Attributes of the Christian Girl, Part Seven: She Puts God Above Everything Else

Ariel was incredibly curious. She had always been fascinated by those who walk on two legs rather than swam everywhere with fins. This curiosity led to her collecting items that once belonged to those people. The more she collected the more she would learn about them. Some of her information was a little off a lot of the time, but she was learning enough to see that a lot of what she had been told wasn’t necessarily true.

One night, she decides to go up to the surface and check it out. What she sees is a ship shooting off fireworks. As she gets closer, she notices a rather handsome young man who is celebrating his birthday. At this, she falls in love at first sight, and ends up saving him later that night after a storm sinks the ship.

When her father finds out, he becomes furious and destroys all of her artifacts. She then decides that she has to see that young man again, one way or another.

Her love for him (what the movie describes as love) made her decide that she was going to put him above everything else.

Okay, I’m not saying to abandon your families to run off after some handsome stranger. But there is something to be learned from Ariel’s determination.

As Christian girls I think we have a tendency to forget where our priorities lie. God is supposed to be our everything, and too often, I feel that we let our standards drop for things that really aren’t that important.

Ariel decided that she would do just about anything-even give up her voice and family-to be with the one she loved. Are we that way with God? Are we truly committed to him to the point that we would give up even our friends and maybe even family if we had to?

If your family and friends start tormenting you for your faith, and threaten to disown you, would you denounce your faith or decide to stay with God? When it comes down to it, if you really love God above everything else, you’d sacrifice staying with your friends or family (Luke 14:26, Matthew 10:27, John 12:25).

Think about it in terms of material things as well. Do you allow material possessions or entertainment to get in the way of your walk with God? Is there anything you entertain yourself with that you know that God would not approve of?

If something is truly important to someone, it will show up in their actions. Let’s say there’s someone who never goes to church, watches trashy entertainment, and curses. Then, they turn around say that they’re Christians. Would you believe them? We need to constantly be examining ourselves to see if there’s anything we need to remove or put further down the priorities list.

As God’s daughters, God should be the absolute priority in our lives. He should be the very One that we try to please every day. The rest of the world needs to be able to see that.

Attributes of the Christian Girl, Part Six: She Puts Others Needs Ahead of her Own

When Mulan learned that her crippled father had to go to war, she was heartbroken. She knew for certain that if he went, he wouldn’t come back alive. She loves her family dearly and wants what is best for them. She’d do anything for them.

So, she decides that the only option is to disguise herself as a soldier and take his place.

She realizes that by doing this she could very well get herself killed. One, she could be killed in battle. Two, since it’s against the law for women to join the army, she could be put to death if found out.

Yet, the love she has for her father is greater than her fear of being killed or harmed.

Would any of us have the guts to put ourselves into such a situation for someone else? Even if it was someone we loved, would we put ourselves on the line like that?

In Romans 5:7 it says: “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die-yet, perhaps for just a good man would one dare to die.”

Paul, the writer of Romans, was definitely right. We might say that we would give our life for someone else if we had to; but if we really were pushed into that situation, would we actually do it?

We can see that Mulan definitely was very strong in heart. What she lacked in grace that was so desired in women of her culture, she made up for in love for her family. That takes a lot of love to do that for either a family member or even a close friend (John 15:13).

Even if we don’t ever get into that situation where we would have to jeopardize our lives, would we be able to do what’s best for someone else? If you were in a relationship with a guy that you loved, and you knew that you weren’t right for him, would you have the courage to do the right thing? If your friend started showing signs that she might commit suicide, would you say something to help her? If some kids at school are bullying another kid, would you stick up for him?

It’s easy to say that you’d do something, but we must be develop courage to do the right things. We must constantly ask God to give us courage in all situations that arise. It may not be the most popular thing to do, but if it will help someone else, it is worth it. Having the courage to do what’s best for others is something that all of us should develop.

Part Five, Attributes of the Christian Girl: She Prizes Inner Beauty over Outer

After both of her parents died, Snow White was left to be raised by her stepmother. The two women were both beautiful, but completely different in demeanor. Her stepmother greatly disliked Snow White because as far as physical beauty was concerned, she saw her as her rival.

However, as we know from the story, we know that there were major differences between Snow White and the evil Queen. Snow White was gentle, hard working, and kindhearted. The queen however, was vain, cruel, and selfish. By the end of the story, we see that ended up being the Evil Queen’s downfall.

Sure, Snow White was beautiful, but she realized that being good mattered far more than her looks. Why, Snow White didn’t even seem to realize that she was beautiful.

“Your adornment must not be merely external-braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.”-1^st Peter 3:3-4

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”-Proverbs 31:30

God cares so much more about our hearts. He wants us to be the kind of young women whose hearts overshadow our outer appearance. Have you noticed that when a girl is kind and humble, even when she doesn’t fit the world’s standard of beauty, she seems prettier?

Would you rather be loved for who you are or because of what you look like? The verse above from 1^st Peter and Proverbs name things such as gold, fine clothes, charm, and outer beauty. Gold and gems will tarnish, hair will go gray and thin, and our skin will eventually wrinkle (as disheartening as it may seem). The physical things won’t last. I would much rather be loved for who I am than what I look like.

What is it about Snow White’s story that has stood the test of time? Do we remember her for her beauty, or for who she was described as in the story? For me personally, I remember how kind she was to everyone and the grace and love she bestowed upon everyone.

Goodness must never be taken for granted. In our society, so many women are taking on the “I am woman, hear me roar” perspective. That’s not how we should be. Be the girl that gives the gentle response rather than screaming back. Be the girl that helpful rather than boastful. When we do our best to become the person God wants us to be, the world seems to become a little more beautiful.

Attributes of a Christian Girl, Part Four: She Works Hard and Uses Her Talents

Ever since she was a little girl, it was Tiana’s dream to be the owner of a high-end restaurant. For years she works hard to develop her skills so that she could open the restaurant one day. Before her father died, he had told her to never lose sight of what was important.

In the movie, we see that Tiana was a very hard worker. As a young woman, she worked as a waitress, and helped her Mom out at home.

Tiana obviously tried to use her time wisely. It seems that anytime she didn’t spend working, she spent sleeping.

Let me ask you-how much time do we, especially as young people, waste our time doing pointless things? How many hours do we spend on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or YouTube? When we really get to thinking about it, how could we better manage our time? I’m not going to lie, I’m bad about that sort of thing too.

In the bible, it talks numerous times about being a worker and using our talents.

“A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”-Proverbs 10:4

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.”-Proverbs 21:5

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”-Proverbs 13:4

"Work willingly at whatever you do as though you were working for the Lord rather than people."-Colossians 3:23

"Whatever your hands find to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge of wisdom in Sheol, to which they are going."-Ecclesiastes 9:10

God wants us to work hard and not waste a lot of time. That's not to say that we can't take breaks and relax sometimes, but, what are we doing with the majority of our time? As young Christians, what do you think would happen if we decided to do more for our families and other people? What about taking the initiative to do more housework? What about putting more work into the talents given to us by God? What about taking the time to study our bibles every day?

Honestly, I think we would find our lives becoming more interesting and full of richness. I have heard that when we get outside ourselves, we become happier. When you give yourself things to do other than mindlessly staring at the television or computer screen, there's no telling what could result.

In Proverbs 31, when it talks about the Godly wife/woman, it says that she works very hard (v. 13). She grows a vineyard (v. 16), provides food for her family (v. 15), helps the poor (v. 20), she makes clothing (v. 24), and she runs her household (v. 27).

While I'm sure most girls in our group aren't married, the same principle still applies. When we give our lives to God, being a Christian is a full-time job. We must use our abilities and live for Him to make our lives worthwhile. 

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.