Recently the founder of Aggie Sisters for Christ came to talk to us about 10 things she wishes she would have understood and lived out in college. What a beautiful and hilarious Christian woman she was! I left convicted, inspired and most of all anxious to start the adventure of starting my own stories of reflection for each of the ideas she implanted last night. Thank you Dinah Thomas, the Lord spoke through you in many ways to those girls last night and I will pass it along.
1. Men are visual: Men are created to be visual beings, I'm not sure how many people realize the extent in which they contribute to a man noticing them. Ladies, you are beautiful! You can love your legs, your chest, or other assets without consciously causing a brother to stumble in seeing and loving these body parts too. Where can you help your brothers? What choices can you make to avoid doing purposeful things to draw attention to physical aspects of what makes you unique? Imagine the impact of letting Christ be the beautiful thing about you instead. Imagine the difference you may make to your Christian brothers, or even more so, the unbelieving men.
Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. --Romans 13:14
2. The things you do today will effect tomorrow: This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you choose to put off studying until the last day for a class exam -- you may not get the grade you hoped for. If you go around kissing random boys in your hometown -- your sister may marry a man you have kissed and you'll have to tell her. Ultimately, you will pay for the choices you make sooner or later so be smart about what you're doing and love the Lord, being undivided in your attention and focus for Him.
Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth, give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. --Pslam 86:11-12
3. Building a foundation- Planning for the future: Living now you are making goals and have ambitious hopes you're reaching for. It starts today. Today is your life. There is no promise of life until your 80 or 30 or until tomorrow, let God build a foundation that a future may stand sturdy upon.
Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. -- Psalm 119:18
4. Discretion is the better part of valor: Be prayerful in all things, do not rush into things. Use discretion when making decisions, for your life may depend on them. Imagine the generations coming up behind you and imagine the legacy you are going to impact on them. Living purely is a lifelong battle, if you are seeking the Lord's truth in each turn in your path you are going to be rewarded for bringing glory to Him. Allow Christ to be the center of all your choosing. "You are who you worship."
My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen. -- 1 Corinthians 16:28
5. Be Intentional in Relationships: Seek out a same gendered partner to be your encouragement, accountability partner, mentor. Start prayer meetings. Being intentional means to commit to each other as far as picking a friend off the floor in hard times, no matter what --> ask God for a person like this in your life and take advantage of the fellowship between you. Make time, be available to opportunities for Godly chatter, payer, discernment in choice improvements. You can get no more than you give. Love all and find ways in which you can be a light in others lives.
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. -- 2 Timothy 4:7
6. Love whoever He brings: Work to love those you have a harder time loving, pray for or about those relationships that could potentially be formed through having a good Godly attitude or outlook toward meeting new people. Ask God to put people in your path purposely and for you to have the words or patience or gratitude to care for them in a Godly manner. You don't know if you will get to share Jesus but you should be asking that He is there to be alive and evident either way.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. -- Romans 12: 10
7. Truth is not about how you feel: There are no excuses! God is stronger than all of your emotions. No matter the kind of day you are having or what crud you are facing, you need to live out the truth and radiate God's love through interactions you are blessed to have in order to flourish something for His glory. Advice: go to bed and start over again in the morning because each day in a brand new start.
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. -- James 1:19
8. Obey & thrive in God's timing: Although we tend to make our own timelines of what we think our lives should look like, it is important to trust that God's plan will be done in His own timing, despite ourselves. So while you may think you need to be married and settled down by a certain age, it is important to be forming Godly relationships as friends for support in the mean time and to trust that God is enough and you do not need the things on your list in order to feel happy or complete in Him. Focus on having qualities of Ruth, while it all happens in the Lord's timing.
It is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. -- 1 Corinthians 2:9
9. Take advantage of your resources: Parents are you allies. God placed you within your family to be a missionary to them, likewise to other relationships that have been precisely placed into your life. It is important to thrive in these and to take advantage of what you have been given so that when one day you stand in front of the Lord and are asked, "What have you done in my glory with what you have been given?" you'll have a worthy answer.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him. -- Romans 8:28
10. Only God can satisfy: As long as you say, "if only" and yearn for things that are ungodly or not to His best intention for your life, you will not be satisfied. Don't look to anything else to be refreshing in your life, only God can fill that role. Grow in the Lord: Loving God and loving others.
May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace as you trust Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. -- Romans 15:13
No comments:
Post a Comment