Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." (Psalm 139:14)

We desire that our children grow to love themselves and be satisfied with how God has created them. We teach them by applauding their achievements, showering affection upon them, complimenting their beauty, intelligence and talents. But, do we, as mothers, live by example? Our children's most effective model is their parents. In a world that screams at women to change their appearance to achieve an impossible standard, we succumb to the torturous thought that we are not good enough, not thin enough, not pretty enough. Try as hard as we may, we cannot mask this deception from our daughters, especially, and if we believe the lie ourselves, we destroy our efforts of building our children up.

I have been convicted of this dissatisfaction recently and the Lord has been revealing my ineffective parenting as a result. My greatest hope for my children is that they grow to love God with all their hearts and share Him with others. It is very difficult to move toward this goal with the distraction of inadequacy lurking around every corner. I must first embrace God's great love for me, try to grasp His purpose in creating me exactly as I am, and enjoy the woman He's designed me to be, while working on my character. Doesn't that sound like words we tell our kids all the time? Why then, is it so hard for us as women to believe it? Perhaps someone once spoke negatively about us or our bodies and we've carried it with us. Perhaps our mothers communicated self-disapproval when we were growing up. Whatever the case, we must fight the debilitating consequence of giving in to the voices that whisper of our imperfections.

Have I ever mentioned that God is the source of all the answers you'll ever need? :) His Word is full of how He feels about us, how eternity is all that we should be living for, how people's hearts are more important to him than their outward appearance. If I, having been convicted, actually change my mindset (by His Holy Spirit), I can help save my children from feeling defeated as they grow and face the world. Lord, grant me the strength to do so.