe that you need to look a certain way to be beautiful. The beauty you will be working toward, however, is only a mirage, fading quickly until the next shimmering promise shines in the horizon. If you continue to drink from its waters, your quest for beauty will never end.

It’s designed to never end.

Many will believe the lies. Many will inject themselves and alter their bodies in order to look the way they have been told to look. They will save their hard-earned money and endure painful surgeries in order to get one step closer to the image. They will wear tighter and more-revealing clothing for attention and approval. But they will only deceive themselves.

For you see, our bodies were never meant to be altars, Sweet Girls. They were meant to serve as temples for something greater than ourselves. You were fearfully and wonderfully made by a God, who knew you before He even placed you in my womb. He made you exactly the way you were meant to look for a purpose greater than any surgery could ever accomplish.

Look above for your identity. “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.” May you be praised for a beauty that shines His light upon the world.

My daughters, do not listen to the world.

Do not listen when it tells you that you need more in order to be happy. Each day, you will be tempted to look out for fulfillment. You'll be bombarded with images of prettier homes, larger kitchens, and flashier clothing. You'll see pictures of friends eating at fancier restaurants and enjoying better vacations. You'll see influencers and commercials filled with all the things that promise happiness and status.

You need to remember that marketing companies purposefully create problems so that they, in turn, can sell you the solutions. Their goal is to convince you that you need that one more thing—one more thing to make life easier, to be on par. Their goal is to convince you to buy and to buy and to buy as much as you possibly can all the days of your lives.

And if you're not careful, you'll begin to feel as if you're missing out.

Many will believe the lies. They will rack up credit card debt and work themselves into the ground in order to purchase the next best thing. Some will neglect their husbands and their children in order to chase after the dream—the dream of bigger, shinier, and prettier things.

But everything has an expiration date. Some things will rot. Others will be destroyed. And even the best of things will lose value when new trends are created purposefully in order to keep you on the hamster wheel of consumerism.

Step off, my Dear Daughters. Step off. Happiness is not found in the next big purchase. “Stuff” accumulates and will often take far more from you than it will ever give. Excess clutter will steal your resources, your peace, your joy, and your gift of time. Even the cheap stuff will come with a cost, the cost of maintenance, storage, and upkeep.

Choose wisely when you make purchases. Do not gather in excess in order to feel important. You are worth far more than the things you buy. Clothe yourselves instead with “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” Fill your home with wisdom and the “rare and beautiful treasures” of knowledge and understanding. Steer clear of comparison, and cultivate a heart of gratitude.

"In everything, give thanks," for the enemy cannot entrap you when you are content. Learn to be content. That is where true joy will be found.

My daughters, do not listen to the world.

Do not listen when it tells you that you can be anything you want—as long is it is not solely a wife and mother. Do not listen when they tell you that the only work that matters is that which is done outside of your home. Do not listen when they tell you that you are “wasting” your education when you pour your gifting and knowledge into your home.

If you, as wives and mothers, follow blindly, achievements and “out there” dreams will come before your children and relationships. Excess activities and commitments will take the place of family dinners and devotionals. Making money will carry more value, and you will spend your days missing what is right before your very eyes.

Many will believe the lies. They will think that motherhood is merely “busy work,” something that can easily be outsourced for the greater part of each day. They will think that keeping the home is boring and beneath them. They will work and work and work, and drive themselves until they are stressed and sick and tired, running in a rat race that offers no finish line. For there is no “top.”

Look in front of you, my daughters. The most important work you will ever do will be the work that is done inside your home. It’s not that achievements, deadlines, or work outside the home are bad. They can be beneficial, and sometimes, even necessary.

But you mustn’t sacrifice the people in your home for the status in the world. Flashy titles and achievements are temporary, and though they may be important, they are often forgotten.

To the world, you are dispensable. To your family and loved ones, you are priceless. You are the heart of your home, capable of leaving a Godly legacy for all of eternity. Keep your eyes on what truly matters.

And if you must work, try do so from home if at all possible, and let God “establish the work of your hands.” Keep yourself rested and healthy. Your husband and children will look to you for nurturing and warmth and love, but you will not be able to give what you do not have. Stay rooted in the Word, and love them well.

"Be discreet, chaste, (a) keeper at home," always “looking well to the ways of your household.” May your home be a place of love and joy and refuge for all of you.

My Precious Daughters, I bless you.

I pray that you will seek truth in all that you do, for it is only the truth that will set you free. May you walk in that freedom and joy and live a life of abundance.

I love you so very much,

Your Mother

(Proverbs 31:30; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Titus 2: 3-5; Colossians 3:23; Psalm 90:17)