Passing the Torch

Dear Moms,

Yes, daughters are a delight. The most important thing to remember about daughters is there are no two alike. So you have to raise them and treat them differently. Just like St. Paul says, “YOU HAVE TO BE EVERYTHING TO EVERYONE.” How do you do that? Mom, it is simple. Get to know them. Make it your goal to know their likes and dislikes. My Amanda loves pink and so do I, but my Kaitlin would not be caught dead in pink. Everyone likes Chinese food but Charity because it makes her sick. Some of my girls like to be noticed, while others are shy. When the girls were little, if I gave one girl a compliment, I had to always add all their names or one of my girls would feel insecure. It would go something like this, “YOU LOOK PRETTY TAROLYN. YOU TOO CHARITY, AMANDA AND KAITLIN.” It truly has become our family joke. Some are party girls, while others are homebodies. Some call me out of commitment, while others can talk all day. Mom, invest your time not in things that will whither and fade, like jobs and expensive houses; spend time with family building your relationships and forming your daughters into godly women. That will become the fruit that is passed down generation after generation. In Psalm it says, "Teach the next generation the things of God." I, for one, take that responsibility seriously. RISE UP, OH WOMAN OF GOD. PASS THE TORCH TO THE NEXT GENERATION.

This is a paragraph from Shirley Price’s book, God’s Plan For Wife and Mother: "Is it worth it to raise your children according to God’s direction? You bet it is worthwhile. Andrew Murray had eleven children. Five sons were preachers and four girls married ministers. In the next generation, ten grandsons were preachers and thirteen great grandchildren were missionaries. Proverbs 11:17 says that the memory of the just is blessed."

We just watched, as a World, the Olympics. Those who took home the gold strove for excellence. They prefaced their performance with hard work, perseverance, and pain. We should learn from their example. We should strive for excellence in the Kingdom of God. We should work hard, persevere, even through pain, and be the best mom we can be. Vow today to waste time with your daughters individually and as a group. Live the scripture, "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Start today; you older women, teach the younger women. Mentor your daughters whether they are two or they are twenty-two. Yes, PASS THE TORCH OF GOD’S LOVE TO THE NEXT GENERATION.

What are some of your mother-to-daughter memories, wisdom, or pitfalls? E-mail me or leave a comment!

ELLEN