Attributes of Christian Girl, Part Three: She Looks into a Person's Heart

Belle didn’t really fit in the new town that well. She was beautiful, but the townspeople saw her as strange because she was constantly reading a book. It certainly didn’t help that her father kept trying to come up with crazy inventions and blowing up their house quite often.

Either way, things couldn’t be so bad for her, could they? The town hunk, Gaston, is obviously interested in her. He’s handsome, and a great hunter. In her mind though, it’s not a good thing. Unlike the other girls in town, she sees right through him. Sure, he’s attractive, but he’s arrogant-and that, in Belle’s mind, is anything but attractive.

Belle’s not really the type to be charmed by looks. Throughout the story we see that no matter who it is, or what they look like, she sees people as people with value. While she was frightened at first of the beast’s appearance she allowed herself to judge him by his actions rather than what he looked like.

Over time, with help from Belle, the beast began to see what kind of person he could be. Through her, he saw that kindness and love starts when you put their needs ahead of your own.

Don’t get me wrong-I’m never saying that you should go out and date bad boys. But, when you choose to do the best you can to try to find the best in everyone, and treat everyone with kindness, there’s almost no limit to the amount of good that can occur from it.

We must remember that every person is made in the image of God and is a precious soul. It doesn’t matter what they’ve done or what they believe. When we treat someone with love and kindness, we don’t know the affect it will have on them (Galatians 6:1, 1^st Thessalonians 5:15). Perhaps your act of kindness will eventually help lead them to Christ.

We must try to see people as God sees them and look at their heart rather than their outward appearances (1^st Samuel 16:7). It’s amazing the abilities, and positive qualities people can hide from the world. It takes special people to show them just how important they are to God. That’s something as God’s daughters that we cannot take for granted.

Attributes of the Christian Girl, Part Two: She Hopes and Dreams with all Her Heart!

It appears that Cinderella is the most popular princess of all-and no wonder! Her story is one of hope, hard work, and romance. Cinderella, raised by her stepmother, faced difficult times and forced to be a slave for her family. She was kind hearted and patient, even through her family’s torment. While she didn’t like the way her family treated her, she treated them with love and respect. She knew that eventually, something good would come from her own actions.

 In life, we’re going to encounter difficult times, and there are going to be those that torment us. God tells us that we will encounter these times (1^st Peter 4:12). Through these trials, we will become stronger, learn more about life, and become better people. When we look at trials with optimism like Cinderella, life becomes a little less bleak.

When Cinderella did her work around the house, it was usually with a smile and she was singing. This may seem somewhat ludicrous, but, is it really so far-fetched for a Christian? When someone has an optimistic outlook on life, and a faith in God, you can have peace and happiness, even during the tough times. (Philippians 4:7)

Also, like Cinderella, we must do good to those who torment us (Matthew 5:44). God’s daughters must continue to hope and dream, stay optimistic, and treat everybody with kindness. Proverbs 31:25 says, “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and laughs without fear of the future.”

As God’s daughters, we must develop this optimism and trust in Him that when we do His will, good things will eventually come. Through hard work and dreaming comes reality. As Cinderella says, “They can’t order me to stop dreaming.”

That’s something that sets Christians apart from other people. Some people may try to break us down, but we continue to have such deep hope and faith (Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

Keep hoping and dreaming-because God will help you through rough times. Soon, God will take your hopes and dreams and turn them into something greater than you ever thought possible (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Attributes of the Christian Girl: Part One, She takes Her Faith Seriously!

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve absolutely loved Disney movies. I especially liked the ones about the princesses. My favorites are Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, and Rapunzel. Just as little boys look up to superheroes like Batman or Spiderman, little girls look up to princesses. It’s no wonder-the princesses embody what most little girls want to be. 

As young Christian women, it’s important to remember that we are Princesses. Just recently, our ladies day was themed “Daughters of the King”. One of our speakers said that the Christian woman takes her role as a daughter of the king very seriously. She knows her worth, and how grave her role is as a Christian girl.

In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

If we claim to wear the name Christian, we must live like it! We are to be shining lights in a dark world! Let me ask you this: knowing what you know about princesses, do you normally hear positive things about them, or negative things? How do these ladies normally conduct themselves? They normally try to conduct themselves in such a way to positively reflect their family and role, do they not? As God’s daughters, shouldn’t we strive to be positive representatives of our Father?

Just like Cinderella, as Christian girls we should continue to hope and have faith no matter the situation (Romans 8:28). Like Belle, we should look into people’s hearts rather than their outward appearance (1^st Samuel 16:7). Like Ariel, we should be willing to even give up those we love most for what we believe in (Luke 14:26). Like Rapunzel, we should be willing to do anything to help us receive the truth that will set us free (John 8:32).

All of these things will set us apart from the rest of the world. In later lessons, we’ll go into some of these things more in depth. Just never forget the importance of your role as God’s daughter. If you remember that, everything else will make a lot more sense.

The Endless Search for Mr. Right

(the above photo is from http://tinyurl.com/7pj6dww)

It seems that, Christian Girl or not, many get led astray by sweet talking boys who have nothing good in mind. In our society, a dangerous mindset seems to have taken over. People seem to think that if someone asks you out on a date or to be their boyfriend or girlfriend, you have to say yes. Many girls seem to think that every guy deserves a chance, and, if they say no, they’d possibly be missing out on a great guy. (Also, many girls get the mindset that they can change someone.)

When I was in high school, I didn’t date. The main reason was because there weren’t many guys I was interested in. I wasn’t the kind of girl to rush into any guy who showed interest in me. I saw so many girls who were so desperate for someone to love them that they got themselves into bad situations.

Just because a guy claims to like you, doesn’t mean you have to say yes! You have the right to say no, or ask him to give you time to think about it. If you say the latter, pray about it. Ask God to give you an answer as to whether or not you should go forward with this young man.

God will always answer in some way. There have been a few guys in the past that I would have love to have dated, but none of them have liked me back. Now I see at this point that I wouldn’t have been a good match for those people for one reason or another. I definitely believe, beyond any shadow of doubt, that God knows what He is doing. (Prov. 3:5, Jer. 29:11)

Like most girls, I really want to get married and have a family one day. But, I know that before I meet that man one day, I have to keep growing closer to God. I do my best to pray more often and to study my bible. God should be our first love, and, when He decides it’s time, He’ll help us meet Mr. Right.

Think about Hannah from 1^st Samuel for a moment. She wanted so badly to have a child. Back then, it was considered shameful to be unable to conceive. She kept seeking God over and over again, and kept her faith. Then, God granted her request for a child, and she had a son named Samuel. (1^st Samuel 1).

Hannah brought herself closer to God, and God drew closer to her. It will be the same for us! (Psalm 37:4, Psalm 20:4, 1^st John 5:14, Matthew 6:25-34, Romans 8:28, James 4:8)

We’re God’s daughters, and He wants what’s best for us. Wherever we find ourselves in life, good or bad, we need to turn to God as our guide. Take the time to observe the guy before you date him, and ask around about him. Ask God to give you an answer as to whether or not you should be dating Him. He always replies in one way or another.

It does happen often that girls get their heart broken. If you do, see that as a sign to draw even closer to God and find comfort in Him. Learn what you can from the relationship, and know better what not to do in the future.

To close, here’s a quote that I believe every girl should keep in mind:

“A woman’s heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.”-Maya Angelou

If a man could care less about God, your values, or faith, he doesn’t deserve you, and you should move along until God helps you find someone who does.