It is wonderful to see that our daughters are very much aware of their sexual orientation as females. And upon this foundation we hope to continue building qualities that Christ would desire in godly ladies.
Femininity Our little girls are already very feminine. They love shoes and to express their wants for their daily attire. Moriah now loves to wear dresses and skirts almost everyday if I let her. (Sometimes I want to save a dress for church. :-) God's Word makes it very clear that our sexuality is in God's image and we should not distort His image.
God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27
A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this. Deuteronomy 22:5
Modesty When our girls dress modestly (and myself also!) it honors God. It forces people to look beyond their physical appearance to the character of their hearts. When women dress immodestly it is distracting and, truly, unattractive. There is a reason that prostitutes dress the way they do and we don't want to communicate those same signals. Modest dress is a visual sign of godliness.
Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.
1 Timothy 2:9
Helping attitudes This is one of the reasons why God created the woman, to be man's helper. Our girls already demonstrate a strong desire to help and we want to continue to hone in on that. Some things they presume will be helpful but really are not, so we must teach them to maintain the same willingness to help, but to be more thoughtful and ask what would be the best help to others.
Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." Genesis 2:18
Nurturing, Mothering attitudes This is the second important reason that God created woman, to experience motherhood. The human race would not continue if she doesn't take up this call. Notice in the text that Eve was called "the mother of all the living" before she bore any children. Moriah loves to hold both Shiphrah and Lily's hands as a way to show affection and empathy. And it is very sweet and good. It honors us as her parents and I'm sure that it honors God also to display healthy, compassionate affection to her sisters.
Now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. Genesis 3:20
Gratitude Always showing gratitude is a Christlike quality and it goes hand-in-glove with joy. But this attitude will only come about when they experience (if the Lord wills) the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. No one wants to be around someone that is critical and complains all the time.
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Colossians 2:6-7
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. Ephesians 5:18-21
Gentleness My honey describes gentleness this way: restrained strength. A woman has the ability to calm and comfort with soft touches and words. We harness more strength than we might think. Christ is described as being gentle, but He was not wimpy.
Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
1 Peter 3:3-4
Submission I think that this is first an obedience issue, which we are trying to foster as faithful parents, second a trust issue and third a pride issue. Our girls must be taught to fear God, obey and trust Him. Out of that I believe that they will learn to do the same for their future husbands--submitting to their leadership with respect, trust and patience so that they won't become nagging manipulative wives, giving up their own claims to dominate their future marriages.
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Ephesians 5:22-24
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Colossians 3:18
Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored. Titus 2:3-5
Manners I consider that manners and etiquette are more than just some sign of elitism or refinement, but rather showing manners is the same as having consideration for others in our presence. It is a way that we can apply the command to love our neighbors. Listening well without interrupting, eating without attempting to do disgusting things at the table, giving others preference, and saying, "Please," and, "Thank you." I think that this helps instill humility in some ways also.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor . . . Romans 12:10
So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. Galatians 6:10
By no means would this be an exhaustive list. If you look at the context of all these passages included above, we would see many other character qualities that are encouraged for all ladies and men alike: generosity, hospitality, diligence, service and on and on. Of course all of this is void if God isn't present.
Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.
Psalm 127:1
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O Sovereign God, be with us and strengthen us for this task that can only be accomplished by Your grace and for Your glory. Amen
