To My Young Sisters: Friendship

Young Sister:

Today, I want you to know that who you are today may not be who you are tomorrow. You've got dreams, plans, and aspirations that are sure to come to pass as you stay focused. But Young Sister, there is almost one element that can get you off track faster than a boyfriend: Your choice of friends.

Friends can take you in the direction of your dreams or they can detour you on the way to your destiny. We would all love to think that nothing influences our decisions, but Sister, it simply isn't true. Some of you will choose a dress because you and your friend want to match, some will choose a hangout spot because your friends like to go there but you're not too picky. You might even choose where you get an education because your Bestie is going there and you want to room together and hang out on campus. So, though the reasons may be harmless, we do in fact allow our friends to influence our decision making. This is why it is of utmost importance to choose your friends wisely.

The Bible says that bad company corrupts good moral character. You might not think that your friends behaviors and opinions are rubbing off, but they in fact do.  Friendships create emotional ties. You are allowing another sister or brother into your spiritual space. Take a look at the poem below for a moment:

True Treasure

When you have found someone
Who values the core of who you are
Who values the time you spend with them
Who values the experiences you share
Who values your tears and your smiles
Who values the knowledge and wisdom you impart
Who values the trust you gift to them
Who values the truth enough to never tell you a lie

 Who is a reality check that never bounces

Then never let go
For you have found true treasure
You have found a friend

Friends really are true treasure. They should add value to your life, and desire the very best for you. So Young Sister, make every effort to choose wisely and more importantly, be the kind of friend you want to have in your own life. Never forget that God desires to be your closest friend. If you let Him, he will guide you into right friendships and spare you unnecessary pain in the process. Once you find that friend that sticks closer than a brother, value that relationship. Water it with care, hugs, friends night out, prayer, and compassion. It will grow into a friendship that can weather storms and will be a place that others over time will admire.

Remember, he that has friends must show herself friendly, so ask God to point you in the right direction and get to it!

To My Young Sisters: YOU are a GIFT

If I had a younger sister, this is what I would tell her today:

Today, Young Sister, I want you to know that you are a gift. You are a gift from God. Mother Earth didn't make you. You did not just blow in on a tide or float away from some particle in space. You were designed, formed, created, perfectly, and uniquely to bear the image of an amazing, incredible, take your breath away God.

So, you don't need to imitate, copy, perpetrate, anything. You are under no pressure from God to be anything other than what he created you to be. Yeah, I know the guys think you're fly, and they should. But don't let those compliments turn your head or get you off track. It's natural for them to appreciate your God-given beauty. But there is one man, yes, one who will appreciate it forever. The one that's willing to wait for you to mature, to blossom fully into the woman that God has designed for you to be.

There are plenty of guys out there who want to pick your fruit before you ripen, who want to spoil you before you understand who you really are. But I speak to you today, and tell you that who you are is more valuable than a few minutes of pleasure. Who you are is more valuable than any material thing that can be offered to you. You are more than your looks. You are more than your style. You are more than your awards, and athletic achievements. You are apart of the heart of God.

You see, when you get involved, He gets involved. When you give yourself away, you give apart of that unique soul he created you to be away. That's why break-ups hurt so bad. Sex is not just physical, its emotional and spiritual. Yeah, they don't teach that in school, because then, we would have to deal with the broken soul, and who has a curriculum for that? But God does.

His Word is the curriculum for the soul. He teaches us how to restore it, how to control it, how to instruct it, and how to guard it against the things that want to destroy it. So, my Young Sister, don't just educate your mind, and dress up your body, but renew your soul with the Word of God. Feed your spirit and ask God to fill you with His Spirit, so that you may be the Woman (body, soul, and spirit) that God can unleash on this world to bring change.

Young Sister, we have enough girls parading false identities, pretending to be happy in someone else's shoes. The best thing you can give this world is what they have yet to experience: YOU uncut.

Young Sister, we'll talk again, but today, I just want you to know you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you are great because the One who made you is great. Keep your head up, Young Sister. Don't buy into everything that's set before your eyes. Ask God to keep you from looking at worthless things. You've got a future too bright to be distracted.

Stay focused, Young Sister, and trust God to lead you today and always.

Talk to You Later,

Church Love