“God declares who we are in Him. He calls us chosen, beloved, precious, the apple of His eye. And yet, our girls struggle to believe these descriptors, listening instead to the words culture assigns to them. Our prayers can be the impetus our girls need to walk confidently in their identity in Christ, providing them with a solid foundation upon which they can stand when all of life is steady and uncertain.”  — Praying for Girls: Asking God for the Things They Need Most

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I wrote Praying for Girls while my own daughter was in the throes of high school and all the anxiety, fear, and insecurity those years can bring. In more than one chapter, I shared honestly about her struggles (with her permission, of course) and with my own sense of inadequacy to help her navigate the tumultuous waters she was in.

In the three years since I turned in my manuscript, my daughter has blossomed, most of those doubts and uncertainties about herself have morphed into steady determination and a deep longing to know and walk with the Lord.  But it wasn’t an easy path. Not for her and not for me.

Almost every time I opened my Bible during those years I searched for truths about who God says we are, insights and promises I could share with my daughter. I continue to share those very verses and prayers not just with my own daughter but also with the teenage and college girls in my circle.

One of my favorite passages to share with these girls is Romans 6. 

In those twenty-three verses we discover at least eight important truths about what is true of us because of Christ. I encourage you to share these truths with your daughter and also to remind yourself of these powerful realities.

What is true about me because of Christ?

1. Because I have been baptized in His death, I now walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).
2. I am united with Christ in His resurrection (Romans 6:5).
3. I am no longer a slave to sin but instead I am a slave to righteousness (Romans 6:6, 17-18).
4. This world is not my forever home instead my eternal place is with Him (Romans 6:8).
5. I am dead to sin and alive to God in Christ (Romans 6:11).
6. I no longer live under the law but am free to live under His grace (Romans 6:14).
7. Through Christ, I am being sanctified and set apart for God’s glory (Romans 6:19).
8. God has given me the promise of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23).

It’s easy to get caught up in all the messages of this world. And it’s easy for our daughters to believe all those twisted signals culture shoots at them. Taking them time and again to the truth of Scripture concerning their identity is a vital task for us as moms.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

How have your struggled with your identity? As grown-up girls ourselves we are all too familiar with the questions our daughters ask because, let’s face it, we can wonder about those same things as well. One of the best ways we can help our daughters trust God’s Word over their own feelings and what society tells them is by doing that ourselves.  Take some time today to consider how you have allowed culture’s messages to sink into your heart. Confess those things and commit to viewing yourself and your identity in light of God’s Word as you guide your daughter to do the same.

SOMETHING TO PRAY

Lord, it’s hard sometimes for us to sort through all the messages the world shouts at us about who we are.  Help us be wise to filter it all through Your Word. And as we do, help us also guide our girls to do the same.  Give us boldness to pray and speak Your truth over them.  May we believe we are who You say we are and guide our daughters to do the same.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

EXTRA VERSES TO PRAY

Ephesians 4:24 “…and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

Psalm 8:4 “… what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

1 John 3:2 “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears^[a] we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”