Mugged by the Mirror

Yesterday, Rhonda and I went to a local church where the pastor was continuing his series of messages regarding "identity theft." His topic for the day was "Image," and how many women, young and older, have had their true identity stolen from them and replaced it with some computer-generated image that the world tells them they should look like. I took note because I have a daughter and a wife.

Since Garin was young enough to talk I have a phrase that I say to her, "You sure are beautiful," to which she replies, "From the inssiiidddde out!" We used to share that much more often and I was convicted of my negligence yesterday. There is a force at work in our world that wants to convince my daughter that she is not pretty enough unless she has the right hair, the right eyes, the right hips, the right bottom and the right boobs. My responsibility as her father is to value her beauty the way God values her beauty...from the innssiiidddde out! She needs to know that no matter what the world says to her, she is beautiful and that she is unique and that she is significant not because of what people say to her but because of her position as a child of God. I must protect her from being mugged by the mirror, and it won't be easy.

One of our core beliefs at The Springs is "Identity in Christ" and I believe it just might be the belief that our world needs the most. The creed associated with this belief reads: I believe I am significant because of my position as a child of God. If we get this then many other things fall into place. If my daughter grows up understanding that her significance comes from her position, not her posture, then she will not struggle with self-esteem issues. If my son grows up with a healthy understanding that his significance comes from his position in Christ, not on the baseball field, then he will not struggle with success/achievement issues.

It's our responsibility as parents to teach our children this life-altering truth. If we fail to do so, our kids are in for a lifetime of struggle. How well are we doing? For those of you with daughters, how have you battled this fight? For those of you with sons, how are you training your boys? We can learn from each others' mistakes, but even more importantly, we can learn from each others' successes.

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. - John 1:12