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

Day 4: Encourage a Mission Mindset

Your daughter was created to wake up with a sense of purpose and devote her life to a greater cause. Even if she doesn’t wake up with purpose now (like my daughters, she may need to be dragged out of bed), you can instill a mission mindset. All the deep questions she’ll wrestle with in her lifetime—Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose?—start to get answered as she sees herself as part of God’s rescue plan to save mankind. God wants salvation for all. Every human plays a role in carrying out His will.

Knowing this invigorates your daughter’s life with meaning. It helps her understand that her real home is in heaven, and life on earth is a pilgrimage to that sacred destination. Her greatest purpose is to know, love, and serve the Lord—and to do the best she can with each day she is given.

Living with a mission mindset helps your daughter do the following:

• Think beyond herself. “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10 ESV).
• Devote her life to God. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
• Find joy in serving others. “The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11–12 NIV).
• Stay humble. “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less” (John 3:30).
• Resist pride and entitlement. “The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe. Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall” (Proverbs 16:17–18).

Your daughter is never too young to do great things for God or to set an example for other believers (1 Timothy 4:12). If she helps just one person get to heaven by showing them Jesus, then her life is a success.

Reflect: Take a moment to ask yourself, What are my daughter’s natural giftings? Is it photography? Hiking? Wakeboarding? What motivates her, excites her, and makes her lose track of time? Then consider how she can use these gifts to inspire others and make them smile.

Prayer: God of purpose, thank You for the plans You have for my daughter’s life. Instill in her a mission mindset that lets her see beyond herself and pursue a life that glorifies You. Help her use her unique gifts to serve others and find fulfillment in Your calling for her. Teach me, Lord, to guide her in discovering her purpose and to be her greatest encourager as she boldly follows You. Thank You for entrusting me with this sacred responsibility. Amen.