Do not let your adornment be merely outward…rather let it be the hidden person of the heart. 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NKJV)
As parents, we often get caught up in trying to do everything possible to give our kids the best. We expose them to all sorts of activities and social situations and look after their diet and health. We teach them good morals and try to give them the best sense of self-worth we can by telling them how special they are and how much we love them.
While these are all good things, often we forget an element that is crucial. You see, we can tell our kids a thousand times how smart, good looking and special they are, but we don’t want our kids getting their sense of self-worth from their intelligence, looks or accomplishments. If it is, one failure can send them reeling. Their self-worth needs to be rooted in who they are in Christ. That’s the only solid ground upon which to build great confidence and self-esteem.
In fact, we all need to understand our identity as members of God’s family. This knowledge is much more important than what you do, how you look or what others think of you.
We get so focused on the external parts of our lives, but this internal part of us is much more significant. We need to teach kids what God thinks of them. They need to know that He loves them unconditionally, and that they are special because He created them that way, not because of anything they do. Never ignore this inner part—their true identity—because we all need to know who we truly are. We are valuable and we are loved!