As moms and mentors of the next generation, God has entrusted us with one of the most important roles we will ever fill.

He has positioned and commissioned us to teach our children about Him and to protect them from anything that might separate them from the loving relationship He wants with each of them.

Proverbs 22:6 instructs us to direct our children onto the right path and when they are older they will not leave it.

These words ring true maybe now more than ever. 

Love and leadership aren’t easy, and so often parents can feel unsure about which paths are the right ones.

But there are other times when the line between what is right and what is wrong is hard to see, or it cuts a lot deeper and wider than we expect.

If you’ve been scrolling through any type of social media this past week maybe you've found your infuriated finger pausing on posts about the #cancelnetflix controversy over the French film, Cuties.  

This film is not simply a sad reminder of how far down our society has sunk.  It represents the depressing reality that one movie is not an outlier but rather business as usual for an industry that continues to objectify girls and women.

It isn’t even close to the first time minor children have been portrayed in this manner and the safe bet is that, unfortunately, it won't be the last. 

The boycott of Netflix for streaming this film, however, is doing some good. It’s bringing a necessary awareness to the despicable and dangerous hypersexualization of children.

It’s forcing us to ask two important questions:

1. What can we do to address something so harmful to present and future generations? We have feelings about it, but what are we going to do about it? 

2. How will we take a stand for God’s daughters and deal with the detriment this kind of media has not just on our youth, but on society at large?

We will do it by first teaching our girls about who and whose they are. We will lean into the truth that God has a plan for our girls that is drastically different than how they are portrayed in media, television, and movies, even ones that aim to confront the immense pressure girls face. 

We know that cancelling a popular streaming service isn’t going to do the job.

Moms, we need to continue to stand firm in our convictions and own the influence we’ve been given to guide and direct our girls.

We need to be aware of their peer groups, the media they consume, and the messages that hit them every day and from all sides. Their innocence is under attack, so let’s take up our shields, put on our armor, and go on the offense to fight for our girls’ identity in Christ.

It’s up to us to protect them from the world’s casual approach to sexualization and objectification. 

“We put our hope in the Lord.  He is our help and our shield.”  Psalm 33:20

Think of all of the things we censor because we want to protect our children from ads, music, Snapchat, and streaming channels.  Now picture Jesus, in all of His love, holding up His shield to help and protect your girl. He is for us. All we need to do is ask.

Mamas, let's pray.

Pray for wisdom. Guidance.

Pray for protection.

Pray for direction. 

If you're looking for an easy way to talk to your daughter about inner beauty and what she's really worth, be sure to check out our best-selling Bible Belles HEARD series.