Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

As the moment of my little girl exiting the womb and entering my arms draws all the more near, my thoughts are often captivated with the plethora of unique challenges little girls (and grown women) face. I want nothing more than to equip my daughter for the battles already going on for her heart, body, mind, and soul—and I believe every Christian mother has similar desires. As our sweet babies grow, however, we often forget that the choices we make are being carefully examined by the girl with hair bows following in our footsteps. There are many things I want my daughter to know, but the summation of them all is: She belongs to God, and her worth is in Christ alone.

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

Proverbs 31:30

God has called us to be women who are in the world but not of it, yet even the church is plagued by issues of image—and not the One in whose image we are made. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Words heard early often echo as we become grown women. Prince Charming riding up on a white horse and sweeping us off our feet to happily ever after—a scene many long for all their lives, but never experience. Childhood captivates huge portions of our hearts and creates desires that may or may not be part of God’s plan for our lives. As parents, and especially as mothers to girls, we must look our own pasts in the face and challenge whether the women we have become are helping or hindering our own girls. To do that, we need to stop forming false notions of what it means to be beautiful, successful, and worthy. It’s time to look in that little mirror and see that what the world deems imperfections are what God calls fearfully and wonderfully made—in His image! It’s not the mirror that is broken, but the hearts of women.

Moms, when you are pouring into your daughters, you need to speak life to your heart as well as theirs. You are a daughter of the Most High King, and you need not look any further than to Him for your inexplicable worth and value. You are indeed precious in His sight! Stop looking at other women and airbrushed images hanging from mall windows. Those women are as real as Barbie and nothing but lies from the one who comes to kill, steal, and destroy (john 10:10). As Christian women how can we begin demanding more for ourselves and our daughters?

For the moms:

Begin your days giving glory to God for the unique ways He has created you. Before your feet hit the floor, stop and thank God for making you so creatively. From your crinkly nose to your graying hair, He sees you, He knows you, and He formed every part of you. You quote those words to others, but it’s time to start quoting them to yourself.

For the daughters:

Teach your daughter more about the women in the Bible than the princesses in movies. If she knows more about Elsa and Anna than Ruth and Naomi, it may be time to change the conversations. After all, those early talks over tiny tea cups and crumpets will eventually turn into conversations about dressing up and dating. Tell her she is beautiful by pointing out character qualities more than physical attributes so she examines her heart rather than her body.

For all women:

Discern friendships with other women. It is hard to find those people who are kindred spirits to walk alongside. We must be wise in who we are allowing to speak into our hearts and what those conversations are doing to us—and to our girls. Much can be said here, but you know whether people are healthy for you or not, so choose well.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:10

As our daughters grow, may our goal and aim be to help cultivate beautiful souls who are fragrant offerings. While Prince Charming is special, He may not be part of her future—but it doesn’t matter because he is no comparison to the only One who will always save the day—and that is Christ. When you listen to the Holy Spirit, you will set your mind on things above and think with an eternal perspective. Pray, spend time in the Word, and serve. When our lives are marked by growing with Christ, all the things of this world begin to fade away.

For His Glory,

Gabbie

Author

  • Gabbie Nolen-Fratantoni

    Gabbie Nolen-Fratantoni loves Jesus and is passionate about serving him through the arts by leading worship and writing for various ministries. She is married to Greg, her hard-working, iron-sharpening-iron spouse. They are opposite in personality but equal in dedication to their marriage and family. Gabbie and Greg are the proud and sleep-deprived parents of two active, sweet, and fun boys and one gentle, joy-filled, little girl. An Aggie and graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, Gabbie is a small-town country girl trapped in the city. She loves getting to know people and encouraging them as they seek to know Jesus and make him known.

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  1. […] a hiatus from this blog, but part of that is because I’ve been working as the blogger for Parenting Pathway, a blog designed to equip and engage Christian parents– […]

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