Compliments

Lieren loves to tell us what she likes about us. And I can tell she wishes her brothers would be more attentive to her skirts, hair, tutus, bows, sparkly shirts, and whatever else.  But they are fairly oblivious so she and I (and Daddy) give each other compliments often.  She started singing this little song she made up recently...

What is so funny, though, is that the other day I had Simeon in the bathroom for discipline for hitting his sister. I honestly had to turn away to keep from laughing when I asked him why he hit and he said, "She said I had weird eyes!"

Poor guy, I guess it's not all compliments from Lieren all the time.

On a deeper level, I find myself more aware of how different raising a girl is. In a houseful of boys, she twirls to her own girly tune. And I struggle sometimes to embrace the feminine, keep her young, exalt God alone for creating beauty, and balance real life with the fairy tale. Oh, for wisdom to guide her into who God wants her to be.

This summer, after spending hours at the pool, I told Shane that one of my prayers for Lieren is that when she is older, we would have instilled character deep within her by God's grace that allows her to be confident enough to wear a bikini, but confident enough that she doesn't have to (which will be a very good thing for her because she won't be allowed to anyway).

Lieren also loves to sing part of "Matchless King"...You are, You are the matchless king, who tore down the gates of the enemy. But she changes the end to, tore down the gates of the end of me.

And when she sings it, I am always reminded of how the Lord brings us to the end of ourselves to transform us to be more like Him.

Having a girl has exposed more of me to myself than almost anything. It isn't easy. But it's so good, especially if I let it be more of the end of myself and more of Him.