Prayer for My Daughters

I was searching for Christian websites to add to my repertoire of Bible study, devotions, and inspiration and came across this beautiful blog post. The author perfectly conveyed the words my heart could have spoken... Lisa Notes: What I want for my daughters 

Mean Girls and Blind Judges...

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.


This weekend has been chocked full of competition on the individual level and group levels. Emotions have been stretched from one end of the spectrum to the other. My 12 year old was in the school pageant and my 16 year old in show choir competition. Both experiences have been a tug of war with mean girls and questionable judges. It is no wonder my head feels as if it is squished in a vice...well...the sinus pressure and congestion kind of ices the cake as well.

Contestant #1

To the left, is my beautiful baby girl. Hair curled, but pulled back in the sweet way only a 12 year old would wear it. The dress sparkly and fitting, but sure to cover up all of her innocence. For the pageant, she is wearing a little more make-up than I normally prefer, but we needed to accentuate the features for stage lighting and such, or so they say.

 Her school pageant was touted to be a "natural" pageant. Administrators were stressing the importance of age appropriate hair, make-up, and dress. The judges were going to be told  to only look for age appropriate. Natural also means, " what you are born with." Nothing fake...or so I thought.

The night of the pageant we learned an entirely different definition. All of the winners had fake spray tans. You know, that special orange glow you can only get from an airbrush.  Mascara, coal black eyeliner, and lipstick caked on so thick that not even 40 year old women should attempt to wear so thick. Hairstyles were also formal and older looking styles. Of course, there are thin lines when it comes to hair. Some of the dresses worn lacked the modesty that any 6th grade girl should have.

As far as the judges go, for this "natural" pageant, nothing but "glitz" judges were commissioned.  Glitz are so used to seeing fake hair, fake teeth, and fake tans, I believe they have lost touch with how beautiful a young lady without all those paid for, add-ons could be.  To clarify, I am not saying my baby girl should have won or that I am angry she was not the winner. I simply feel that all girls should have been given the same advantage. If overdone, non-age appropriate was to be frowned on and taken out of the running, then there should have never been winners picked from the sort.

Ok, so you ask...where do mean girls fit into all this? The winner, in all of her glorius, fake attire, made a point to tell my daughter that she was going to lose.  Not once that night, but several times.  Then proceeded to tell all the other little girls that she was only in the pageant to beat my child. They all felt that my daughter needed to hear that right before she took the stage.  Yes, our own production of , "Mean Girls," right here in our small town school pageant.

I am happy to report that my girl took the stage and modelled all the beauty and sweetness she could muster. Unfortunately, the judges were unable to see into the hearts of the girls on stage or their chosen winners would have been a little different. While those girls were painted beautiful on the outside for the one pageant night, my daughter is naturally beautiful---inside and out--everyday of the week. She is a princess because her Father is the King!  She studies God's Word, prays with an honest heart, and tries to follow Jesus' example. For that...I could not have been more proud! Well, proud without being too prideful. It is the inner beauty we are striving for...the outer beauty is just an added perk!

Show choir competition and judging? That's a whole other story...

With only girls in the house, we are never concerned of a drama drought on the horizon. Growing up, I was the only drama queen amidst four kids...multiply that by 3! My life has been blessed by having three girls and there are daily lessons handed down by God reminding me HE is the one in charge. I certainly could not do this without God. Even so, there are times when my heart breaks because I cannot do anything to help my girls through times, that to them, it feels like it's the end of the world.
Friendships among girls can be the sweetest thing and they can be the, well...end of the world. One of my daughters is finding out the value of true friendships and while she understands, Christian values must come first, it's still hard to lose someone who was considered a close friend. She's realizing that honesty and sincerity are wonderful traits to treasure in a friend. When that's gone, it is probably best to move on after all measures of reconciliation have been tried.
It is amazing to watch this transformation in my child, as she prays for God to work on her heart and show her faults within the drama of the moment. She's got that part right...turn it all over to God, let Him do the rest. Me? I'm trying, but it's not keeping me from wanting to take on the world on her behalf. It's heartbreaking to watch her pain...but...God's teaching me and her some life lessons. Trusting Him is top of the list!

Slacker Mom?

(Written February 2007)

Slacker Mom?
So, I've been slacking in the Blog department. Big deal...there is life outside my internet. The possibility is HUGE that I may have slacked in the Mom department today.

Morning times are not the highlight of the females in this household. We are all grumpy girls when the sun's rays peek over the horizon. Thirty minutes is the average wake up time to get us to roll out of bed, which means I have to start at 6:00 a.m. to have everyone awake by 6:30 a.m. A few decibels shy of a fog horn, the blaring Contemporary Christian radio station has occasionally produced a few happy sleepyheads. For the most part, it just doesn't happen.

Holleigh Hobby, my 7 year old princess, proves to be the most difficult one to wake. She has recently invested (my money, of course) in a furry, sleeping eye mask. The front reads: "Go Away!" This sums up Holleigh's morning personality completely.

She doesn't want to wake up, dress, or go to school. She hates school...or so she says. Holleigh wants to homeschool. Why does she want to homeschool? So she can wake up late and be finished with school work early. A little princess's dream come true!

Well, if you can't homeschool, there is one way to be able to stay at home--

"Mama, my tummy hurts."

"It does?"

"Yes, Mam."

"Do you think maybe you are hungry?"

(Shrugs shoulders)

"Try eating a little and see if you feel better."

"My tummy still hurts."

"Well, go crawl back in the bed. You need your rest, no television, go back to sleep."

At this point, I am almost certain, I see a smile creep up from behind that long, brown hair. Off she goes, back to bed, with a promise that she will be taken to school at the first sign of feeling better.

Five minutes after the bus totes the older two girls off to school, Holleigh is miraculously healed. Did Holleigh ever make it to school? Nah, I'm a sucker.

Posted on February 01, 2007 in ...That's Just Life! Permalink