What Every Girl Needs To Know...
July 9, 2012
After a call with my prayer warrior today, (thank you Suzanne!), I felt compelled to share the urgency I feel about the importance of decision making, friend making, and choices during high school and college for every lady out there!
To begin, I want to speak to the girls that are walking in circumstances where they are faced with what they know God has commanded them to do but are holding back because of their fear of other girls, fear of being accepted, and the fear of never getting a date or a boyfriend (or even the fear of losing the guy you have!). Girls - the only beauty and perfection that exists is the Holiness of God. The only eternal reward bringing lasting joy and protection over our lives is obedience to the person that God has designed you to be! There is no party, no guy, no athlete, no event, no crown, no competition, no grade point average, no fashion style, no weight, that has the ability to make us happy. The credibility that I have to write about this comes from the glory of the Lord and the work he has done in me. The year I turned 16, when I felt at my strongest spiritually, I found myself at a crossroads. My parents were divorcing. My mom was grieving and distracted and working many hours. The cool girls at school started to pay attention to me at lunch and invite me out with them to go across the bridge to drink and meet up with boys. I spent alot of time wondering why the cute popular boys that they had the opportunity to date would not ever entertain asking me out. I always thought something was not good enough about me. I wondered why no one wanted me for me. My dad had even left me. If I was not good enough for my own dad, then how would my Heavenly Father really value me? Was I really valuable? I believe that the source of every girl's struggle begins with this question? Do I really matter? When we turn the measures of our value to the outward appearance all of us can struggle for a lifetime to answer this question. Girls, that is why God's best for us begins on the inside. The Lord tells us in Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it". When I stopped guarding my heart, I went after the boy my father would hate. The boy that was the worst for me physically and spiritually. When I stopped being obedient to His commands to guard my temple, I ended up waking up in emotional and physical pain. All of it was so empty and temporal. The attraction did not last. The fun did not last. The consequences of it all are forever. Every time I gave away a piece of me - whether it was my integrity or my temple (my body), I lost and diminished a part of the journey that God designed for me. The rewards I have experienced from obedience leave me wondering what all I did diminish and miss out on those moments that I was led by my fear of the "in" girls and not being accepted. I became passionate about sharing the greatness of rewards that obedience to keeping His commands brings and the realness of the consequences that come from being lukewarm and uncommitted. I shared my testimony everywhere I could. I wanted other teens and college girls to know that nothing outside of God's design, nothing outside of His best for us, is ever worth the spiritual providence that we are guaranteed to miss out on when we step outside of His will. I wrote this poem - and my great grandmother - who has now passed - hung it up (without me knowing) on her wall with a Ziploc tie to hang the frame. The real key takeaway here for every girl is this - do not be moved from who God calls you to be. Continue no matter how hard or lonely it gets to focus on the eternal reward only the most High God delivers because that is where true joy reigns and it can not be taken from you. Let go of the things that drive you away from a focus on him - whether its your facebook, your eating, your fashion, your boyfriend, your career or ambition, your perfectionism, your parents - because he has a ram in the bush for you my dear! (Read Genesis 22)! Take it from a jacked up girl that has followed the Lord - and tried both paths - in and out of His will - and I am now 35 looking back at a poem that I wrote when I committed my life to Him at 16 - and the tiny decisions I made day by day - like just who I spent my lunch or recess with - or who I hung out with after school - made all the difference. Here is the poem:
"I won't change who I am for what someone wants me to be,
Unless I know its Jesus, the one I'll someday see.
I won't change what I feel for others to agree,
Unless I'm sharing truth about the man who died for me.
I won't walk the devil's direction to be accepted by my friends,
I want to be like Jesus though He was alone He never sinned.
I won't say I think I'm perfect, tho' some say I think I am,
The world can say whatever, but there's just one Precious Perfect Lamb.
I won't talk the talk if I know it is a lie
People don't understand how hard us Christians try
I won't walk the walk if I feel I'll one day stray,
But for those who walk with this ungoldy world will get theirs Judgement Day.
I won't sign the profanity of my foes I often hear them sign
Being like everyone else just is not my thing
I won't take my mountains for granted or dwell on valleys sorrow
I'll just be thankful I have God to get me through tomorrow.
I won't boast on my success, and leave my problems in His Hand,
After all He knows it all, He's Creator of this land.
Just lift your eyes to Jesus, He'll never leave your side
He knows how you truly feel so do not try and hide.
I won't blame the ones around me, I make mistakes on my own.
When you get the urge to point, think what Jesus said, "Thou who is without sin cast the first stone".
Look to God for strength and comfort when you feel alone
He's the Master and the Healer because we can't make it on our own.
______________________________________________________
And just like the ram in the bush at the top of the mountain that you can not see, I add this special reward at the end of the story for those that had enough desire to finish out this reading! The reward is to share with you that I wrote that when I was 16, dying on the inside, hating myself on the outside, lonely without my dad, watching my mom grieve every day over the loss of her marriage, through eviction, bulemia, homelessness, physical and sexual abuse from men, and feeling outcast at school. I got on my knees and I committed the rest of my life to Him and the hidden person of my heart believed in the goodness of the reward. Today I am 35 and believe I am constantly in pursuit of what is acceptable and pleasing to the Lord, serving Him, my husband and son, and doing whatever it takes to follow His plan, not my own, and each day I have a peace that surpasses my own understanding and a joy that spills over that no one can take from me. Thank you Jesus for seeing me and giving me the opportunity to "KNOW" you! If you KNOW Jesus, then you will keep His commands. John 14:15 and then (Ezekiel 38:23) - He will SHOW HIMSELF in your life in a mighty way!
After a call with my prayer warrior today, (thank you Suzanne!), I felt compelled to share the urgency I feel about the importance of decision making, friend making, and choices during high school and college for every lady out there!
To begin, I want to speak to the girls that are walking in circumstances where they are faced with what they know God has commanded them to do but are holding back because of their fear of other girls, fear of being accepted, and the fear of never getting a date or a boyfriend (or even the fear of losing the guy you have!). Girls - the only beauty and perfection that exists is the Holiness of God. The only eternal reward bringing lasting joy and protection over our lives is obedience to the person that God has designed you to be! There is no party, no guy, no athlete, no event, no crown, no competition, no grade point average, no fashion style, no weight, that has the ability to make us happy. The credibility that I have to write about this comes from the glory of the Lord and the work he has done in me. The year I turned 16, when I felt at my strongest spiritually, I found myself at a crossroads. My parents were divorcing. My mom was grieving and distracted and working many hours. The cool girls at school started to pay attention to me at lunch and invite me out with them to go across the bridge to drink and meet up with boys. I spent alot of time wondering why the cute popular boys that they had the opportunity to date would not ever entertain asking me out. I always thought something was not good enough about me. I wondered why no one wanted me for me. My dad had even left me. If I was not good enough for my own dad, then how would my Heavenly Father really value me? Was I really valuable? I believe that the source of every girl's struggle begins with this question? Do I really matter? When we turn the measures of our value to the outward appearance all of us can struggle for a lifetime to answer this question. Girls, that is why God's best for us begins on the inside. The Lord tells us in Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it". When I stopped guarding my heart, I went after the boy my father would hate. The boy that was the worst for me physically and spiritually. When I stopped being obedient to His commands to guard my temple, I ended up waking up in emotional and physical pain. All of it was so empty and temporal. The attraction did not last. The fun did not last. The consequences of it all are forever. Every time I gave away a piece of me - whether it was my integrity or my temple (my body), I lost and diminished a part of the journey that God designed for me. The rewards I have experienced from obedience leave me wondering what all I did diminish and miss out on those moments that I was led by my fear of the "in" girls and not being accepted. I became passionate about sharing the greatness of rewards that obedience to keeping His commands brings and the realness of the consequences that come from being lukewarm and uncommitted. I shared my testimony everywhere I could. I wanted other teens and college girls to know that nothing outside of God's design, nothing outside of His best for us, is ever worth the spiritual providence that we are guaranteed to miss out on when we step outside of His will. I wrote this poem - and my great grandmother - who has now passed - hung it up (without me knowing) on her wall with a Ziploc tie to hang the frame. The real key takeaway here for every girl is this - do not be moved from who God calls you to be. Continue no matter how hard or lonely it gets to focus on the eternal reward only the most High God delivers because that is where true joy reigns and it can not be taken from you. Let go of the things that drive you away from a focus on him - whether its your facebook, your eating, your fashion, your boyfriend, your career or ambition, your perfectionism, your parents - because he has a ram in the bush for you my dear! (Read Genesis 22)! Take it from a jacked up girl that has followed the Lord - and tried both paths - in and out of His will - and I am now 35 looking back at a poem that I wrote when I committed my life to Him at 16 - and the tiny decisions I made day by day - like just who I spent my lunch or recess with - or who I hung out with after school - made all the difference. Here is the poem:
"I won't change who I am for what someone wants me to be,
Unless I know its Jesus, the one I'll someday see.
I won't change what I feel for others to agree,
Unless I'm sharing truth about the man who died for me.
I won't walk the devil's direction to be accepted by my friends,
I want to be like Jesus though He was alone He never sinned.
I won't say I think I'm perfect, tho' some say I think I am,
The world can say whatever, but there's just one Precious Perfect Lamb.
I won't talk the talk if I know it is a lie
People don't understand how hard us Christians try
I won't walk the walk if I feel I'll one day stray,
But for those who walk with this ungoldy world will get theirs Judgement Day.
I won't sign the profanity of my foes I often hear them sign
Being like everyone else just is not my thing
I won't take my mountains for granted or dwell on valleys sorrow
I'll just be thankful I have God to get me through tomorrow.
I won't boast on my success, and leave my problems in His Hand,
After all He knows it all, He's Creator of this land.
Just lift your eyes to Jesus, He'll never leave your side
He knows how you truly feel so do not try and hide.
I won't blame the ones around me, I make mistakes on my own.
When you get the urge to point, think what Jesus said, "Thou who is without sin cast the first stone".
Look to God for strength and comfort when you feel alone
He's the Master and the Healer because we can't make it on our own.
______________________________________________________
And just like the ram in the bush at the top of the mountain that you can not see, I add this special reward at the end of the story for those that had enough desire to finish out this reading! The reward is to share with you that I wrote that when I was 16, dying on the inside, hating myself on the outside, lonely without my dad, watching my mom grieve every day over the loss of her marriage, through eviction, bulemia, homelessness, physical and sexual abuse from men, and feeling outcast at school. I got on my knees and I committed the rest of my life to Him and the hidden person of my heart believed in the goodness of the reward. Today I am 35 and believe I am constantly in pursuit of what is acceptable and pleasing to the Lord, serving Him, my husband and son, and doing whatever it takes to follow His plan, not my own, and each day I have a peace that surpasses my own understanding and a joy that spills over that no one can take from me. Thank you Jesus for seeing me and giving me the opportunity to "KNOW" you! If you KNOW Jesus, then you will keep His commands. John 14:15 and then (Ezekiel 38:23) - He will SHOW HIMSELF in your life in a mighty way!
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