Dear Emma:

It’s hard to believe you are already a sixth grader. Where has the time gone? I feel like it was just yesterday we brought you home from the hospital, then we blinked and you started kindergarten, and now here you are ready to take on middle school. Wow, time flies when you’re having fun, and I sure am having a blast being your mom. I want you to know that I am so proud of you and I absolutely love your zest for life, the way you give everything your all, your happy heart, and your sweet tenderness towards God and others. I pray that you always keep those qualities and put God first in your life, for He will bless you more than you ever dreamed possible when you live for Him.

Another quality, however, that I hope you will always carry with you is a teachable spirit. This is such an important quality that truly sets people up for success in life because the reality is: none of us have arrived and none of us know everything. Therefore, we can all benefit from learning at every stage of life. One of the best examples of this is in the Bible in 2 Chronicles 1:7-12 which tells the story of King Solomon’s achievements and the great success he had in his kingdom and how the Lord had exalted him exceedingly. One night, the Lord came to him and told him that he could ask for anything. Oh the possibilities! He could have asked for more riches, more fame, more victories over his enemies, an even greater kingdom, or long life, but he didn’t ask for any of that. No, instead he asked for wisdom and knowledge. The Lord responded by saying, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked for riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked for long life–but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.” From this we can see that Solomon’s desire for wisdom pleased God and God blessed him incredibly for it. There is such a huge lesson in this for all of us of the importance of keeping our hearts humble, staying open to learning, and never wavering in seeking God’s will in our lives.

As you know, this past week I had the opportunity to speak to a group of high school girls. There’s very few things that I would leave town for in the middle of a school week, but I knew the Lord was leading me to go and share with them…which by the way, thank you, lovey, for always being so understanding when I go to do ministry. As I was preparing to speak to them I found myself wondering where do I even begin in addressing the key truths that these girls with different backgrounds and completely different stories so desperately need? And the thing that I kept coming back to was this: if I had one shot at imparting truth into my own daughter’s heart, what would I share? What would I want her to cling to through the triumphs and heartaches she will face on her journey? What would I want her to know that matters most in life?

Once I began pondering this, these 10 principles began to overflow from my heart. I shared them with the girls this week and God used it so powerfully that I want to make sure that I share them with you, my sweet girl, as well…especially since you were the one who inspired me to write them. So, I hope you will do more than just read down through these quickly. But rather, I pray this will be an opportunity for you to grab on to wisdom and knowledge. These are not my words, they are truths straight from Scripture. And let me just say that as I have been reading through the Old Testament these last few months, I have seen example after example of kings who followed God’s truths and principles and kings who didn’t. Over and over, those who were faithful to the Lord were blessed beyond measure and those who turned their backs on God and His principles found themselves defeated by their enemies, struggling, and even held in captivity. It really is so clear, and I can’t cheer you on enough, Emma, to follow God and His principles–it is for your good and you will be blessed because of it. When I look at my life and see how faithful God has been over the last 45 years and how happy I am living for Him, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I promise you there’s nothing greater than following Jesus. So here are 10 truths for girls that I pray you will hold close to your heart and always follow throughout your life:

1. Live for Jesus now. Don’t wait until you’re older (I Timothy 4:12). The Bible says our lives are a vapor and no one is promised tomorrow, so make today count. You can make a difference in the lives of those around you. If you will shine for Jesus and love people, you can make a HUGE impact. And here’s the thing: You might be the only Jesus some will ever see, the only way they will know how much Jesus loves them. James 4:14
2. Don’t try to imitate others. Be the BEST version of YOU. God created you so special and unique and no one else can be YOU.  Psalm 139, I Corinthians 12:12-27, Romans 12:4
3. Don’t look to a guy or a friendship to complete you. Only God can fill that space. Only He can fill the deepest longing of your soul. John 6:35
4. When you begin to date, only choose guys that have qualities of someone you would marry. Make sure they love Jesus with ALL their heart—not just with their words but with their actions. 2 Corinthians 6:14
5. When it comes to purity, YOU are the only one responsible for your body and your heart. Guard both of them carefully. This involves everything from dating standards, to movies, music, language, etc… Ask yourself–if you could see Jesus sitting right beside you would you still participate in that activity? The truth is–if you know Jesus, He is within you. So He sees everything and knows all that we do and say. The question is are we pleasing Him in all that we participate in? I Corinthians 6:19-20, Proverbs 4:23
6. Find the purpose and dreams God created you for and passionately live them out.  Before the foundation of the earth was made, God chose you and had a special plan for your life. Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 1:4
7. Keep your eyes on Jesus. People will let you down, but He will ALWAYS be faithful and true.  Hebrews 13:6, Psalm 20:7
8. Choose to be BRAVE and BOLD. There is nothing attractive about insecurity. We can be confident because it is not about us but about the POWER that is within us when we know Jesus. Ephesians 3:20, Philippians 4:13
9. Never forget who you are. You were created in the image of God, and you are a DAUGHTER of the KING. Genesis 1:27, I Peter 2:9
10. Always know that no matter what happens in life, you are NEVER ALONE. God is WITH you, God is FOR you, and He will NEVER LEAVE YOU! Hebrews 13:5b

I hope you always know that I am here praying for you, cheering you on, and I’m so excited for all that God has for you! Keep living for Jesus–there’s truly nothing greater!

I love you forever,

Mom