What Should a Daughter of God be?

This is just a small bit of advice I shared with other girls at church this past February at our annual Father/Daughter Valentine's dinner. You can check out my Obeying our Parents advice from last year or the True/False question game we played this year.

If you've ever watched a rose bloom, at first the bud is green and tighty closed. The next day, you see just a peek of color. Each day you see more of the rose bud, until on day the rose is in full bloom.

While the bud was opening, even though you couldn't see the whole flower, you could still delight in it's beauty. Just like this bud promised of the rose to come, so girlhood is the opening flower to womanhood.

Girlhood days are happy days of making ready for the beautiful woman you will become. To be a beautiful woman, you must first be a beautiful daughter. Just how can you be a beautiful daughter?

Mrs. Carolyn Mahaney explains what it means to be a godly daughter, "Being a godly woman isn't doing a list of things, but being obedient to Christ in everyday life."

Right now, we can be obedient to Christ by obeying our parents. This would mean obeying cheerfully without grumbling, right away . If you don't obey immediately, you are disobeying.

• Colossians 3:20 says, "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord." (ESV)
• Jesus said, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15, NIV)

In Psalm 50:10 (NIV) David prayed, "Create in me a pure heart, O God." Our desire should also be to have a God-honoring, pure heart. Purity in a daughter will please and honor her father (and future husband).

What Does it Mean to Have a Pure Heart?

• Purity means cleanness from foulness or dire.
• Daniel 12:10 says, "Many will be purified, made spotless and refined."

Purity really begins in our hearts and thoughts. Pure daughters must learn to control their thoughts. Sometimes, it will be hard. To control your thoughts, it helps to focus on God by praying, thinking of Bible verses and hymns. This is a time when the Bible verses you've memorized really help; think of Psalm 119:11: "Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against You."

One dad wrote a letter to his daughter saying, "Strive, then, to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

Is Your Attitude Right or are you Just Going Through the Motions?
How we act reflects the attitude of our hearts. "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man. " (Proverbs 27:19, ESV)

Are you pleasing God and your parents in what you read and watch? How you dress? What you say to your friends? Do you speak respectfully to your parents? "For the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. " (1 Samuel 16:7, ESV)

Each day wehn you get dressed, what are you thinking about? Are you trying to attract attention by how you dress or are you wanting to please your parents?

Does the Bible give us guidelines for how we should dress?

• "I desire therefore...that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel." (1Timothy 2:8-9, NKJV)
• "Do not let your adornment be merely outward...rather let it be the hidden person of hte heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gently and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NKJV)

It is wonderfully fun to get dressed up and look beautiful, be should never dress immodestly to attract attention. Real beauty is a girl's heart overflowing with joy and kindness.

It is both beautiful and pleasing to God when we help others; by happily obeying our parents, speaking kindly to our brothers and sisters and skipping through each day with a joyful smile.