How many times have we heard someone tell us to be a certain way. To be something. To be someone. Be good! Be tough! Be a man! Be a nice girl! Be a woman! 

It is such an affront to our being. Even with the best intentions, the subliminal message is that we are not enough. 

I race to acknowledge my being, with highs and lows, to proclaim it, to embrace it, so as to not give others power over defining who I am. As I talked with a friend about this today, I realized how intertwined the title of my book is with this idea. 

I try a different approach with my daughter. I affirm her courage, her goodness, her kindness, her curiosity. Then I mutter to myself a favorite prayer: “I believe. Help my unbelief.” Then lo and behold, she is standing taller, determined to be her braver inner self.

Why does our society not put more stock on intuition in this day and age? Is it because we are disoriented? Is our moral code broken? Has our spiritual compass been thrown into a bag of magnets?

Before society rushes to mold our children, let’s dive deep and rescue their heart. Hold them close and in the same breath give them to God, as they are His to begin with.