Courageous - Being Daughters rooted in Graceনমুনা

When I think about what I want for our daughters, I think of freedom from fear. By fear, I mean the kind that causes us to live limited lives: fear of doing what God is asking of us, fear of being ourselves, fear of ruining our daughters, fear of success, fear of the world, and so forth. God longs to help us and our girls move through these kinds of fears, asking us to replace them with something far more powerful: faith.

If we look at the story of Queen Esther, we are reminded that God will finish what He starts. Esther knew this. Confident and courageous, she was willing to risk everything to do what God asked of her. Her faith fed her resiliency. Esther knew something we all must learn: her life was not her own. 

In recent years resilience has become a trendy word but for good reason. It is built only through time and hardship. We are not born with resilience, but it is something we learn and develop. Resilient people understand that risk and failure are a part of the road to success. These people do not move away from challenges but understand how growth occurs as they face obstacles intentionally. Resilient people have anxieties and fears, but they have learned ways to cope with these emotions and have communities in place that help them find relief. Our perception of what we can and cannot control shapes the depth of our resilience. The difference between having power and feeling powerless can be as simple as the way we think.

Walking with some of the most resilient women and girls I know, I have learned a profound principle about God: He has made His people capable of moving through anything! Rebuilding, restoring, and renewing what we once thought was lost is God’s primary business and is the work to which He calls His people. While not all things will be fully restored in this life, He is surely accomplishing a mighty work in the world, despite the way it might look.

There is one thing we must hold on to: no matter the why behind what happens to us, we have choices about how we respond to our circumstances. Teaching our girls the power of choice in the face of adversity can be one of the greatest gifts we ever give them.

Make a list of your top five fears. Next to each fear, write a truth statement from Scripture or what you know to be true about yourself.