From a woman to women

 
                                                   Four Things Every Daughter Should Know
                                                                     (  Anonymous)

Recently I have been reading aloud the book of Proverbs in my daily Bible meditation. Many of the proverbs are addressed to the writer’s son. In fact, the phrase “my son” occurs 23 times throughout the book. I began to wonder how my perspective might change if I read  my daughter  instead of “my son.” So that’s what I did, and I found that Solomon’s teaching became much more personal to me. The proverbs give profound  advice, and when I began to personalize my reading, I found four pieces of advice that are very applicable to daughters and especially for daughters in the faith
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1. My daughters, don’t get sucked in when people come to you with schemes to make a lot of money and get rich quickly. They will say, “I admire your Christian thinking. Just think of how many people you can help if you were rich!” Or, they will say, “we are not breaking the law, we are just bending it a little.” Of course, they are lying. Think carefully. What eventually happens to people who circumvent the law, to people who step on others on their way to fame? Inevitably they get exposed. Inevitably they end up broken. Do you remember Jesus’ question to his disciples? He said, “What good is it if you gain the whole world but lose your soul?”  Some people work hard to get money, jewelry and other material things, but they don’t pay attention to their inner being. That voice inside us that urges us to do what is right. Money, jewelry, and other physical things are not what makes you rich. What makes you rich is working hard to achieve the spiritual riches of heaven. [Proverbs 1:8-17; Matt 16:26].
2. My daughters, be very careful about who you choose to hang out with. You can have a lot of friends and acquaintances but be selective about who you spend the majority of your time with. It has been scientifically proven that after a while, you begin to think like the people you hang out with. They influence how you behave, and they influence the choices you make. This influence can be subtle, and it works at an unconscious level, so you may not even realize how they are influencing you. If you choose to cultivate a deep friendship with someone who does not have godly beliefs, they may subtly influence you to make unethical or unwise choices. This is not an age-related phenomenon. Whatever age you are, you are influenced by the people you hang out with.  In his letter to the Galatians, the apostle Paul writes to a group of people who are being influenced by someone to reject a basic teaching of their Christian faith. This one person’s negative influence was like leaven in a lump of bread--it was spreading throughout the entire church group. Daughters, be aware of your own strengths and weaknesses. You can be a good influence on others, but the opposite of that can also be true, others can be a bad influence on you. [Prov 1:18-19; Galatians 5:7-10] 
3. My daughters, don’t be enticed into committing sexual sin. The temptation to participate in sexual sin can come from multiple directions. There are plenty of visual, oral and subconscious stimulants that you see every day, which can cause you to engage in lustful thoughts which can in turn lead to sexual sin. A half-naked picture in a magazine, a torrid love scene in a movie, a suggestive advertisement. And then, there are tangible temptations that you may face—a tantalizing suggestion from someone’s husband or stimulating touches from your boyfriend. No doubt about it, you are going to be tempted. Many people treat sex as a casual thing. “It’s no big deal,” they say, “just make sure you protect yourself from the consequences.”  My daughters, God knows that we are going to be attracted to sex, after all, he created us. That is why he made provision for us to have sex within a covenant relationship, within marriage. Sex is not a casual thing to be engaged in without a legal commitment. This is important because your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul writes that all other sins we commit are outside of our body, but when we commit sexual sin, we sin against our own bodies, and we defile the temple of the Holy Spirit. My daughters, there are many physical dangers that can result from sexual sin—unexpected pregnancy, venereal diseases, violent acts of jealousy--but the greatest danger of sexual sin is it can harm your soul. Resist this temptation with a firm “NO.” Run away from it as fast as you can. Honor your body and remember that it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. [Prov 5:1-12; 1 Corinthians 6:18-20]
4. My daughters, don’t let anyone tell you or treat you like you are less than. You know what I mean—women can’t lead as well as men, women are too emotional, girls can’t do this or that. It’s all rubbish. The Bible is filled with examples of women who face and overcome great challenges, proving that we are not sub-par. Think of Esther who faced up to a king to save her people; Deborah a military leader who successfully led the Israelite army against the enemy; Mary, who stood at the foot of the cross as her innocent son was crucified by the Romans.  Godly women are not soft, and they are not weak. Read Proverbs 31 to get a view of how strong we are. Our strength is fueled by Jesus’ example, and we show it in our capacity to love, nourish, endure, teach, work, encourage, bear children and generally take care of business--all while focusing on the things that are pure, lovely, admirable and right.  My daughters, lean into your strength and be a confident woman of God. [Proverbs 31, Philippians 4:8]

Throughout the book of Proverbs, the author urges his sons to seek wisdom. He explains that wisdom is more valuable than gold or silver and the cornerstone of all wisdom is to revere God, to treat God and his laws with awe and deep respect.  My daughters, let your reverence for God guide you as you live your best life. [Proverbs 2:1-5]