Preparing Your Daughter for Adulthood: A 5-Day Reading Plan for ParentsNäide

Day 3: Celebrate Gratitude

In the hardest days of parenting, when our minds spin and we can’t think straight, we can praise God’s character, faithfulness, promises, and track record. We can gather around the Bible like we would a warm fire, needing it in a deeper, more desperate way. This broken world isn’t God’s original design, and when we cry, He cries. “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others” (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Gratitude brings perspective. Perspective brings humility. Humility centers us and reminds us that for every blessing we notice, there are a thousand blessings we don’t see. We can give thanks for those, too.

For most people, gratitude doesn’t come naturally. We’re more prone to complain. But we can cultivate gratitude by adopting habits like:

• keeping a gratitude journal (or gratitude notes on our phone);
• staying still long enough to notice the red cardinal outside our window that reminds us of a loved one;
• finding extra pleasure in simple joys like a favorite holiday milkshake or watching a father at church kiss his baby;
• training our mind to see the good—like feeling appreciative when we are healthy enough to care for our child after surgery, and
• remembering that someone is praying for whatever we take for granted. Many people who are deeply hurting would gladly trade problems with us.

Raising daughters in an age of new challenges can tamper with our perspective and test our mental health. It can dishearten us, distract us, and make us miss opportunities to prepare our girls for life beyond our home.

The ripple effect of motherhood is powerful, and the simplest lesson that you teach today could outlive your time on earth. Even a small shift in thinking, a small shift toward gratitude, could feel like an epiphany to your daughter.

Reflect: How do you celebrate gratitude? How do you encourage your daughter to do so?

Prayer: Father, I thank You for the countless blessings You’ve placed in our lives. Help me cultivate a spirit of gratitude in my heart and teach my daughter to do the same. Open our eyes to see the beauty in Your daily gifts and center our perspective in Your goodness. Give us the humility to appreciate the blessings we often overlook and inspire us to celebrate Your faithfulness through all of life’s seasons. Amen.