But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13
What is the last compliment you paid your daughter?
Stop for a moment and really thing about it. A compliment many parents pay their daughters is, “You look so pretty.” Or “you are so beautiful.”
Girls NEED to hear that.
The thing is that if that’s the only compliment they hear from people, they think they only have worth
because of their beauty. This causes the girl to focus more on her outward beauty than on her inner
beauty. This is a deceitful trick of the enemy. It is a distraction.
This is a symptom of us giving in to cultural “waves” instead of standing against them. Much of our culture still says women must focus on their beauty.
This compliment is a sincere show of love from the girl’s parents, but it needs to not be the only
compliment she gets. She needs to hear that she has value simply because of who she is as their daughter. She also needs to hear what she is good at and how she reflects Christ in her decisions and actions. Affirmations can help her mature into someone who wants to be known for doing good and not just looking pretty.
Who is the woman you want your daughter to become?
Would you like her to continue to grow in her faith in the Lord on her own? Empower her to study the Word by getting her an age-appropriate Bible and encourage her as you see her reading it. Talk with her about it and compliment her when she shows insight.
Would you like her to become a young woman who serves those around her? Give her opportunities to serve others and serve with her so she knows you value serving in your life and hers. Compliment and encourage her whenever you see her serving selflessly.
Would you like her to be honest and have integrity? Go beyond compliments when she tells the truth and actually reward her for telling the truth, especially when she risks ridicule from others to have integrity. A well-timed ice cream cone date does a lot to reinforce honesty and integrity!
Would you like your daughter to have confidence to make decisions on her own? Give her chances to make decisions for your family. Let her choose a lunch place, toppings on Friday’s pizza, the movie you’ll
watch that night, and other small choices that lead to bigger choices.
Try to not let a day go by that you don’t compliment your daughter, empowering and encouraging her to become a woman of God with your affirmations. You only have a short time. Today.
What are some character traits you would like to compliment your child for? What will you do to build those character traits in your child in order to reinforce actions that come from those traits?