One day I will have a daughter. I will have a little girl who will call me Mom. She’ll sit on the table while I am making dinner and we’ll talk in the way only moms and daughters can. One day she too will have a daughter, and I’ll be Grandmother.
I recently attended a girls conference called Colour. It’s a gathering of women who want to do something significant with their lives. I left the conference a new person. The impact on the lives of the other women had been profound. There is something so beautiful about the passing of time and the guidance of those who have gone before us. If you could say something to the girls who are going to come after you, what would you say? One day, when I have a daughter, I will tell her these things:
1. Be content
We live in a world of instant gratification where what we have is never enough. I’ll teach my daughter she won’t get everything she wants, when she wants it – and that this is okay.
2. Make mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is that you keep trying and you learn from your errors.
3. Life isn’t easy
Good things come when we grit our teeth and work hard. We have to do our part, be brave, strong, and determined.
4. What you think matters
Don’t hide your opinions under a bush and don’t worry too much about what everyone thinks. You have a voice – speak and be proud.
5. You’re perfect as you are
Everyone is beautiful in their own way. Don’t listen to what some boys says, or some magazine tells you. You are unique and you are a woman – this is enough.
6. Cherish true friends
You’ll have lots of friends. Some good, some bad. Love and appreciate those that stick with you through the ups and downs. Don’t take them for granted. True friends are golden.
7. Kindness is key
A little kindness goes a long way. Even when you have every right to be rude, be kind. Be sensitive, listen, and understand. It will define who you are.
8. Accept change
Don’t fight change. It can make you a better person if you let it. It’s an inevitable part of life, and you may as well get good at it.
9. Have fun
No matter how bad things are, there is always an opportunity to see the other side. Life can get you down if you let it – don’t!
10. Pray
Times are going to come when you don’t have answers for every question; when things are going to get tough and you are going to need strength from something outside of yourself. That’s when you are going to have to get down on your knees and fight the war in prayer.
11. Set goals
Make decisions about your life and gain vision. If you don’t know where you are going it will be a lot harder to end up somewhere you want to be.
12. Family is important
Sometimes family is hard, but mostly it’s a place where you are loved, known, and accepted more than anywhere else.
13. Love isn’t like the movies
Yes, you will meet someone and fall in love. Don’t forget love is about understanding and compromise. Relationships take work and need to be nurtured if they are going to be good.
14. Be gentle but be strong
There will be times when you will need to draw out your arrows, and times when you are going to cry for hours. Read the situation and pick your reactions with wisdom.
15. You are never alone
If it feels like walls are closing in and there is nowhere to run, don’t be afraid. God is with you everywhere you go. He is closer than you know. If you forget everything else, remember that one truth and trust him.