Girls Reflect What They See In Women

As I walked into the locker room at the gym this week, there were two middle-school-aged girls in front of the mirror taking duck-face photos of themselves on their phones. (You know the ones, where you pucker your lips and you end up looking more like a duck than flirty.) They just laughed and giggled the entire time I was down there.

When I came back through, the pictures had escalated from faces to other body parts. My heart broke as they were bent over taking pictures of places that didn't have any purpose being on camera. They obviously didn't have a problem with it, and I hate to think about where those pictures might end up.

By the time I got back upstairs after my workout, there was a group of teenagers hanging out in the lobby. I had to sit down for a few minutes while Danny finished up his routine, so I found a seat a little ways away from them. Within a few seconds I heard language coming from their mouths that I don't remember hearing from anyone this young before. It was vulgar topics combined with words no one should use, especially not kids. I couldn't get out of there fast enough, as it literally made me sick to my stomach.

There's always a fine line in my mind about whether I should say something in situations like these. As one woman, I probably wouldn't say anything to a large group that included young men, but now I wish I had said something to those two girls. You always come up with great words of wisdom after the fact, right? Once you've walked away and run through it in your mind several times, you come up with something profound that might have changed their lives.

This especially hit home for me when I was planning our teen girls Bible study for today. The parents of these special young ladies trust me with their daughters, and that isn't something I take lightly. God has given me time with these girls so that I can show them one thing ... Him.

Sure, we do crafts and activities and spend time in the kitchen, but the most important part of our gathering is when we open the word of God and learn something new about Him. I want them to walk away with a nugget of truth that they can apply in their everyday life, not just a new skill or recipe. The few hours we spend together each month are incredibly powerful in my own life, and I want these girls to understand the Bible in ways I wish I had when I was their age. I want to be the Titus older woman for them that I needed while I was in school.

If I could go back and talk to those girls at the gym, I would tell them that God thinks they're beautiful without showing off. That they're loved by the God who created them to be special in His eyes, not the eyes of the world. That He sent His Son to die on the cross for them, and that He resurrected so they could have eternal life in Him. That's what I wish I could say. I can't go back, but I can go forward. My teens this afternoon will hear the gospel and how much God loves them. And by God's grace, I will do my best to reflect the Christ living in me so that they don't see me - they see Him.

When girls see you, do they see Jesus?


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