Daughters (David Sherwood)

From Dave Sherwood

How does a pastor see women in his church and the culture that surrounds it

Daughters

Daughters be careful to remember who you are
Because there are identity thieves everywhere
And they promise you, as they always do
Power, position, safety…

But do they tell you

The wonder of life growing in you
When you and a man become one
And god overshadows you
And you carry his creation
Into the world

That our Father in heaven is a good dad
The dad we never had
The dad of cuddles and teaching and healing and…and
So much more
So dance before him with abandonment
And cuddle deep into his strong shoulders

And don’t try to be a son
He has enough of those strange
Adrenaline riddled,
Rebellious,
Prodigal,
War-making,
Folk.

Be a daughter

Dance…cause most boys don’t dance well
Cry…cause your tears are precious to Fathers
Nurture…cause boys just build and destroy
They plant and harvest
They don’t remember to water
And if we all want some food to eat
It’s up to you

And forgive men
They are monsters at times
But
They have their own demons to wrestle
Help them find their own masculinity in God
By finding your femininity

And one last thing

Vogue magazine is lying to you
Stop trying to be an object for others and the fickles flowing definitions of beauty
Adorn yourself on the inside
With the feminine attributes of beauty

Because the pastors heart is torn

Watching you be enslaved to a culture that lies to you
And promises you so much
And delivers
Exhausted emptiness