My Princess, Be Pure (Part 2: Setting Your Standards)

Our mother/daughter overnight trip was going better than I could have ever imagined. The day had gone perfectly. We had eaten dinner and now we were in the hotel room. We got dressed in our comfortable pajamas and sat down on the couch to relax. After taking a few minutes to unwind, it was time for Session 2: Setting Your Standards.

This past year, I had read a book that immediately rose to be one of my favorite parenting books of all time. It was Cary Schmidt's "Passionate Parenting."

The book was a wealth of wisdom, practical advice, and encouragement for parents. One section even covered a few suggestions for Bible passages to discuss at the very talk my daughter and I were about to have. So that's where I started with Session 2. Again, she grabbed her notebook and pen.

My daughter and I read through Proverbs 5. That chapter gives a perfect picture of the "strange woman," her methods and motives, and the destruction that accompanies her. So from verses 3-5, I created a chart comparing the strange woman and the Spirit-filled, Spirit-led woman. The Spirit-led woman is the standard to set.

We talked about the power a woman has over a man and how we can use our bodies, our words, our actions, and manipulation to bring men down. Or we can use modesty in actions, dress, and attitude to support men in their spiritual growth. We talked about the consequences to men if they choose the house of a strange woman (vs. 7-14, 22-23.) Then we talked about the beauty of purity in the context of marital intimacy (vs. 15-21.)

After that, we flipped the page to Proverbs 7, and we quickly went through it to see the methods of the strange woman as well as the wake of destruction left behind her.

Session 2 took about 25-30 minutes. I kept it light, and didn't spend too much time on each point. It was pretty easy to see the heartbreak of the strange woman and the beauty of the Spirit-filled woman without much explanation.

Then it was time for a break and our leftover Krispy Kreme donuts! We made some chai tea and hot spiced apple cider.

Time for Session 3: Set Your Boundaries

(To Be Continued)

Set Your Standard (Proverbs 5)

I. The Strange Woman vs. the Spirit-filled, Spirit-led Woman Chart

II. The Consequences of the path of the strange woman

     A. vs. 9 lose honor

     B. vs. 9 become entangled in bondage

     C. vs. 10 lose money

     D. vs. 10 lose leadership (servant)

     E. vs. 11 flesh and body bound (addiction/pornography)

     F. vs. 12 regret

     G. vs. 13 guilt

     H. vs. 14 separation, lack of unity, feeling alone

III. Beauty of purity in marital intimacy

     A. vs. 15 husband and wife- pure and enjoyable

     B. vs. 16 impacts others

     C. vs. 17 exclusive

     D. vs. 18 blessed and joyful

     E. vs. 19 satisfying and tender

     F. vs. 20 Why would you give that up for temporary selfish pleasure?

     G. vs. 21 God sees all

Set Your Standard (Proverbs 7)

I. vs. 5 the lure

II. vs. 6 the witness

III. vs. 7 the target

IV. vs. 8 the trap

V. vs. 9 the illusion of secrecy

VI. vs. 10 the temptation (immodest dress, voice, and actions)

VII. vs. 11 the signs

VIII. vs. 12 availability (virtuous woman is rare)

IX. vs. 13 no boundaries

X. vs. 14-20 the preparation and lie ("happiness in sin")

XI. vs. 21 the manipulation

XII. vs. 22 the fool

XIII. vs. 23 the price and pain

XIV. vs. 26-27 the path littered with destroyed lives