Girl Talk (Redesign) E-Book

Carolyn Mahaney

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 281

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2005

Beschreibung

Mothers and daughters have a lot to talk about. That's how God designed it. A mother is her daughter's first role model, teacher, and friend, and she carries the responsibility of passing on to her daughter a legacy of biblical womanhood. Join mother-daughter team Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Whitacre as they give you insights and suggestions on how to talk-really talk-to each other about what it means to become a godly woman. Tips and study questions make it easy for moms and their pre-teen and teenage daughters to read, share, discuss, and grow.

Leseprobe

Girl Talk

Copyright © 2005 by Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Mahaney Whitacre

Published by Crossway Booksa publishing ministry of Good News Publishers1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided by USA copyright law.

Unless otherwise designated, Scripture verses are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by International Bible Society. Use of either trademark requires the permission of International Bible Society.

Scripture references marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Ill., 60189. All rights reserved.

All italics in Scripture quotations indicate emphasis added by this book’s authors.

Cover design: Josh Dennis

First printing 2005

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mahaney, Carolyn, 1955Girl talk : mother-daughter conversations on biblical womanhood / Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Mahaney Whitacre

p.  cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

1. Women—Religious aspects—Christianity. 2. Christian women—Religious life. 3. Mothers and daughters. I. Mahaney Whitacre, Nicole. II. Title.

BT704.M336   2005

248.8'43—dc22

2004029336

BP            14   13   12   11   10   09   08   07   06   05

15   14   13   12   11   10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1

To C. J.“If ever two were one, then surely we;If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.”Carolyn

To Steve“As you are mine, I am yours.I give away myself for you and dote upon the exchange.” Nicole

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: The Shopping Trip

PART ONE

The Forging of the Mother-Daughter Bond

1 The Language of Biblical Womanhood Carolyn

2 Imperfect Makes Perfect Nicole

3 Cover Mom Nicole

4 Afternoon Out Carolyn

5 Constant Communication Carolyn

6 Conflict Jungle Nicole

7 A Mother’s Faith Carolyn

8 A Mother’s Example Carolyn

9 A Mother’s Love Carolyn

10 A Mother’s Discipline Carolyn

11 A Daughter’s Honor Nicole

12 A Daughter’s Obedience Nicole

PART TWO

Biblical Womanhood in the Real World

13 Sowing in Springtime Nicole

14 It’s a Girl! Carolyn

15 Foolish Fans and the Fear of God Nicole

16 Best Friends Nicole

17 What About Guys? Nicole

18 True Beauty Carolyn

19 Taking God to the Gap Nicole

20 Future Homemakers Nicole

21 Homemaking Internship Carolyn

22 A Girl’s Reputation Carolyn

23 When It Comes to Courtship Carolyn

24 Who Gives This Woman? Carolyn

25 Passing on the Language of Biblical Womanhood Carolyn & Nicole

Appendix A: Girl Talk Discussion Questions

Appendix B: More Girl Talk Questions

Appendix C: How to Lead Your Daughter to Christ

Appendix D: Mother-Daughter Memories

Appendix E: A Modesty Heart Check

A Word to Fathers by C. J. Mahaney

Notes

Acknowledgments

CAROLYN AND NICOLE would like to wholeheartedly thank:

Lane and Ebeth Dennis for your ever-gracious support and for giving us the priceless opportunity to write a book together.

Marvin Padgett for your vast reservoir of patience from which you answered all our questions, accommodated our many requests, and granted numerous deadline extensions.

Lila Bishop for your proficient editing and your kindness in explaining to us the finer points of grammar.

Josh Dennis for allowing two unartistic women to offer suggestions on the book’s cover. Thanks for the dedicated effort and creativity you invested to come up with a design that would appeal to teenage girls.

Gary and Lisa Thomas, Janice Dillon, Nora Earles, Susan Nelson, Julie Kauflin, Megan Russell, Jennifer and Naomi Hinders, Susan Jansen, Jenny Detwiler, Janis Shank, Cheri Kittrell, Sarah Loftness, and Joshua Harris for your invaluable critiques, encouragement, and assistance to make Girl Talk a reality. This book bears the handprint of each one of you.

The pastors and members of Covenant Life Church and Sovereign Grace Church of Fairfax for your faithful prayers: We were carried by them. And special thanks to the pastors of Sovereign Grace Church for your generous financial gift when Nicole’s ancient laptop expired halfway through the writing process.

Nicole would like to thank Alyssa Sieb, Heidi Farley, the pas-tors’ wives of Sovereign Grace Church, and all her friends for the meals, prayers, baby-sitting, encouraging notes and e-mails, and for still being my friends even though I went AWOL to write this book!

Jeff Purswell and Randy Stinson for bringing your theological precision and expertise to bear on chapter 14.

Carolyn McCulley. As if you weren’t busy enough writing your own book, you joyfully put up with our phone calls and e-mails asking for your advice on our book. Thanks for being a wise, faithful, and always-encouraging counselor throughout the duration of this project. “Just one more question . . .”

Justin Taylor, who is a hero in our eyes for agreeing to read and edit Girl Talk—not once, but twice! We are so humbled and honored to have been on the receiving end of your exceptional counsel and gifting for this project.

Kristin Chesemore and Janelle Bradshaw for making meals, baby-sitting, praying, and being our most faithful cheerleaders. Thanks especially for letting us tell stories about you, for dis-cussing all aspects of Girl Talk, and for helping us talk about something else once in a while. This is your book too. (And to Brian and Mike for your faithful encouragement and participation in family book discussions.)

Nancy Whitacre, the undisputed MVP of this book project. Thanks for baby-sitting your grandson, Jack, doing Nicole’s laundry, cooking meals, and generally keeping the household running. Thank you also for your specific, timely encouragement and for your helpful suggestions. (Nope, we’re not adding another chapter!) Your behind-the-scenes sacrifice made Girl Talk possible. I am sure no daughter-in-law has ever had a finer mother-in-law. (And to Bill and Megan for joyfully releasing Nancy to serve Nicole. Steve, Nicole, and Jack love sharing a home with you all.)

Our sons, Chad and Jack, whom we love with all our hearts. We hope this book will serve the young girl who is destined to be your wife someday.

C. J./Dad for being our most enthusiastic supporter on the planet. As our in-house editor, you protected us from theological error, challenged points that didn’t make sense, and patiently walked us through rigorous rewrites. Your exceptional leader-ship as a husband and father has been the foundation and catalyst for our mother-daughter relationships. There would be no Girl Talk apart from you.

Finally, Steve Whitacre. You are most worthy of honor for your selfless and yet ever-joyful commitment to this book. Thank you for coming up with the title, discovering the opening illustration, skillfully editing the entire manuscript (“Sticklers Unite!”), taking care of Jack on your days off, tenderly caring for an exhausted wife in the final days of writing, and most of all for not letting Nicole quit! No one sacrificed more or contributed more to Girl Talk.

Our prayer for this book echoes that of Philip Doddridge:

“However weak and contemptible this work may seem in the eyes of the children of this world, and however imperfect it really be, [may it] nevertheless live before thee; and through a divine power, be mighty to produce the rise and progress of religion.”1

Introduction: The Shopping Trip

DEAR MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS,

We’re a little blurry-eyed this morning. We just returned last night from the Mahaney Girls’ Shopping Trip—our annual twenty-four-hour excursion into the wilds of northern Virginia retail country.

Wish you coulda been there. But you’d be stained with fruit punch and hot chocolate by now. As usual, we had a couple of spills. All part of the fun. We stayed at a hotel, bought a pile of Christmas gifts, walked at least fifty miles, and laughed a lot. When we finally left the mall after dark, we drove around aimlessly for half an hour before going home. We didn’t want it to end.

Best we can figure, this was our fifteenth year. On the inaugural trip, Nicole (the oldest) was an awkward twelve and Kristin a year younger. Carolyn (Mom) didn’t have any gray hairs yet. Janelle (the youngest) came a few years later when Mom determined she was old enough—and then only for the food. Not much has changed!

Actually a lot has changed. All three girls have gotten married, and four grandsons have been added to the family (three of them are Kristin’s; so we pray for her a lot!). But in spite of wed-dings and moves to other states (and back again) and emergency surgeries and busy ministry schedules (all the girls married aspiring pastors), the Shopping Trip has survived.

Each year we’ve shared countless fits of hysterical laughter (you had to be there) punctuated by serious and memorable discussions about God, life, our hearts. Of course there has been conflict and more than a few spills (this year we set a new record!).

Although every Shopping Trip has its own unique memories (like the time Kristin left her wallet full of cash at the Gap), there are certain things you can count on. Like Nicole’s and Kristin’s perennial argument about how to organize the family gift-giving. “Should we give presents to each other or only to the grand-sons?” “Should everyone give to everyone, or should we pick names?” “How much should we spend so it’s fair?” Kristin always has a plan, and Nicole always disagrees. Janelle’s happy either way, as long as we talk about it over lunch.

Nicole, the complicated one, usually arrives with a Christmas list to rival Saint Nicholas. She wants to buy “small” gifts for all the cousins (twenty-seven total), all the people she’s ever worked with and their kids, and anyone she’s ever said “hi” to at church. Because of budgetary limitations she solicits ideas for homemade projects that fit within her also-very-limited creative abilities. We try to help. So there was the hot-chocolate-mix year and the homemade-cookies year and finally the just-buy-everyone- a-cheap-CD year. Paring down her list takes some time. Meanwhile Janelle is getting hungry. She’s ready to take a break, and we haven’t even started shopping yet.

Taking a break is the furthest thing from Kristin’s mind. She’s armed with coupons, sales advertisements, and a Christmas list complete with dollar amounts (she’s put money aside every month for the last year). She takes this shopping thing a little too seriously. We almost feel bad for the clerks. They don’t stand a chance against her thorough research and polite assertiveness. It usually goes something like this:

Kristin (to clerk): “Good morning, ma’am. I have a question. [Here it comes!] According to this coupon, these T-shirts should be three for fifteen dollars, but they are marked seven dollars each.”

Clerk (confidently): “Ah, yes, well, that sale ended last week.”

Kristin (very sweetly): “Oh, I see. But may I point out that this coupon doesn’t carry an expiration date? Therefore, I expect it should be valid indefinitely. Is that not so? I know you value customer service here; so I was wondering if you might be so kind as to honor this offer?”

Clerk (not so confidently): “Well, ah, like I said, that sale ended last week.”

Kristin (not as sweetly): “Okay, I understand, but may I please speak to your manager?”

Five minutes later Kristin walks out (a tad triumphantly) with all three T-shirts for fifteen dollars. Meanwhile Janelle is chafing over the delay. All she can think about is that we could have been back in the room an hour ago, eating Reese’s Pieces and laughing at Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show reruns.

It’s not that Janelle doesn’t like shopping. She just imports her dual life themes of “food and fun” into the shopping experience and then finishes as quickly as possible so she can return to pure “food and fun.” Recipients of her gifts can count on hers being the most unique under their tree. This year the classic child’s game Operation (remember, bzzzzz?) was the gift of choice—and not just for the kids. Even her pastor was blessed with this slightly annoying game.

Three girls. Three very different girls. And one mom, trying to manage all these competing agendas and maybe even making a memory in the process. Of course, she has a longer list of gifts to buy than all three of us girls put together. But we’re kind of high maintenance (can you tell?). By the time she’s helped us, she’s happy to come home with even one gift or two. That’s fine because “making a memory” is her highest priority. It’s why she uses the Christmas gift money from Grandma for a hotel room and special meals out. It’s why she tries to stimulate meaningful conversation at meals and on shopping breaks.

This can be tricky, as she has had to referee minor rivalries and the tears that we would turn on at a moment’s notice (c’mon, we’re girls!). But the conflicts and tears usually ended in side-splitting laughter or unforgettable discussions. Although we haven’t always made the memories Mom intended, we wouldn’t trade those conversations for anything.

In a way the Shopping Trip is like a twenty-four-hour slice of us: mother and daughters. It tells a lot about who we are, how we communicate, and even what we’re living for.

What does twenty-four hours in your relationship look like? Mostly tension or mostly fun? More tears or more laughter? More talk of God or more empty words? Are you close friends, or are you worlds apart? Maybe there is nothing but silence.

For every mother and daughter, there is a different and unique relationship. We each have our own distinct strengths and weaknesses, styles, interests, thoughts, and our often amusing similarities. Being a mom and three daughters, we know this all too well.

If you’re a mom with even one girl, you’ve probably pulled more than a few hairs out trying to understand this “raising daughters” thing. You lie awake at night with mothering questions driving your sleep away: How do I guide this girl into womanhood? How do I protect her from ungodly influences? How can I keep her from rebelling? How can I help her be passionate for the Lord? How can I remain her friend? How can I get her to really talk? You may even sometimes wonder why God gave you this particular daughter and what role you are supposed to play in her life. In the end there seem to be more questions than answers, more problems than solutions.

Daughter, you may be skimming this book because your mom is making you read it (caught ya!). Maybe you don’t think it’s that important to have a relationship with her. Your friends are a lot more fun and easier to talk to. Or maybe you and your mom argue a lot. You wish she understood you better. But you may have a good relationship with your mom—and you want it to be better, like she does. Congratulations. You’re mature beyond your years.

But no matter the difficulties in your mother-daughter relationship, the problem isn’t the other person. The obstacle isn’t a mom who is hard to get along with or a daughter who won’t listen. And you can’t get to the root of your problems by digging up back issues of parent or teen magazines or tuning into the afternoon talk shows. A primary source of our trouble is that we have forgotten God’s purpose for the mother-daughter relationship.

This is why as mothers we often have no clear parenting goals. It’s why as daughters we sometimes lack appreciation for our mom’s involvement in our lives. It’s why our relationship sometimes feels like a minefield of touchy subjects, and we run at the first hint of conflict. It’s why we lack reasons to talk and something to talk about.

The diagnosis of our problem is found in God’s Word, the Bible. After all, He’s the one who created the mother-daughter relationship. God’s Word speaks to all of us— mothers and daughters. It unravels the tangled issues in our relationships, spans any distance between us, and points the way to rich and meaningful interaction. But more than just helping us get along, the Bible unfolds an exciting and important plan for mothers and daughters: to pass on the legacy of biblical womanhood that commends the gospel.

It’s within this momentous mission that our questions come to rest, our strife comes to resolution, our loneliness and alienation become companionship and laughter, and our ineffectiveness is revived into usefulness for the gospel.

As we seek to follow God’s plan, the pleasant fragrance of Christ will permeate our mother-daughter relationships, extending to the atmosphere of our homes, our churches, and our communities. The aroma will linger long after we are gone. And the enduring effect—in our lifetime and for future generations—will be incalculable (2 Cor. 2:15).

This is our reason to talk. This is what we talk about.

The four of us know this is true because we’ve experienced it. And we’ve observed its effect in the lives of many mothers and daughters. We’re not mother-daughter experts. And we don’t think we’re anything special—we’ve had our times of trouble. In fact, we’re extraordinarily ordinary. But through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we now have a relationship with God, the Father. Through Him and because of Him we have wonderful, enjoyable relationships with each other.

So please join us for an exciting mother-daughter conversation. We’ll share a lot from our own lives (although you might get to know us better than you wanted to!), but most important, we’ll look at the Bible and discover the unique purpose that God has for us as mothers and daughters. Carolyn and Nicole have done the writing, but this book is from Kristin’s and Janelle’s hearts too.

At various points throughout the book we’ll shine the spot-light on a mother’s responsibility, and at other times we’ll focus on a daughter’s response. But all the chapters are for both mothers and daughters. You may want to sit down and read them together, or you may prefer to take turns reading on your own. If someone is in the habit of marking up her books, you might each want to get your own copy!

No matter how you choose to read this book, “listening in” when the other is addressed will help strengthen your mother-daughter communication. Once you’ve read a chapter or two, get together and talk about what you’ve learned. We’ve provided discussion questions based on the chapters for you, Mom, to use with your daughter (Appendix A).

Sounds easy enough, right? Well, we have to be honest: It won’t always be easy. You will probably hit a few bumps in the road. It may be awkward or uncomfortable at times. You may even sin against each other. But don’t give up. There is an all-important reason to hang in there and keep talking: A strong, enjoyable, and fruitful relationship awaits you. It will be worth it!

There are 364 days until our next Shopping Trip, but we are hanging out again this morning. We’ve got a lot more to talk about. In between the chatter and the chores, we are fulfilling God’s plan for our relationship. And you can too.

So are you ready for some girl talk? Let’s get started.

PART ONE

The Forging of the Mother-Daughter Bond

1: The Language of Biblical Womanhood

For hundreds of years, young women who came of age in southern China learned a secret language. Secret, that is, from the men and the boys. Like their mothers and grandmothers before them, these girls were denied the opportunity of learning to read and write Chinese. So the oppressed women of that culture—determined to have a means of expressing them-selves—developed their own language. It was a girls-only writing script called Nushu.

According to an article in the Washington Post, three days after her wedding a new bride would receive a “Third Day Book,” lovingly inscribed in Nushu by her mother, grandmother, and “sworn sisters.” In delicate, elongated handwriting these women expressed feelings of sadness at losing a daughter and friend and shared best wishes for her future happiness. The bride would make her own entries in Nushu, and the book became a diary of her married life.

Someday the bride would teach her own daughter Nushu. And so these peasant women preserved their language for over fifteen hundred years, right into our century. With no education, means, or encouragement, they created something unique in all of history: the only language written by women for women.1

Did you know that God has given us our own mother-daughter language? Unlike Nushu, our language is not a secret. It is not a response to oppression, but it is a uniquely feminine language. As mothers and daughters, God has entrusted us with its progress and preservation. It’s the language of biblical womanhood.

Biblical womanhood, simply defined, is God’s perfect design for women as revealed in the Bible. Much more than a writing script, it’s a way of life. More than something we read or write, it’s some-thing we speak and do.

We find this language scattered throughout the entire Bible. Tucked in Titus 2:3-5 is a summary of some of the qualities of a godly woman, such as purity, self-control, kindness, love for husband and children, skill in homemaking, and a heart of sub-mission. But we find more traits in passages such as Proverbs 31:10-31, 1 Timothy 5:9-10, and 1 Peter 3:1-6—steadfast faith, good works, strength, and wisdom, united with a gentle and quiet spirit.

Together these characteristics comprise the language of biblical womanhood. They provide for us a composite sketch—to imitate and copy like an aspiring artist would copy a great masterpiece. Throughout this book we’ll attempt to trace these lines, to discover what biblical womanhood looks like for a mother and daughter in the twenty-first century.

But first we must understand our responsibility to pass on this language from mother to daughter. For while God clearly calls all older women to school the younger women in the art of biblical womanhood (Titus 2:3-5), one of the most important teacher-student relationships is between a mother and her daughter. We have an exciting task, an assignment from God Himself to transfer these feminine attributes from one generation to the next. This is our mother-daughter purpose. Our mission.

I was reminded of our mission earlier this year when my mother sold her house. Because of my father’s failing health, my parents recently moved from Florida to Maryland to live with my sister and her family. At my mom’s request, my brothers, sisters, and I sorted through all their belongings. She told us to keep or discard whatever we pleased.

I brought several items home for my daughters: some old books for Nicole, a crystal bowl for Kristin, and my grandma’s handmade quilt for Janelle. For myself I kept a solitary piece of china, one of the few remaining plates from the set my grandfather bought my mother for her wedding.

I can still remember the set in better days—serving many a guest on a Sunday afternoon. But its comrades have all been bro-ken or have disappeared, and this plate is all I have. It is delicate and faded—you can no longer read the pattern name printed on the back. But it hangs in my dining room as a pleasant reminder of my aging mother’s once vivacious hospitality.

My brothers and sisters each took home small items of sentimental value, but don’t expect to see us on Antiques Roadshow anytime soon. My parents were frugal, modest people who gave away more than they collected. In keeping with her Mennonite background, my mother owned no jewelry except a watch. She never even wore a wedding ring.

Although I have not received costly earthly treasures from my mom, she has given me a gift of priceless value, for she was faithful to pass on to me a legacy of biblical womanhood. Through her teaching and her example she taught me to aspire to these qualities that commend the gospel.

I don’t expect to have much of significant monetary value to leave my daughters either. (Maybe one of them can have Mom’s china plate if it survives.) But like my mother before me, I want to faithfully impress the qualities of biblical womanhood upon the hearts of my daughters. I want to be found worthy of God’s calling to me as their mother, and I want them to live for His glory.

But in order for any of us to do this effectively, our mother-daughter relationships must be strong. This transfer can’t be made through a wall of bitterness, amidst yelling and screaming, nor in silence—now can it? In order to pass on the language of biblical womanhood, our relationships must be founded on the Word of God. That’s why in the first half of this book we’ll con-sider what the Bible has to say about the mother-daughter relationship, and in the second half we’ll discover how a young woman learns to speak the language of biblical womanhood.

The wonderful results of building our relationships on the foundation of God’s Word are the joy, peace, fellowship, and fun that make the mother-daughter bond strong. Far from being a duty or an obligation, the mother-daughter relationship can be one of the greatest blessings of our lives.

And it’s a strong relationship that will enable us to preserve our unique language. For as you may have noticed, biblical womanhood isn’t exactly popular these days. The language our culture speaks is hardly one of selflessness, purity, submission, or faith. Instead, it demeans these attributes and the gospel they commend. Our culture speaks a “live for the moment, live for yourself” language that misses out on the beauty of biblical womanhood.

What is truly troublesome, however, is that many Christian mothers and daughters have dismissed the language of biblical womanhood or are wholly unfamiliar with it. They speak the language of the world—often unintentionally—by believing that submission is outdated, purity is impossible, and homemaking is unappealing.

Maybe you too think these ideas are a little old-fashioned. You’re not sure you want to speak the language of biblical womanhood. But allow us to introduce you to these feminine traits again. You may be surprised at how much they relate to what you’re going through and what a difference they will make in your life.

Our language points to and highlights the most joyous news in all of history: the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul says in Titus 2:10 that these qualities “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” They declare to the world that the Bible is true, that Jesus is real, and that the gospel is the power of God to change lives. Biblical womanhood displays the truth that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

This task isn’t reserved for an elite group of extraordinary mothers and daughters. It’s been assigned to forgiven sinners like you and me. None of us on our own is capable of displaying even one small aspect of biblical womanhood—much less passing it on into the future. But through the power of the gospel we can speak this language and “shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15).

This must be the aspiration of all mothers and daughters: the successful transfer of the qualities of biblical womanhood that sparkle with the gospel—so that in the midst of this mecentered, self-focused, ungodly language of our culture, we can speak the refreshingly pure, altogether true, and saving message of Jesus Christ.

2: Imperfect Makes Perfect

Don’t try to talk to my mom while she is on the telephone. She firmly believes in doing one thing at a time and doing it well. I, on the other hand, have mastered the art of doing three things at once—all poorly. Mom, she drinks her coffee black. Me, I add more sugar than is put in your average cotton candy. My mom is graceful, poised, and calm. I’m expressive, sporadic, clumsy, and (according to my sisters) a little crazy. When Mom talks, everyone listens. I talk so much that people often tune me out like elevator music. Mom’s favorite meal is roast beef, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, and strawberry shortcake. She’s a southern gal. But give me a plate of sushi with extra wasabi and a cup of hot green tea. I’m a suburban girl.

I’m sure we’re related; people sometimes say we look alike. I know I will never be as pretty as she is, but I tell them, “If only I could be godly like her, then I’d be happy.”

With all our differences, I didn’t always understand my mom. I suspect she didn’t always know what to make of me either. Really, it’s a miracle we’re such good friends today.

Maybe you can relate. Maybe you and your mother are as different as, well, roast beef and sushi. Maybe you have no common interests or style of communication; so you just don’t talk much. Or maybe your differences go deeper than silly preferences. So when you do try to talk, conflict inevitably flares up. You’ve allowed real disagreements to wedge between you, and they are slowly but steadily pushing you apart.

Perhaps a little question occasionally rings the doorbell of your mind: “How did you end up being related to her?” The answer: God set it up that way.

He has created your mother-daughter relationship. He doesn’t just put mothers and daughters together like a guy in a deli slapping meat and cheese on bread. God has placed us in the exact mother-daughter relationship that He desires. Psalm 139 informs us of this: “In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them” (v. 16).

Now we don’t usually apply this verse to the family God has arranged for us. But think about it—if all your days were ordained, including the day you were born, then whom you were born to (or, moms, who was born to you) is no accident.

This fact is confirmed in Acts 17:26 (NIV): “From one man he made every nation of men . . . and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”

God doesn’t make mistakes. As my sister Janelle likes to quip, “There wasn’t a mix-up in the children’s department in heaven. An angel did not inform the Lord, ‘Ah, Lord, we messed up, and Nicole, she was supposed to be a part of the Smith family, but she accidentally got put in the Mahaney family.’” Not so!

The exact family we were placed in—the exact mother and the exact daughter we have received—were prearranged by God before the first day of creation. And if you are adopted or have a stepmother, God was equally sovereign in His choice for you. He specially selected the woman who is now your mother with precise detail and matchless love.

And God in His love granted us unique abilities, gifts, talents, and strengths that benefit each other. Moms, your daughters are a heritage, a reward from God (Ps. 127:3). They are not a bother, a burden, or a problem—but a reward! Your daughter (and not so and so’s daughter) is the perfect girl for you. And, daughter, this works two ways: Your mother is also the perfect mom for you. I don’t mean that she is perfect. None of us is. Only God is perfect. But because He doesn’t make mistakes, I can confidently assert that your mom’s the right mom for you. Whether you realize it or not, God has given you a good gift.

I must pause here, for some of you may have trouble swallowing the truth that God’s goodness was at work in arranging your mother-daughter relationship. Perhaps you have a mother who is not a Christian or, worse, whose behavior causes you great heartache and trouble. She may be an alcoholic, verbally berating, or physically abusive (for those of you in this situation, please seek counsel from your pastor and, if necessary, protection by the authorities). Your mom may have abandoned you, leaving you desperately confused, alone, and shouldering heavy responsibilities. The one person you would expect to love you best has hurt you most.

Or maybe you are a mother whose daughter’s rebellion has caused deep pain and sorrow. She has turned her back on you and on God; she is angry, rebellious, and unkind. Your attempts to show love have only invited further insults and greater hatred. Her lifestyle is wreaking havoc in your family, and you don’t know where it will end. Maybe, in the quiet moments, you wish you’d never had a daughter.

So how could a loving God have chosen your mother or daughter? You are at a loss to understand.

While I can’t begin to comprehend your suffering, there is a story in the Bible that can help you gain understanding. You may recall the account of Joseph found in the book of Genesis. As a young man he experienced great harm from his family—in fact, his brothers sold him into slavery. But Joseph understood that God’s sovereign love was at work for good even through the malicious actions of his brothers.