To my unborn daughter

21-Apr-16
Dear One,

Did I mention I was terrified? It is starting to strike me randomly, flashes of fear as I ponder your arrival. I ask myself, "What am I doing?" How did I think reproducing would be a good idea? Am I going to vaccinate you? What will I do when you are crying and I've tried holding you, feeding you, rocking you, changing you, and nothing works? How am I going to punish you when you misbehave? Praise and support you when you are good? Shepherd your hear and soul toward the truth that ultimately matters?

Of all the souls in the world, suddenly yours matters most, because it was given to my care and keeping, and I am responsible for it, as much as I am your life and well-being.

How will David and I nurture your soul and guide you ever to God? Encourage you to ever walk in his love and truth?

And in this world where we are not only discarding Biblical values and norms, but traditional norms and even reality, how will I as your mother train you to be a woman in all the glory that God made us?

The modern feminist seems set on tearing down men, and abandoning all things uniquely feminine in order to take men's place. I style myself a feminist. I believe in equal rights, voting, and representation under law. But don't be fooled. Equality does not mean the same. We are equal to men under God, little one, our souls just as precious, our hearts just as dear, His love just as great. We are made in the image of God, just as men were, and we represent a part of God men do not. We are different from men, and that is beautiful.

So how do I convince you of your value as a woman in a culture that can't grasp the inherent beauty of women as God has made us? We are lionesses, the huntress who still lets the males eat first. God has made us softer and physically weaker, but with grid iron at our cores, giving us strength beyond what seems human, used for child-bearing, marriage, even fighting as a mother bear protecting her cubs. We were created as helpmeets. There is a saying that behind everyone successful man, there is a woman. As I am able to more look beyond my selfishness, I am beginning to see that I am to support, counter, complete, and help David. That we are a team and his rise is both of our rise, that we aren't competing, we are one. And I could fight him for his job, or I can use my unique differences to raise him beyond what he can achieve on his own.

And he does the same for me, encouraging me in my strengths and supporting me in my weakness. He has given my heart a safe place from which it can fly.

What if you don't get married? Fine, you are still a woman with the unique beauty therein, and God still has a calling just for you and your talents.

I don't want to raise you in all the stereotypes that people think mean girl, but I don't want to force your way either. I want you to be able to like blue and math and engineering and kickboxing if you want without questioning your femininity or abilities, but if you like pink and Barbies and English and ballet, then more power to you. I don't consider myself girly, but I liked all those things too. Except ballet, never got into that.

In short, I want to give you all the confidence to pursue the things you love or are skilled at, secure in your womanhood without feeling the pressure of culture to prove anything about your femininity.

Dear Lord,

Please soothe and take away my fear. I thank you for my little one and the blessing it is to carry her and raise her. Please protect her heart. Draw her soul to you, save her and writer her name in the book. Please guard her from our culture where we have so lost our way and let her be secure in her identity in you. And please help those of us who the truth to guide and witness to our culture, and point them back to the only Way, Truth, and Life.