Despite the fact that motherhood has been practiced for millennia, I have yet to meet a mother who believes she has mastered the craft. On a desperate search for tips, solutions, and sound principles, we all stumble along, making the same mistakes. When our daughters reach adolescence, we may lose hope of ever succeeding as mothers, let alone passing on the language of biblical womanhood. But if we only read Holy Scripture, we would find the wisdom and guidance we so desperately need. We must not neglect God’s Word in our search for the fool’s gold of worldly advice. A simple test of tender love’s effectiveness requires only a moment of self-reflection. Don’t we all prefer someone who shows interest in us and expresses affection to someone who tries to force or manipulate us to conform to their wishes? Our daughters are no exception. When there is no tender love, discipline, correction, and training are ineffective and even harmful. These same tools, however, are more welcome if they are delivered with kindness and gentleness. The biblical adage that you should treat others as you would like to be treated certainly applies here. The prayers of a godly mother have “great power” (James 5:16), so who better to pray for our daughters than us? Nobody knows them like we do. No one is more acquainted with the unique temptations and pressures they face on a daily basis. Nobody can pray for them with greater insight or compassion.
