Raising Daughters of Worth

"Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti."  Esther 2:17 

I want to share some startling statistics with you.  As a mother of a pre-teen daughter, reading these facts saddened me and put a fear in me as well.
* A girls self-esteem peaks at age 9
* Only 2% of women describe themselves as "beautiful."
* 62% of girls are insecure about themselves
* One in Four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.

When I think of these statistics, many emotions are conjured up.  Yet I also think of Esther.  Yes, the Esther that the Bible says was beautiful, brave and obedient.  Elizabeth George states in her book, "The Remarkable Women of the Bible," that God chose Esther to help save His people, the Jews.  She had acquired the beauty of being useful to God?  What does that mean?
Elizabeth George shares Esther's Beauty of Usefulness came from several aspects --- Heritage, Parentage, Tutelage, Advantage, and Homage.  (I encourage you to read this great book if you haven't before!)
The people around Esther only saw her outward beauty, but God was weaving so much more beauty in her life than even she probably knew.  I want to teach my daughter that outward beauty is not the ultimate goal, but the beauty of the heart.  From that beautiful, kind-hearted, and caring heart, I pray springs for the beauty of courage, the beauty of wisdom, and the beauty of love.
From a very young age, girls are taught to be beautiful you have to look a certain way and act a certain way.  If you do not measure up, you are shunned, devalued, and even overlooked completely. Our girls are taught that if others don't show them worth, they are truly worthless.  Why do we stand for that?  Why do we as parents stand by and let this negativity breed in our child's heart?
Those devalued and overlooked girls grow up to be women with little self-worth.  She becomes the girl that never saw herself as beautiful or worthy.  She becomes the woman who defines her worth by the way a man treats her.  She becomes the woman caught up in a relationship of violence.
It is time to share with our daughters the value that God places on them.  Our girls need to see the beauty that God sees in them.  Our girls need to know the beauty of courage, wisdom, and love!
Recently, I heard a mother say, "As for my girls, I will raise them to think they breath fire!"  What did she mean by this?  I think she wants to instill in her daughters that they are powerful; they are filled with courage; they are filled with worth; and they should accept no less from themselves.
What do you think?  Do you have daughters?  What do these numbers say to you?

Dear Lord, I pray for all the girls who feel worthless, for the women who grew up thinking they were not enough.  I pray for all the girls today who are not taught to see the beauty you have instilled in them.  I pray for all the women today caught up in relationships where they feel they have no value.  Lord, use me to reach out to these girls and women and be a beacon of hope and love in your name!  Amen