"You are loved for who you are, not for what you do."

One of my favorite quotes written in this century comes from a man named Brennan Manning. I'm not sure if he was the originator or just coined the phrase, "God loves you just as you are, not who you should be, because no one will ever be as they should be."  I have borrowed this phrase many times to encourage those that need to be assured of the love of God.  And every time it rolls off my tongue, God reassures me that He loves me for me.

Lately God has placed another encouraging phrase on my heart similar to the one I shared above.  "You are loved for who you are, not for what you do."  Just this week alone, I have been able to share this phrase to many people that God has put in my path.  And not one of them doesn't respond with out a smile and a thank you.  It's almost like God is purposefully placing individuals in the proper place and at the right time.

I recently placed a post about raising girls that received a lot of attention, statistically speaking. There were almost 150 views in just one day of the post!  And it got me to thinking, I guess I'm not the only one that struggles with parenting and that has a true desire to become better.  So with that, can I suggest one more key element in raising both boys and girls?  Make sure you are loving them for them, not for their accomplishments.  Here's something scary to think about:  Even 5 year olds know the difference!  They might not be able to articulate it, but they know.  To many parents are living through the accomplishments of their kids!  This is true, and may be true to you.  Wendy and I see it almost every single day.  It used to not bother us so.  But as we have learned the damage this causes to not only the child, but to a marriage, our guards have gone sky high.

Just yesterday we were playing golf together as a family and Annie, our 8 year old, decided to hit the ball a country mile.  She ran back into the golf cart and said "Daddy, did you see that, aren't you so proud of me!"  Before, my initial response to her would have been, "Yes Annie, I am very proud of you."  But instead I said, "Annie yes I am proud of you, but not because you hit the ball so well, but because who you are, you are my child."  Honestly, that's what I said.  There are moments in life that define who you are and who you become.  My three girls know and will continue to know, they are loved for who they are, not for what they do.  I pray that God shows you that your value doesn't come from what you do, but who you are, a child of God.