I am brave.
I am beautiful.
I am His.

Some days it’s an eye roll, the kind only a daughter can give her mom. Some days it sounds insecure—like the world is already starting to beat her down. Some days it’s fierce—like she’s ready to take on anything.

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Why do we say it? Because I know that according to the latest research, “between the ages of 8 and 14, girls’ confidence levels fall by 30%.” Low self-esteem in teenagers and suicide are alarmingly high: every 100 minutes a teen commits suicide. Girls younger and younger face hard pressures from the world, and the world spares nothing in destroying them.

The world is going to tell her things that are not true.

The world is going to tell her she can’t. She’s not strong enough, smart enough, able enough. But, I want her to remember even on the hardest of days that she is brave enough to take on anything

The world is going to tell her she’s not beautiful. She’s too tall, too big, too blonde. It’s going to tell her she’s better with a filter. She’s better with a tuck. She’s better behind the makeup and extensions. But, I want her to remember that every ounce of her is beautiful—just the way she is, without changing one single thing.

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The world is going to tell her that her identity is found on a journey to herself. That her identity is in her hobby or her passions. Her identity is her career. Her identity is in her family or her followers.

But, I want her to remember that all that she is and will ever be is because she belongs to a very real God and she is His.

There is nothing she could do that can make Him love her more or less, and that is enough. She is enough.

So, we are going to keep saying it, even on the hard days, even through the eye rolls, so that with each day it’s more than a word—it is an anthem to all she is and all she will ever be.

Brave, beautiful, and His.

Originally published on the author’s Instagram page