Well, I guess this is something that God is really laying on my heart lately. I found this blog I wrote about a month ago, but saved it as a draft. I thought I would share. It seems to be the theme I have going right now!
My family attends a church that is held in a middle school. I have to say, I love this middle school. Everywhere, hanging on the walls, are signs and sayings that reemphasize that bullying is not tolerated. It is such a shame that the concept of bullying continues today...and even more so awful at how many different ways there are to be bullied these days.
When I was growing up, I experienced being bullied. It was always subtle, so I often wondered if I imagined it or if I had done something to warrant it. Although... as I've grown up I have come to the understanding that NO Bullying is acceptable, regardless of the situation.
I was never one in the popular group at school. I kind of marched to the beat of my own drum, but not in the cool way like they portray it on television... but the ackward, kinda reserved type of way. Now, don't get me wrong. I tried my hardest to fit in. I played volleyball, wrote for the literary magazine, sold ads for the school newspaper, took a photography class, and I loved God. Not exactly the recipe for coolness, but I had a good time. However, I had a few people in my life that made lasting impressions on me because of the unkind words that were spoken. I was made to feel an outcast and unwanted. Which, I must be honest - didn't do much to help boost my self-esteem. It wasn't until I was an adult I was able to put the words behind me and not let them dictate how I felt about myself.
I consider myself fortunate that I was able to move past it - but others aren't so fortunate. The phrase, "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is one of the largest lies out there! Words do hurt...and they can cut as deep as stones.
In our time period bullying has become such a big ordeal. It's become so easy - cyber bullying - texting, facebook, email, myspace, picking on the weaker kids in school, etc. It is easy to ask why... but have we stopped to see where the bullying begins? Why do kids think it's ok? Where have they learned this behavior?
Let's take a minute to think back to when 'we' (the grownups) were growing up. I was in elementary school in the 80's. Life seemed so much simplier then. You remember... no cell phones, we came home when the street lights came on, if you got in trouble in school - it was worse when you got home. We made mud pies and rode our bikes all over town. If it was a special occasion, Mom and Dad would rent us a VCR and some movies from the movie rental place. I don't remember taking much for granted (I'm sure I did, but I can't recall).
It was my parents, my Sunday School teachers, my teachers, my friends' parents that instilled and reinforced positive behavior. I learned to treat others the way I wanted to be treated (The Golden Rule...Matthew 7:12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.) There were so many other lessons they taught me, but I bring that one up nearly every day. Even when talking to my step-sons - reminding them daily to treat others the way they want to be treated.
Do they want people teasing them? Making fun? Calling them names? Lying to them? Of course...the answer is no. We then will ask, if the situation calls for it, they why did they do that to someone else?
We, as parents, need to step up and be the positive example in our children's lives so they know they are special and loved. It is often said that those that are deprived of that, tend to make others feel lower than themselves.
I guess the question is what can we do to step up, do Random Acts of Kindness and teach the younger generation how to build people up instead of tearing them down.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
"Popular...you're gonna be pop-u-lar!"
I don't know about you, but my grade school and high school years weren't my most favorite years. Please don't get me wrong, there were things I truly enjoyed but I personally didn't fit in very well. I remember getting along with the teachers and student teachers much easier than I did with the other kids. In sixth or seventh grade I would go in to school early every morning to boot up the computers in the computer lab. I would then sit at the computers and type up my creative writing stories. I really enjoyed the life in my stories better than real life. Probably because in my stories the girl that went unseen often got the cute boy in school to like her. I had a different view on school. I enjoyed the school work and had a few friends that I spent time with. And as much as I wanted to be the one into the latest fads and coolest gadgets, our family budget didn't allow for such luxuries. I got along ok, but there was always that part of me that longed to be popular.
Then my eighth grade year happened. One of the popular girls started talking to me. Now, mind you, she and I were friends when we were younger: would have sleep overs, get togethers, celebrate birthdays, etc. But as we grew up - we had drifted apart into different circles. UNTIL 8th grade. All of the sudden, she was inviting me over again. She gave me some of her clothes she had outgrown, and I just thought were the COOLEST things ever! Then her friends started in. They would write me notes that we would pass in the hallway, I was invited to their birthday party celebrations, I got to hang out with the 'cool kids' at the Cov (a Friday night hang out spot).
However... I was my own worst enemy. I think I self proclaimed myself an outsider and was taken aback by the attention that was being given. I was terrified it would go away. So, I started throwing myself pity parties...you know what I mean, every time the girls got together and were involved in something fun - I would sit in the corner and wimper and cry about my 'hard' life. In hindsite I was a goof. I can't even remember what was so 'hard' about my life that I could cry about it. But in the moment, I saw it got me attention so I thought I needed it to continue. The girls gave me make overs, gave me clothes, etc. I thought I was the coolest. I was invited to attend the Valentine's Day dance and a boy I had a crush on had his picture taken with me. I was so excited. I began hanging out with those girls more than I did my consistent friends. Then the 8th grade school year ended. I was so excited for summer break but even more excited for freshman year. I was going to start High School AND be friends with the coolest, most popular kids in school.
First day of Freshman Year... I walked down the hall with such confidence. I was wearing one of the shirts that a girl had given me, I was pumped. Until I walked through the hallway and not a one of the popular crowd even acknowledged me. I was stunned. What happened in those two-three months of being off of school? It took me a little bit to figure it out that in eighth grade I had probably been a pet project of the cool kids, to see if they could make me popular by association. I wasn't a challenge anymore in high school, so that part of my journey ended. I don't know if that was true or not, but that is how I perceived it.
Now, please hear me, I wouldn't change that 8th grade year for anything. I learned valuable lessons, made great memories and had a lot of fun. In hindsite though, I probably won't stake my entire life's happiness on what happened that year. :)
I learned that year, you have to like who you are before others can truly like you! I also learned I have to see me as God sees me, not as the world says I am or what I personally think of myself. I always wanted to fit into the cool crowd, but I didn't enjoy a lot of the same things they did. I loved my alone time - reading, writing fiction stories and poetry, church youth camp, music, playing with toys, ultimately - being a kid. People wanted to be around me because I was fun and entertaining - but I threw that away and became the downer of the party. No one wants to be around that type of negativity.
So, freshman year I went back to my friends, my real friends, and apologize for any way that I had mistreated them the previous year. They were eager to forgive and we moved on. Oh, the value of a true friend.
I was at church the other day (We attend a church that is held in a middle school) and I saw a quote on the wall. It said, "Respect lasts forever! Popularity ends on yearbook day." Oh how true that statement is! I wish I would have heard that back in middle school myself. I love that this particular school is teaching that to young kids.
Learning to respect yourself, like yourself, is vital to a person's happiness and also to their determination not to pick on kids, be a bully and put others down to make themselves feel better. In my schooling I experienced some of that - being put down, made fun of. Afterall I was the girl who wore hand me downs, was very niave and didn't always say the coolest things. But after 8th grade, I began to respect who I was. I can't guarantee I was always happy and cheerful, but I started to become ok with who I was.
Now, fast forward 18 years. (Yes, that is how long I have been out of school.) I have reconnected with friends on facebook and at our reunions, and do you know what I've found out. Those kids in my class in school - are human. They have things about school they would have changed, they perceived things one way, which caused me to make assumptions and perceive things a different way) which may not have always been true. Amazing things would have happened earlier if we could have and would have been honest with everyone and communicated. Time passed and our class grew up. We are now husbands and wives, moms and dads, business owners, teachers, chaperones of 8th grade dances and parties. And do you know what we realize (or that I realize) - We say the same things our parents said and do similar things they did. Time and experience made them wise and the same has happened of my school friends. We realize that we acted petty, we mistreated others to help boost our own self esteem, we took forgranted our childhood and how simple things were.
I encourage you to be that person that is friendly to everyone... so when 18 years passes, you are the one that when nostalga kicks in and in conversations your peers say, "Yeah, He/She was always nice to people - whether they ran in their crowd or not." I still remember those people who were kind regardless, and it's their lives I look at and see God living victoriously.
Matthew 7:12
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets
Be Blessed!
Then my eighth grade year happened. One of the popular girls started talking to me. Now, mind you, she and I were friends when we were younger: would have sleep overs, get togethers, celebrate birthdays, etc. But as we grew up - we had drifted apart into different circles. UNTIL 8th grade. All of the sudden, she was inviting me over again. She gave me some of her clothes she had outgrown, and I just thought were the COOLEST things ever! Then her friends started in. They would write me notes that we would pass in the hallway, I was invited to their birthday party celebrations, I got to hang out with the 'cool kids' at the Cov (a Friday night hang out spot).
However... I was my own worst enemy. I think I self proclaimed myself an outsider and was taken aback by the attention that was being given. I was terrified it would go away. So, I started throwing myself pity parties...you know what I mean, every time the girls got together and were involved in something fun - I would sit in the corner and wimper and cry about my 'hard' life. In hindsite I was a goof. I can't even remember what was so 'hard' about my life that I could cry about it. But in the moment, I saw it got me attention so I thought I needed it to continue. The girls gave me make overs, gave me clothes, etc. I thought I was the coolest. I was invited to attend the Valentine's Day dance and a boy I had a crush on had his picture taken with me. I was so excited. I began hanging out with those girls more than I did my consistent friends. Then the 8th grade school year ended. I was so excited for summer break but even more excited for freshman year. I was going to start High School AND be friends with the coolest, most popular kids in school.
First day of Freshman Year... I walked down the hall with such confidence. I was wearing one of the shirts that a girl had given me, I was pumped. Until I walked through the hallway and not a one of the popular crowd even acknowledged me. I was stunned. What happened in those two-three months of being off of school? It took me a little bit to figure it out that in eighth grade I had probably been a pet project of the cool kids, to see if they could make me popular by association. I wasn't a challenge anymore in high school, so that part of my journey ended. I don't know if that was true or not, but that is how I perceived it.
Now, please hear me, I wouldn't change that 8th grade year for anything. I learned valuable lessons, made great memories and had a lot of fun. In hindsite though, I probably won't stake my entire life's happiness on what happened that year. :)
I learned that year, you have to like who you are before others can truly like you! I also learned I have to see me as God sees me, not as the world says I am or what I personally think of myself. I always wanted to fit into the cool crowd, but I didn't enjoy a lot of the same things they did. I loved my alone time - reading, writing fiction stories and poetry, church youth camp, music, playing with toys, ultimately - being a kid. People wanted to be around me because I was fun and entertaining - but I threw that away and became the downer of the party. No one wants to be around that type of negativity.
So, freshman year I went back to my friends, my real friends, and apologize for any way that I had mistreated them the previous year. They were eager to forgive and we moved on. Oh, the value of a true friend.
I was at church the other day (We attend a church that is held in a middle school) and I saw a quote on the wall. It said, "Respect lasts forever! Popularity ends on yearbook day." Oh how true that statement is! I wish I would have heard that back in middle school myself. I love that this particular school is teaching that to young kids.
Learning to respect yourself, like yourself, is vital to a person's happiness and also to their determination not to pick on kids, be a bully and put others down to make themselves feel better. In my schooling I experienced some of that - being put down, made fun of. Afterall I was the girl who wore hand me downs, was very niave and didn't always say the coolest things. But after 8th grade, I began to respect who I was. I can't guarantee I was always happy and cheerful, but I started to become ok with who I was.
Now, fast forward 18 years. (Yes, that is how long I have been out of school.) I have reconnected with friends on facebook and at our reunions, and do you know what I've found out. Those kids in my class in school - are human. They have things about school they would have changed, they perceived things one way, which caused me to make assumptions and perceive things a different way) which may not have always been true. Amazing things would have happened earlier if we could have and would have been honest with everyone and communicated. Time passed and our class grew up. We are now husbands and wives, moms and dads, business owners, teachers, chaperones of 8th grade dances and parties. And do you know what we realize (or that I realize) - We say the same things our parents said and do similar things they did. Time and experience made them wise and the same has happened of my school friends. We realize that we acted petty, we mistreated others to help boost our own self esteem, we took forgranted our childhood and how simple things were.
I encourage you to be that person that is friendly to everyone... so when 18 years passes, you are the one that when nostalga kicks in and in conversations your peers say, "Yeah, He/She was always nice to people - whether they ran in their crowd or not." I still remember those people who were kind regardless, and it's their lives I look at and see God living victoriously.
Matthew 7:12
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets
Be Blessed!
Friday, July 6, 2012
What to wear? What to wear...
What to wear? What to wear...
I've always been a late bloomer. At first I hated it but I have now grown to love that aspect of my character. I was always the littliest kid in my class in elementary and middle school. When I got my driver's license I was 4'8" and weighed 98lbs. I am the second girl in a family with three girls - so you can imagine I had 'middle kid' syndrom and lived off my sister's hand-me-downs. I felt doomed from the beginning. :( Well - About my Junior/Senior year I finally started to "look" like a girl, yet it seemed to be years behind all the other girls. I really struggled with that.
I suffered from low self-esteem. I wanted more than anything to have a boyfriend and to have the popular crowd to think I was worth their time. I didn't go on my first date until I was 16 years old. And the guy that asked me was really more interested in my best friend. He had asked me out on a date (even drove to my house to ask in person), but I told him I already had plans with my friend. He went to the trouble to find her a date so we could double date. I was so excited until he spent all his time with her, paid her way and even sent her flowers afterwards telling her what a great time he had had. I struggled a lot with that type of treatment.
I couldn't wait to go to college. I longed for a fresh start. When I started freshman year in college, I made a few friends very quickly in my freshman seminar class. I really started paying attention to my appearance and lost about 25-30 lbs, cut off my hair and got contacts. I immediately felt better about myself and people were attracted to my confidence. (Had I known that was the trick all along, I would have been more confident in high school!). Well, here is where my new found confidence turned into self-sabotage. See, I didn't just gain confidence in myself - I started to think myself better than others. My attitude started to stink. All I wanted to do was gain the attention of the guys in school. I started to keep track of the boys I kissed and kind of made it a game.
I was so proud of my new figure so I went out and bought a bunch of new clothes. But instead of wearing what was attractive on me - I wore what revealed the most. I figured... "If you've got it, flaunt it." It got the the point I was wearing extremely inappropriate clothing just to turn guy's heads. Trust me, I got the attention - but it wasn't the type of attention I wanted. I wanted someone to like me for me but all they could see is the fact that they didn't have to use their imagination when it came to what I looked like.
Then the day came where my mom, older sister and my best friend sat me down in my bedroom and had an intervention with me about how I was dressing. I was attracting guys for all the wrong reasons and those guys had the wrong intentions toward me. Mom shared that God desired purity for me - and from by the way I was dressing I was causing the guys to stumble with impure thoughts and that I would be held accountable for that. They also talked to me about how I was not only revealing my flesh but I was revealing what I felt I was worth. Which for someone who just longs for male attention and dresses to 'get glances', it shows I felt I wasn't worth a real relationship - but only a moment of attention, flirtation and temporary good feelings. I battled them that day. I kept saying they were jealous, that they didn't want me to have any fun, and that I looked good and was going to wear what I wanted to. But then I realized that if my family and best friend was telling me that I looked in appropriate, that meant - in basic terms- they didn't like my outfit. YIKES! For a girl who wanted approval, wearing what I knew wasn't appealing, I was making my family and friends uncomfortable too.
I had convinced myself that I needed to look, slutty - for the lack of a better term, in order to feel better about myself.
Even now - 18 years later, I've watched society tell warped stories to the young men and women of our time. They think they have to wear the short shorts, crop tops, revealing bra straps and cleavage. Some men make the girls feel they have to dress that way to have worth. When I lived in Ukraine back in 2004, we saw so many young women dressing inappropriately. In their culture, they were told one of their only purposes was to find a man and get married. When the Ukrainian College kids came to our camp to learn conversational english, we gave them all a camp t-shirt and made an extra effort to tell the girls (especially the guys on our leadership team) of how beautiful they looked when they were appropriately dressed. We noticed throughout the week the way the girls would change how they dressed! God was faithful and used the guys and girls on our team to teach those girls that they didn't have to dress immodestly to gain attention. They were beautiful just as they were.
I watch young girls now dressing to gain attention - and men only giving them that attention when they are dressed smutty. Men - please step up and let those girls know that they are beautiful wearing modest clothing, not just giving them attention when they look inappropriate. Fathers, it starts with you - reminding your girls they are beautiful inside and out. take them on Daddy-Daughter dates to teach them how they should expect to be treated! (And if a Daddy isn't in the picture - find a man from your church that would be willing to reach out to your daughter). Mothers - remind your daughters that their beauty is internal and once it exists there - it will pour to the outside. And Mothers - take your sons on dates. Teach them how they should treat a lady. It truly starts at home.
And most importantly ... What does God say on this matter? I found this on Focus on the Family's Website...
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
What it means: You are created in the image of God, and God doesn't make junk! Like a snowflake, every person is unique. No two are the same. God sees you as a masterpiece; and when you look in the mirror, He wants you to "know that full well." Try this beauty tip: Every morning when you look in the mirror, say Psalm 139:14 and smile. You might even tape the verse on your mirror as a reminder!
What it means: The world focuses on what people look like on the outside. God focuses on what people look like on the inside. Do you put more time and effort into being pretty on the outside or the inside? As you get older, you will meet Christian girls who spend more time trying to find the perfect outfit, get the perfect tan, find the perfect lip gloss, and have the perfect body. While there's nothing wrong with wanting to look pretty, we need to make sure it's in balance. God would rather see us work on becoming drop-dead gorgeous on the inside. You know, the kind of girl who talks to Him on a regular basis (prayer) and reads her Bible.
What it means: Beauty fades with age, so if you are more concerned with your outer appearance, you will be unhappy when the wrinkles come and the number on the scale goes up. In fact, did you know that your body may show the beginning signs of aging as early as age twenty? That is why God wants us to "fear" Him. That doesn't mean to be afraid of Him but rather to be in awe of Him and all that He has done. Let me put it to you this way. If you stand two girls next to each other and one is Miss Teen USA whose beauty is limited to physical beauty, and the other young lady is a more average-looking girl who loves the Lord more than anything, she is the more beautiful girl in the eyes of God.
What it means: This does not mean it's wrong to braid your hair or wear nice clothes and jewelry. The verse was written to warn women not to follow the customs of some of the Egyptian women who, during that time period, spent hours and hours working on their hair, makeup, and finding the perfect outfit. God would rather see women work on becoming beautiful on the inside — the kind of beauty that lasts forever.
What it means: Exercising and staying in shape is a good thing, but God expects us to stay in shape spiritually by reading our Bibles, praying, and going to church on a regular basis. In other words, there will be plenty of people who put their time and effort into staying in shape but who are out of shape spiritually. If they don't know Jesus Christ, their perfect bodies won't get them through the gates of heaven.
Learn to love you for You as God sees and loves you! Afterall - He holds our eternity!
Be Blessed!
In Christ,
Heather
I've always been a late bloomer. At first I hated it but I have now grown to love that aspect of my character. I was always the littliest kid in my class in elementary and middle school. When I got my driver's license I was 4'8" and weighed 98lbs. I am the second girl in a family with three girls - so you can imagine I had 'middle kid' syndrom and lived off my sister's hand-me-downs. I felt doomed from the beginning. :( Well - About my Junior/Senior year I finally started to "look" like a girl, yet it seemed to be years behind all the other girls. I really struggled with that.
I suffered from low self-esteem. I wanted more than anything to have a boyfriend and to have the popular crowd to think I was worth their time. I didn't go on my first date until I was 16 years old. And the guy that asked me was really more interested in my best friend. He had asked me out on a date (even drove to my house to ask in person), but I told him I already had plans with my friend. He went to the trouble to find her a date so we could double date. I was so excited until he spent all his time with her, paid her way and even sent her flowers afterwards telling her what a great time he had had. I struggled a lot with that type of treatment.
I couldn't wait to go to college. I longed for a fresh start. When I started freshman year in college, I made a few friends very quickly in my freshman seminar class. I really started paying attention to my appearance and lost about 25-30 lbs, cut off my hair and got contacts. I immediately felt better about myself and people were attracted to my confidence. (Had I known that was the trick all along, I would have been more confident in high school!). Well, here is where my new found confidence turned into self-sabotage. See, I didn't just gain confidence in myself - I started to think myself better than others. My attitude started to stink. All I wanted to do was gain the attention of the guys in school. I started to keep track of the boys I kissed and kind of made it a game.
I was so proud of my new figure so I went out and bought a bunch of new clothes. But instead of wearing what was attractive on me - I wore what revealed the most. I figured... "If you've got it, flaunt it." It got the the point I was wearing extremely inappropriate clothing just to turn guy's heads. Trust me, I got the attention - but it wasn't the type of attention I wanted. I wanted someone to like me for me but all they could see is the fact that they didn't have to use their imagination when it came to what I looked like.
Then the day came where my mom, older sister and my best friend sat me down in my bedroom and had an intervention with me about how I was dressing. I was attracting guys for all the wrong reasons and those guys had the wrong intentions toward me. Mom shared that God desired purity for me - and from by the way I was dressing I was causing the guys to stumble with impure thoughts and that I would be held accountable for that. They also talked to me about how I was not only revealing my flesh but I was revealing what I felt I was worth. Which for someone who just longs for male attention and dresses to 'get glances', it shows I felt I wasn't worth a real relationship - but only a moment of attention, flirtation and temporary good feelings. I battled them that day. I kept saying they were jealous, that they didn't want me to have any fun, and that I looked good and was going to wear what I wanted to. But then I realized that if my family and best friend was telling me that I looked in appropriate, that meant - in basic terms- they didn't like my outfit. YIKES! For a girl who wanted approval, wearing what I knew wasn't appealing, I was making my family and friends uncomfortable too.
I had convinced myself that I needed to look, slutty - for the lack of a better term, in order to feel better about myself.
Even now - 18 years later, I've watched society tell warped stories to the young men and women of our time. They think they have to wear the short shorts, crop tops, revealing bra straps and cleavage. Some men make the girls feel they have to dress that way to have worth. When I lived in Ukraine back in 2004, we saw so many young women dressing inappropriately. In their culture, they were told one of their only purposes was to find a man and get married. When the Ukrainian College kids came to our camp to learn conversational english, we gave them all a camp t-shirt and made an extra effort to tell the girls (especially the guys on our leadership team) of how beautiful they looked when they were appropriately dressed. We noticed throughout the week the way the girls would change how they dressed! God was faithful and used the guys and girls on our team to teach those girls that they didn't have to dress immodestly to gain attention. They were beautiful just as they were.
I watch young girls now dressing to gain attention - and men only giving them that attention when they are dressed smutty. Men - please step up and let those girls know that they are beautiful wearing modest clothing, not just giving them attention when they look inappropriate. Fathers, it starts with you - reminding your girls they are beautiful inside and out. take them on Daddy-Daughter dates to teach them how they should expect to be treated! (And if a Daddy isn't in the picture - find a man from your church that would be willing to reach out to your daughter). Mothers - remind your daughters that their beauty is internal and once it exists there - it will pour to the outside. And Mothers - take your sons on dates. Teach them how they should treat a lady. It truly starts at home.
And most importantly ... What does God say on this matter? I found this on Focus on the Family's Website...
What the Bible Says About Beauty and Appearance
Some key Scripture verses related to appearance and beauty
Psalm 139:14
What it means: You are created in the image of God, and God doesn't make junk! Like a snowflake, every person is unique. No two are the same. God sees you as a masterpiece; and when you look in the mirror, He wants you to "know that full well." Try this beauty tip: Every morning when you look in the mirror, say Psalm 139:14 and smile. You might even tape the verse on your mirror as a reminder!
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."What it means: The world focuses on what people look like on the outside. God focuses on what people look like on the inside. Do you put more time and effort into being pretty on the outside or the inside? As you get older, you will meet Christian girls who spend more time trying to find the perfect outfit, get the perfect tan, find the perfect lip gloss, and have the perfect body. While there's nothing wrong with wanting to look pretty, we need to make sure it's in balance. God would rather see us work on becoming drop-dead gorgeous on the inside. You know, the kind of girl who talks to Him on a regular basis (prayer) and reads her Bible.
Proverbs 31:3
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.What it means: Beauty fades with age, so if you are more concerned with your outer appearance, you will be unhappy when the wrinkles come and the number on the scale goes up. In fact, did you know that your body may show the beginning signs of aging as early as age twenty? That is why God wants us to "fear" Him. That doesn't mean to be afraid of Him but rather to be in awe of Him and all that He has done. Let me put it to you this way. If you stand two girls next to each other and one is Miss Teen USA whose beauty is limited to physical beauty, and the other young lady is a more average-looking girl who loves the Lord more than anything, she is the more beautiful girl in the eyes of God.
1 Peter 3:3-4
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.What it means: This does not mean it's wrong to braid your hair or wear nice clothes and jewelry. The verse was written to warn women not to follow the customs of some of the Egyptian women who, during that time period, spent hours and hours working on their hair, makeup, and finding the perfect outfit. God would rather see women work on becoming beautiful on the inside — the kind of beauty that lasts forever.
1 Timothy 4:8
Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.What it means: Exercising and staying in shape is a good thing, but God expects us to stay in shape spiritually by reading our Bibles, praying, and going to church on a regular basis. In other words, there will be plenty of people who put their time and effort into staying in shape but who are out of shape spiritually. If they don't know Jesus Christ, their perfect bodies won't get them through the gates of heaven.
Used by permission. Excerpts taken from 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter by Vicki Courtney c. 2008 B&H Publishing Group.
Learn to love you for You as God sees and loves you! Afterall - He holds our eternity!
Be Blessed!
In Christ,
Heather
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