What's a Girl to Do?

I think so often girls are taught to think with our heads not our hearts deceived, hurt, and broken. All of my life I have tried so hard to think with my head- to do the rational thing, the thing that society tells me I should do. And yet, I have felt all 3 of those emotions- deception, hurt, brokenness. I thank God that I have never been so deep in the pit that I felt that I could not recover, but that He placed me in those places to grow. But if I am still feeling these things, maybe it's time for a change?

These thoughts are on my mind because God has now given me some opportunities that seem “too good to be true” and I feel like I’m trying to find the balance between thinking with my head and following my heart. In each of these opportunities, I’m trying to find the “catch” in the situation. I am constantly thinking- “there must be something wrong here!” There are several places that these lies could be coming from

• The lie that I don’t deserve something this good (a lie that all girls tend to believe)
• The lie that everyone is out there for themselves (yes, we are all sinners, but that doesn’t mean everyone is out to hurt people.)
• The lie that God isn’t enough and that His plans aren’t better than mine.
• Just plain fear.
  

There are probably some other underlying lies, but these are 3 that I can see constantly trying to pop up into my life.

But God calls us (me) to fully rely on him. The Bible (Proverbs 3:5) doesn’t say, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart (not mind), but constantly be on the lookout for the catch, the flaw, etc.” No, rather He calls us to not lean on our own understanding (rational thoughts). If God followed what was rational, I don’t think He would have sent His ONLY Son whom He LOVED to come down from His THRONE to live among people who would MOCK Him, KIILL Him, and REJECT Him for generations. That type of “Crazy Love” as Francis Chan would call it, does not make sense, but it is the type of LOVE {agape }we are supposed to have.

In my previous entry, I wrote about how God tells us that He has plans to prosper us and not to harm us. It says it plainly: PROSPER AND NOT HARM. There is no “catch.” If I am truly to rely on God, I have to stop thinking cynically with my head and love like He loves with my heart. Now, I am not condoning completing jumping into a situation without being reasonable. But here, being “reasonable” means entering a situation in which you know is a part of God’s plan TRUSTING and ENJOYING the path He has put you on. I’m pray that in the opportunities He has given me, I am able to do that and I am so excited to see what happens.

Encouragment

I have to admit that this song wouldn't fall into the "Christian Music" category, but I feel like it's encouraging to any girl who might be going through some heartache. It's okay to move on. There is strength and it can be found in Christ <3

Sara Evans- A Little Bit Stronger (uploaded from youtube)

Relationships

Lately, I have talked to so many girls that have been hurt by relationships (myself included). Not really long term relationships, but those short term relationships in which we invest so much of our hope and time. We allow ourselves to get so excited that something might actually work out, that when it doesn’t, we face that inevitable crash. And we are left in a mess of pieces. Our energy is gone, we feel like we can’t trust anyone, and it seems like the pieces will never go back together.

After that feeling is gone, we start to get angry- not at him, but at ourselves. “How could I be so dumb to think that would ever work out?” “Why did I ever open myself up to him?” It’s a tendency a girl has- to turn everything towards herself. Yes, we have those moments when we think, “guys stink,” but really we are thinking “what did I do so wrong?” or “how can I change.” That moment at hating the whole male segment of our population is really a cover up for all of those feelings we have within ourselves.

But I wonder what life would be like if we really reflected on one of the most popular verses:

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Today I turned that verse around:
“For I know the RELATIONSHIP I have for you,” declares the LORD, “a relationship that will prosper you and not harm you, a relationship full of hope and a future.”

(Now I am not promoting the rewording of any part of the Bible, but merely trying to apply the verse to the situation.) God’s plan isn’t for us to get our hearts dragged around by guy after guy, but to prepare our hearts for a relationship that glorifies Him, and thus one that will prosper ourselves.

So instead of turning the blame on ourselves, why don’t we look towards God, the one who has plans far better for us than we could ever have for ourselves?