Talking to Our Children About Beauty
Filed under {!-- ra:000000004324b91c000000000ecfe600 --}{if 'Talking to Our Children About Beauty' == '52home' && category_name == '52home'} Biblical Womanhood | Beauty | Speech {if:else} Biblical Womanhood | Beauty | Speech {/if}If we want to teach our children about biblical beauty in a world of beauty gone bad, we must show them a godly example of beauty, and we must talk to them about beauty.
God uses words to tell us about beauty and we must use words to tell our children about beauty (Deut. 6:6-9, Prov. 31, Eph. 6:1-4).
We need to tell our children of the beauty of God. Let’s talk to them in simple terms about the beauty of God’s character. Even a small child can begin to learn about the beauty of God’s sovereignty over the planets and the seasons and the seas, the beauty of his wisdom in directing our lives, and the beauty of his goodness in the daily blessings we receive.
Even more important than telling our daughters how beautiful we think they are is telling them how beautiful God is.
Sure, it can be helpful to counteract the degrading messages about women in our culture with biblical teaching about the dignity and beauty of every human being as made in the image of God, but most of all, we want to direct our daughter’s attention outward toward God’s beauty.
In fact, an overemphasis on our daughters’ outward appearance—no matter how affirming—can reinforce their sinful tendencies to vanity and self-focus.
More than confidence or security in their own beauty, we want our daughters to be enthralled with God’s beauty. When our daughters are captivated by the gospel, they will find freedom and confidence that will rise above all insecurities.
Secondly, we should talk to our children about the beauty that is pleasing to God—the hidden beauty of the heart (1 Pet. 3:3-6). Let’s tell them about the importance of putting their hope in God, like the holy women of the past.
And point out examples of true beauty. Go on true beauty hunts! Teach them to be keen spotters of true beauty in Scripture, in literature, and in the godly women they know.
As we talk often of true beauty, we will be shaping our daughters’ aspirations and our sons’ opinions of beauty.
Up Next: Talking to Our Children About Beauty, Pt. 2
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