What I'd Teach My Granddaughters & What I Will Teach My Grandsons

I posted the following today on my grandma blog - grandmascookiejar.net - but I believe the message is important for us to pass on to the children in our Children's Ministries - and to their parents and grandparents as well, so I'm sharing it with you today, too.

I do not have any granddaughters, but if I did, I would absolutely teach them to be happy God created them to be girls. I’d teach them God knew what he was doing when He created them to be girls and He did not make a mistake. I’d teach them to know and firmly believe God has good plans for them, and He has given them the gifts they need to be happy and fulfilled as girls.

I’d teach them if any of those gifts were in the area of leadership, they should embrace them. They should be happy. They should work hard to do the best job they could as leaders wherever God placed them . . . including in whatever church they should become part of when they grew up.

I would teach them if God gave them leadership gifts then He intends for them to use them; and when they did use them, it absolutely did NOT make them pushy, bossy or someone to be rebuked for using the gifts God gave them. (Of course, they need to use their gifts in a gracious way . . . no matter what gifts God gave them, and having leadership gifts does not mean they have to be pushy, bossy, etc.)

I would tell them they very well may run into people – even in the church; or should I say, sadly most likely in the church, who do not believe women should serve in leadership positions. People who will try to discount them. People who will rebuke them for using the gift God gave them. People who will try to make them feel like they have done something wrong for speaking up and using the gift God gave them.

I would let the know if they use the gifts God gave them, there are people who will try to tell them they are doing something wrong; even when men who have the same gifts, who say the same things as they do are held up as strong leaders.

But, I would tell them to believe God, not those people, because if God gave them leadership gifts, then He intends for them to use them in a gracious and effective way. I would tell them the truth; there will be days when it is difficult, even painful to use the leadership gifts God gave them, but for them to hold tightly to the truth . . . God loves them, God is happy when they use the gift He gave them and they are doing the right thing to use this gift.

These are the things I would teach my granddaughters, if I had granddaughters. But I do not. I do, however; have grandsons and I will absolutely teach them just as they have wonderful gifts from God, so do the girls/women they will meet and get to know throughout their lives. I will teach them just as they need to use these gifts God has given them; they need to be men who encourage women to use the gifts God gave them. I will teach them to treat women with respect and to make the choice to never be men who try to hold women back, keep them in their “place” and refuse to let women use the gifts God has given them.

I am very blessed in how my husband is a man who believes women need to use the gifts God gave them in the same ways men do. My husband is supportive and encouraging and taught our son – by word and example – to be a man who believes and acts in the same way. I am thankful my husband and son will teach by word and action their grandsons/sons to be men like they are. This matters.