God's Little Princess

Throughout my young life I have been blessed to have traveled around several parts of the world. I have been carefully placed by God in a position where I have had to learn new languages, go to international schools, learn dance techniques by some of the best teachers and meet some pretty incredible people on the way. Sounds amazing on the outside, but this little girl had a lot of growing up to do in the mean time.
Constantly being the "new girl" was tough on this scrawny little thing. I was often teased, made fun of and I was always a crier. My insecurities did not get better when I reached junior high. I had just moved to Paris from a tiny oil-producing town in Venezuela. My escape: dancing. I didn't really have a one on one relationship with God at that time, hence, I succumbed to peer pressure more than once. My mom's words of advice would just go in through one ear and out the other... I couldn care less what she (nor any adult) said. In my head, I was never good enough for anyone. Fortunately, things have changed for the better.

As girls, we have duties and responsibilities that are given to us to accomplish, and we have to be responsible to do these in order to carry out the mission that God has given us. I want to challenge all of you young women, to make it your goal to realize in your own self all the possibilities of womanhood, and to do the work that the Lord has designated for YOU (not the other girl) to do. Embrace being a girl, and to delight in it! Be strong and brave enough in your femininity to always be devoted to Biblical womanhood. But in order to do this, you must constantly make sure that your heart is in the right place. Keep your heart yielded and submissive to God. It all depends on where your heart is.

“The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is wrought of gold.”
Psalm 45:13

She is glorious within, and hence her clothing, her appearance, is covered with gold. Your inner self, your mind, heart and soul automatically affects how your external life is going to be, how you are going to live your life, and what you are going to do, because a covered heart is never going to produce a radiant life, and a selfish heart is never going to produce an selfless life. A sad heart will never make a cheerful life, and a discontent heart will never yield a content life. Be careful to guard your heart, and to keep it focused on Christ, for He will give you the strength to fulfill your duty.

Make it Count

Most days just seem to go by like every other day. Same old stuff. Same old everything. Blah blah blah. One day runs in to another one. You close your eyes and wake up to do it all over again. Doesn't seem to have much of a plan, does it?
Maybe not. But God has an exciting plan for your life. A plan that will give you purpose and fulfillment beyond your wildest dreams. Following God's plan takes commitment from you. You don't just accidentally fulfill what He's planned for you to do. You've got to seek God and ask Him to reveal His plan to you and to give you understanding about how you can fulfill it. Then, you've got to determine to make EVERY DAY COUNT for Him and for His plan.
As a distance-runner-in-training I have to step it up every single day I train. Building resistance means having to build tolerance to new things: adding some incline to the treadmill, running a little faster, a little more pain, maintaining my heart rate, stricter diet, etc. It is a lot to keep up with, but if I ignore a day, a time, a resistance... it's effort lost. Every second counts.
Pay attention to every decision you face... Even the ones that seem so insignificant. Take seriously every person you meet... Even the ones you don't like. Embrace every situation you find yourself in... Even the ones that seem to make no sense at all. They're shaping you, molding you, preparing you for the next decision, the next person, the next situation.
Lose yourself in doing what God wants with every aspect of your life. Live your life in light of His plan!

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

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When God Gives You Lemons

Personally, I think free will is probably the most amazing thing that God could ever offer us. There is a risk factor involved in every decision we make. We live with the fear of not only disappointing ourselves and those around us, but most importantly God. But, fear not...

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

If it isn't important enough to take a risk to go after, then it isn't important enough to obtain! (Side note: this is a huge step for single people to take. But, if that person you have an interest in lights up your heart, I think it's worth the risk of getting turned away then living with the thought of "what if...")

That is what faith is all about: taking that step without looking at the staircase. Like the phrase about the lemons. I have my own little version: When God gives you lemons, pray, grab a cookbook (Bible), follow the recipe that God has placed in your heart (scripture), and get to work! Don't be afraid. The world may be making lemonade, but God knows you are capable of doing much more!

Trust in the Lord his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:5 (NLT)