You Are Beautiful

Do you ever wonder about yourself when you look in the mirror? Do you ever wonder what you’d look like if your  eyes were a little bigger or your nose a little smaller?

Stop wondering what God was doing when He created you. You are beautiful! And He has ordained every single day of your life. You are his daughter and He adores you!

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16

 

True Love!

Dear Family. . . I don’t tell you often enough how much I love you. It’s only because of Christ that I have a deeper knowledge of what love is. Let me tell you what I’m learning about Christ dwelling in me and what His love has done in my life.

My love for you is willing to meet you where you are. My love for you forfeits any thoughts of changing you to an image I may have that you should become. My love for you accepts you unconditionally. I do not love you because of what you are or may become; I do not love you if you say or do certain things I want. I do not love you for what you may give me or what I can gain from you.

I love you because it’s His love. That’s all there is to it. It’s actually quite miraculous. You can’t get around it. You can’t stop it. My love for you will never end because His love never ends.

 

Is Change Possible?

God loves me just where I am, but He doesn’t want to leave me there. He wants to use all that happens to me and around me for growth and maturity and for His glory. Everything that happens to me is used for what God wants to happen in me and through me. He uses where I have been, where I am, and where I am going. And He loves me every step of the way. May I be as Paul, Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, -Philippians 3:13.

In seeking God and His ways, reaching forward, we begin to change. The more we’re in God’s presence, the more we know Him. That means knowing of His love which takes us through all things. The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing, -Zephaniah 3:17

 

 

Reality about a Teen Girl

No matter what others say about beauty, popularity and fitness – every teen girl wants to beautiful, wants to be popular and wants to be fit. This is reality.

So let’s talk about it. How do you become beautiful? How do you become popular and how do you become fit?

First of all, you are beautiful. God does not make mistakes and He has His fingerprints all over you. Psalms 139:13-5 For you created my inmost being;  you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

Many times we don’t see the beauty we possess because we are always looking at our flaws. “My nose is too big. I’m too fat. I hate my curly hair.” The list goes on and on. So what do you do? Here’s the plan.

• For thirty days – refrain from saying one negative physical quality about you. This means you can’t say anything negative about you.
• For thirty days, everyday, pick one physical quality you like about yourself. Write it down. It can’t be the same. So at the end of thirty days – you should have sixty awesome things to say about yourself.
• Lose the magazines. The models on the mags are airbrushed! All photographs are photoshopped. How do I know? Even my photographs are altered and I’m not a model.

 

Add the Two

With His Word, God spoke life and being into the world. With our word, we can also speak life and our eternal salvation into being. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, His death and resurrection, our salvation from sin and everlasting condemnation is assured. Jesus became the source of eternal salvation for those who obey Him. What power God has put into the spoken word! His and ours! If you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. -Romans 10:9. Speaking + believing = Salvation.

Sharing this equation should become our spiritual ambition. With our word, we can make a difference in the eternal destination of friends, family, co-workers, neighbors – and the folks we meet when we’re out and about. Our words + His Words = changed lives.

 

 

Best Friends Forever!

You’ve heard it said before “true friends are forever.” There’s truth in the statement if you think about it. Truth is the Lord’s Word and when you are true to Christ, you will live forever. So if Christ is the center of the friendship, then true friends are forever!  Without the word true, the friendship would be meaningless.

Friendships need to grow in Jesus selflessly together and accept each other’s needs, differences, and gifts. In the Bible there’s an amazing story about two young men’s devoted friendship. Jonathan was David’s very best friend, but he was also King Saul’s son, and the king wanted the future king David killed.

Jonathan knew his father’s plans and went to David. “My father wants to kill you. Guard yourself until morning, and keep yourself well hidden. I will then speak to my father, the king, in your honor.”

King Saul was furious at his son and hurled a spear at Jonathan intending to kill him. But Jonathan continued to protect his best friend even at the cost of his own life. True friends are forever. Can you think of another man who protected you at the cost of His life? Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. -John 15:14.

 

Just a Girl

Over the past few years, everyone knows that there has been an increase in school violence by students, and shockingly yet, they are blaming it in part of being harassed and tormented by their peers. The best defense against this trend is to understand the characteristics of bullies and how to prevent this occurring to you.

Girlfriends, bullying is about power! It can be more than physical abuse and can take on many different faces. Teen girls exert enormous power over their peers. Their weapons are not their fists, but their emotional mind games and their mouths — gossiping, name-calling, excluding, withholding friendships and silence — can be as harmful as physical intimidation and violence. The effects can cause low self-esteem, depression, poor grades, isolation and sleepless nights. Even worse, some teens decide to end their lives instead of facing this kind of misery on a daily basis.

You need to know that bullies are often people who have been abused, and somehow need to take control of their lives. To cope with their situation, they take it out on someone else that they feel is weaker, who has low self-esteem and is insecure. Remember, the bully feels the needs to dominate and be the center of attention because it makes them feel better about themselves. Regardless their reason, it is wrong!

It’s hard for teen girls to deal with this type of behavior, especially when the harassment is happening to you. Here are a few tips on what to do if you find yourself in a tough spot.

• Be assertive and stay calm. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” -John 14:27
•  Don’t react to the comments. Walk away. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1 NIV
•  Don’t be afraid to report the behavior to an adult. “Two are better than one, because they have a good return on their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
• If you see someone being bullied, stand up and step up! Help the person out of the bad situation. “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” –Philippians 2:4 KJV
• Be the power of influence! If you are popular and well liked, it only takes one positive comment from you about someone to change how others view that person. Be positive and uplifting. It could change a life.

Terry Squires is the creator and author of the TodaysGirls.com series and the One Impact Bible.

 

Help, I Just Had a Huge Fight with My BFF!

Question:

Terry – My best friend and I have had a huge fight and now she’s not talking to me. I’m not even sure what happened. What should I do? Kali

Answer:

Hey Kali, The first thing you should do is figure out what caused the argument and why she’s not talking to you. Sometimes we do things that we don’t even know we do. It could be as simple as talking to a guy she liked. In her mind she might think you were flirting with him. Or it could be something you said innocently, “those jeans look awesome.” She might think you’re telling her she’s fat. Here are a few more tips.

• Talk face to face. Texting can lead to more problems because we can’t always see the facial expressions. People take them wrong.
• Don’t fall into the “taking sides” trap with your other friends. Keep the disagreement between you and your friend.
• If you did do or say something, apologize.
• If you’ve prayed about it and she won’t forgive you, then let it go and let God take over. We as girls have a tendency to hang on and let true friendships slip by us.
• Don’t let the argument cause you to not have fun. Stay up with your normal activities.

If she’s a true bff, then she’ll forgive you. If she’s not, then take a look around. Invest your time in a friend who will understand the ups and downs of a friendship.

 

The Cardboard Sign Reads, “I Need Beer Money”

I have a new blog site and I couldn’t help but write this blog post, The Cardboard Sign Reads, “I Need Beer Money” www.terrysquires.com

 

Is It Cool to be a Christian Today?

Lately, I’ve been noticing that being a Christian isn’t cool, especially with the entertainment world. Many who share their statement of faith get mocked and or questioned. But being a Christian is much more than just a statement or a label. It’s what you do with your life and how treat others. Is it cool to be a Christian today if you:

• help others in need?
• give when others won’t?
• love the unloved?
• forgive the unforgivable?
• share because you want to and not because you have to?
• look beyond the differences?

The question is – what makes you cool?