I used to play basketball with a girl who thought that if she didn't play good enough her parents wouldn't love her as much. I tried to tell her that it wasn't true, but she didn't believe me. Some of you might have certain talents or abilities and you might think that you have to perform well to be loved and accepted. Whether it's a sports team at school, honors class, or anything else you're good at, you don't have to be perfect at it to be accepted by the people who care about you. I'll be honest, your peers, such as the popular group at school, might not accept you if you don't excel at a certain sport or talent. But the people who really love and care about you won't judge you if you aren't amazing every time you perform. Here are 2 things to remember when it comes to talents and abilities.
1. All Talents Are God-Given No matter how good you are at something, you have no right to boast in yourself. God is the one who gave you your abilities. 2 Corinthians 10:17 says [But he who boasts is to boast in the Lord.] When you boast in your abilities, give God the glory. 2. Use Your Talents to Further the Kingdom No matter what it is you're good at, you can always find some way to minister to people. You can invite the people on your team or in your class to church, you can tell them about God, or you could just show them the love of Christ by living it out in your own life daily. No matter what the world is telling you, you do not have to perform, or perform well, to be loved and accepted. Always remember that God gives you your talents and that He wants you to use them to glorify Him.
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I know that many girls my age struggle with their identity. They place their identity in earthly things that will not matter when Judgement Day comes. [The world and it's desires pass away... 1 John 2:17] Here are 3 common places we misplace our identity as teenage girls.
1. Outward Appearance This is quite possibly the number one place where we misplace our identity. [Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. 1 Peter 3:3] I don't think this scripture is saying that it's wrong to fix our hair, wear jewelry, or wear cute clothes. I think what it's saying is that we shouldn't focus so much on our outward appearance that we don't worry about our inward appearance. (For more on that, check out my last post). It also implies that we should not place our identity in our outward appearance. Your worth is not found in your beauty. The Bible says that when we get to heaven we will have new bodies, so why place our identity in something that isn't going to last? 2. Relationship Status Another place teenage girls misplace their identity is in their relationships. Whether or not they have a boyfriend. Whether or not they have a best friend, or any friends at all. They think that a boyfriend will give them lasting satisfaction. But the truth is, only God can give you lasting satisfaction. Your best friend or group of friends will move on to college after high school, and so will you. I'm not saying that you won't stay friends with your high school bestie, but there is a chance that you won't. You and your boyfriend may get married, or you may not. Or, it might be God's will for you to be single for the rest of your life. I know that may not seem like a pleasant thought to some of you, but it's all up to God. So there's no point in placing your identity in a relationship that has an equal chance of ending as it does lasting. 3. Talents All your talents are 100% God given. Yes, you practice to become good at what you do, but who gave you the ability to practice? God. Whether it's a sport, an instrument, school, or anything else you're good at, you are not defined by how good you are at a certain sport or activity. You should not place your identity in a sport because of the scripture I wrote above [The world and it's desires pass away... 1 John 2:17] When you get to heaven, how much will all your first place trophies and medals matter? We aren't going to be judged by God based on how many A's we got or how well we are at playing guitar. Our identity is found in Christ alone. Not our beauty, boyfriends, best friends, or talents. Everything in the world will pass away. Everything that is so important to us now will be unimportant when we're in heaven. Don't place your identity in earthly things. Place your identity in Christ. |
MissionIn short, I started this blog because I want to give girls all over the world hope. All of the topics I write about on this blog are things that I have struggled with or am still struggling with. I want to help young women everywhere achieve freedom through Christ. Archives
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