Lessons For My Little Ones

"In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name

May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,

 even as we put our hope in you." 

{Psalm 33:21-22}

1. Love Others

Whether someone is easy to love or hard to love, love them. Be kind, be generous, and be encouraging. Love goes a long way and you won’t regret showing someone love. Do it when its convenient, do it when it’s not. Just love people.

2. Build Friendships

 Friends are the family you get to pick. So pick wisely. Find people who encourage you and find the best in you. But make sure they will also bruise you with the truth. Choose friends who won’t let you fall down without being there to pick you up. Friendship is one of the most valuable things God gives us so cherish your friends and never give up on them.

3. BeYOUtiful

Be yourself. You are beautiful no matter what anyone else says. There is no perfect person who is the perfect example of beauty. You may have a pretty face or great body, but beauty is more than that. Beauty comes from being confident, radiating joy that comes from Jesus, and by the way you live your life. Part of it is also how you view yourself, so view yourself as a daughter of the King. He (The King of all Kings) and Creator of THE WORLD says you are beautiful and there is no flaw in you (Song of Solomon 4:7). Girls may say you’re fat, or your hair is stringy, or you stomach isn’t flat enough. Who cares? God made you the way you are He is satisfied and pleased by you. When he created you, he said you were good and he made you exactly how he wants you--not how the world wants you. So, if you don’t believe me, believe God when he says you are beautiful.

4. Bad Day, Not a Bad Life

You are going to have bad days and you’re going to have bad weeks. That is life and every single person experiences those kinds of days. Just remember though, a bad day DOES NOT mean you have a bad life. Do not let a bad yesterday distract you from today. Jesus already has taken care of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Trust that he will guide you and bring you out of the bad and into the good. On the bad days, seek Jesus more and the world less. That usually is where the problem lies ;)

5. Guard Your Heart

OH man. I know you will hear this so many times but it is one of the most important things to do. As girls, we fall for so much when it comes to boys, love, and our happily ever after. When you find a man who you think could be “the one”, be careful. Do not let his promises about the future blind you. Until he can and will put a ring on your finger and ask your daddy’s permission to marry you, don’t let him lead you down that path. Boys will say things-some will truly mean them and some will not. Sweet talkin is what I call it. I fell for this and it will break your heart if the relationship ends. Find a man who will not only guard your purity and your physical body, but also your emotions. Don’t let him cross lines or make promises he can’t keep. Be wise and take it slow. Trust him, but not all at once. Let him prove that he is guarding you completely; not just the parts he wants to. You’ll meet your prince charming one day and God is preparing him for you RIGHT NOW!! How exciting. So be patient and wise. He is coming.

6. Do What You Love

If you art, sports, school, outdoors, indoors, baking, or whatever it is, do it. Don’t worry about what others will think about it. Do not let the opinions of others determine what you love. Don’t let them discourage you. Those are the people who you do not need in your life anyways. Don’t let someone tell you, you can’t do something. Whether it’s a hobby, a sport, or the job you want to do when you grow up. God will lead in the direction he KNOWS is best for. If you have a relationships with him, you will not fail. Do not let the devil and the world tell you otherwise.

7. Work Hard

I have seen the consequences of not doing my best and slacking off. Not doing an assignment or studying enough isn’t worth getting some extra time to hang out with friends. If you make a habit of doing the minimum or being lazy, you will have a very hard time breaking that when you’re older. So, whether you are doing homework, at basketball practice, or doing chores, do it to the best of your ability and in the future, you will see the rewards of it.

8. Share Jesus with the World

Your whole life you have and will hear about Jesus and his love and grace he has given to you. Don’t keep that to yourself. IF someone tells you good news you are going to want to tell everyone, right? The Gospel/Gods love story about you is the same. Tell people about him because there are people who need it more than you know. There are people in your school, your neighborhood, you city who need to hear it. There are people in countries you don’t even know exist who need to hear it. They need the hope of someone greater than themselves who loves them and guides them. Don’t be selfish with the gospel and don’t be scared. Go boldly, go quickly, and go without hesitation. Help be Jesus’ hands and feet and walk the streets of Africa, Alabama, or wherever God takes you.

9. Ask for Help

There’s nobody who has all the answers in this world, so you won’t be the only one who needs help and advice sometimes. If you need advice or encouragement,: ask someone. Ask me or a friend or your family. You weren’t made to go through alone and have all the -answers. God will show you answers through his word and also through the lives and wisdom of those around you. Take advantage of the people who love you by asking for their )help. We all need help from time to time and in my life, I have been blessed with many people who will come to my aid. I pray that you will have the same blessing.

10. There’s No Such Thing As Perfect

That includes you. Yep, I just told you that you aren’t perfect. It’s okay though because I’m not either and neither is anyone else that you’ll meet. Being imperfect means that you will make mistakes; some big and some small. You will have failures. You will sin. You will hurt others and be hurt. So do not beat yourself up every time you mess up or something doesn’t go “according to plan.” The fact that you are not perfect shows your need of someone who is perfect- Jesus. He will never fail you, hurt you, leave you, or turn his back on you. His perfect love casts out all of your fears and makes you able to face the world. Do not strive for merely perfection- strive to be like Jesus. By doing this, everything else will fall into place. The world’s definition of perfection is not lasting and shallow- but striving for Christ-likeness is eternally rewarding.

All of these bits of advice are here to help you make it through the things that you will experience in life. Hopefully they will help make it a little easier. I want you to know that I have gone through the same things that you will and pray that you will come out of them better and stronger than I did. But ultimately, I want you to know that God is on your side and he has let me experience these things because he needed me to see that I am not enough. I cannot satisfy him on my own and I cannot bring him glory through my life, on my own- I need, you need, we all need Jesus. I am confident that he will show himself to you and that you will trust and love him more than you do any human being, because in Christ, we find hope and we find life.