Ah, raising teenage girls! Most definitely a challenge. Raising
moral, pure and Godly daughters. A huge challenge! Especially in
our frantic and busy world.

I must admit, when my girls were toddlers, I was terrified of all the
horror stories I heard on a daily basis...drugs, teen pregnancy,
abortion, suicide, violent boyfriends, and the list goes on and on.
My prayer started as, "God, please help me raise my daughters to
honor You and serve others along life's journey." And as you can
guess, as they grew, my prayer became much more specific. "God,
please give me wisdom to show them how vital it is to be real; real
with You, real with me. Help me show them the value of following
the desire of their hearts, and the beauty of saving themselves
physically and emotionally for the guy with whom they will spend
their adult lives, raise children and pass on the legacy of honor and
integrity. And Lord, please continue to bless them with much love,
grace and health."

Now, my girls are ages 21, 19 and 9. We've been through much of what
I had so much dreaded...skinned knees (on which I had to pour
alcohol, and watch them cringe), betrayal of friends, deaths of
people dear to their hearts, broken hearts, and all of life's
disappointments that affect young hearts. We've shed our share of
tears, had our disagreements and fought together during the storms.

I am here to bring hope to you, in a world that sometimes looks so
bleak. I will tell you up front it's not easy and it's not made for
quitters. But raising daughters that will trust you enough to come
to you when someone offers them drugs or a boyfriend is disrespectful
of their morals, is not an unreal expectation. Don't let anyone take
that hope and desire from you. Yes, it's a challenge, yes it's hard
and yes it will cost you something. Most of all it will cost you
your time. Second it will require you to be honest with them,
brutally honest. Next it will cost your pride. I say pride because
when all the world peeks into your world, it doesn't look normal to
them. Many throughout the years have been a great encouragement, but
sadly many have also been cynical. But I promise you, the true
relationship that you will gain through tears, sweat, blood and
prayer will be worth more than you could ever expect.

Ironically, some of the people that were once cynical are now asking,
"What's the secret for raising girls that are committed to sexual
purity (in such a sex driven world), family, true relationship and
personal growth?" There is no formula. Honestly, God's mercy and
grace is the ultimate answer. But it's also through seeking His
wisdom, being enthusiastic, wholehearted, devoted, and purposefully
faithful to your cause. Don't give up. And even more, I challenge
you to be more loyal and available to your children. If not you?
Who will.