Dear God, I'm Raising a Girl
Dear God,
I’m raising a girl.
You’ve given me a little girl to raise. A little head of hair to brush, rosy cheeks to kiss, and porcelain skin to cuddle.
She’s not here but, O Lord, she’s here. She’s forever in my thoughts, constantly in my prayers, literally a part of me. I am reminded of her presence daily, from the rounding of my belly to her frequent nudges. My sweet, precious baby.
How do I even begin mother a little girl?
My mind, You know how it races, has barely stopped since we received the news. Will she want me to doll up her hair in ribbons and curls? I can barely style my own. Will she want to start wearing make up in elementary school? I fumble with powders and brushes. Will some jerk of a boy break her heart? You know I’ll want to break his face. If she’s sporty, will I be one of those hyper-competitive, uber-obnoxious moms at her games? Will I embarrass her? One day will she think to herself, “Gosh, I hope I’m never like my mom.”
And then there’s everything I’ve heard about raising girls. “She’ll be wrapped around your little finger,” they say. And, “She’s going to be spoiled rotten.” How those predictions grate my ears! Our daughter cannot be made into an idol. Why do people only say those things about little girls? Why are we so eager to nurture them with a self-centered nature? Will our efforts as parents be squished under the force of cultural expectation?
Father, You’ve asked Your daughter to mother a daughter.
I need You.
Comfort me with Your Word. Strengthen me by Your Spirit.
May I be the kind of mother that speaks wisdom into her little girl’s life. A mother whose words are seasoned with grace and truth. A mother that points, constantly, to You as the Author and Finisher of our faith. A mother that loves generously, who corrects gently, and who cares deeply.
How insignificant are my worries about ribbons and curls compared to eternity. Compared to the job of encouraging a little soul to seek Your face.
God I’m raising Your little girl, not mine. Protect and guide my daughter as you protect and guide her mother. May our family be willing clay in the Potter’s hands. May we make much of you in our home. Wash us with the water of Your Word. Lead us to life everlasting.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Anen!
So beautiful and sincere. I hope that every word is heard.
Thanks so much for reading Lina. It truly means a lot.
You will be a wonderful mother and you will raise an independent, inquisitive, wonderful girl with love and the knowledge of grace and Jesus.
But your prayer really resonated with me: it’s so raw and heartfelt. I felt some similar feelings with Jace, but know they will be amplified if I am ever blessed with a little girl.
Beautiful. <3
As a daughter of a mother who never truly cared about me…only the outward appearance that people cared (if that made sense) I will just say that tears came to my eyes as I read this. The fact you are so worried about being a good mom to this little girl says that you will be. Her hair doesn’t have to be perfect, the fact you tried so hard will mean more to her than if you were a perfectionist. So what if you embarrass her? Later in life she will find it a blessing. No, this isn’t coming from a mother, but a girl who wished she truly had one. No, I know nothing about raising kids, but I know plenty of what it was like to have everything, yet nothing. Toys and opportunities are nothing compared to a mother’s love. Stay with GOD. Everything will be fine. You are in my prayers.
Thank you so much for reading and praying BriAnna, and thank you for sharing your story! I’m sorry that you don’t have memories of a caring mother, but praise God that He is sufficient in life’s insufficiency. I pray that you have found that kind of warmth and love you missed from your own mom in Jesus. By checking out your blog (http://poemsforgod.blogspot.com/) it seems you have 🙂 Love and prayers, sister!
Wonderful prayer, Victoria! Beautifully written and beautiful expression. Thank you for sharing these personal thoughts. You’re going to be a wonderful, wonderful mom!And thank you for sharing about the “spoiled rotten” comments- I too hate hearing that; good gravy, what kind of future are you speaking over kids? Thank you for speaking Jesus into parenting!
YES AND AMEN! 🙂 Thank you for reading Beks, as always!
this is so beautiful! when we found out the baby we were adopting was a girl, i sobbed (ecstatically, but still sobbed) – what were we going to do with a girl?! but this prayer…beautiful and lovely and earnest. i want to “love generously, who correct gently, and care deeply” for this little toddler girlie we now have.
Thank you so much, Sarah Beth. It’s nice to hear from someone on “the other side” of raising a girl. Sounds like your toddler has one amazing mama 🙂