It came in a dream, the way God speaks to me most often. It’s funny how I knew it was from him but couldn’t quite figure out who it was for. Was it for our purity retreat? No. Something didn’t quite work out there. When I realized who this message was for, it was already too late. The person to whom this message was given had already fallen into the trap, but I gave her the message anyway. At first, she seemed to be in shock saying it was on point yet continued in her endeavors. She chose not to heed the warning that was so clearly written out for her.
She knew that if everything else lined up with what she was seeing in her life, then soon she should expect heartache. I still question why she continued anyway. I wonder if it was because she thought what she was doing was worth it? Then I wonder if she thought somehow the fall wouldn’t happen to her. Regardless of her reasons, she didn’t listen. Today this girl found herself at a place of destruction. She knew this was what God warned her about. She was prepared for something not as painful as what she found herself in, and she was angry at herself for not listening.
The dream came like a production of some sort. Knelt on the floor with her head down was a girl. A spotlight was on her and no other light was on. She is unaware of anything going on around her as God is creating her. We hear God talking to himself about his perfect creation, and then we hear Satan as he talks to himself about the same thing.
God: Look at how beautiful she is. I’m completely enthralled by the beauty I’ve created. Every strand of hair, every freckle, the color of her skin, she’s magnificent! My hands paid extra attention to the construction of her eyes. With them she will see pain carried by those around her.
Satan: Look at her. God thinks she’s so perfect. I’ll shove images in her face that say she’s not beautiful. I’ll tell her beauty is everything she’s not: blonde hair, blue eyes, no freckles, perfect skin. Let’s see how she feels then.
God: I created her mouth to hold power. It will bring truth and encouragement to millions. Her purpose will be fulfilled by the words that flow from it.
Satan: I know the plans God has for her. She’s meant to speak boldly to people. How easy will that be for her if she is overtaken by fear? I’ll give her an extra shot of fear and doubt when she speaks to others. She will be so consumed with it her courage to speak will be non-existent.
God: When I knitted her together in her mother’s womb, I gave her the most special, wonderful, important piece to her being. It’s something to be tightly guarded. The intricate design of her heart is filled with things mysterious to man, but I fully understand it in every way. Her heart will overflow with compassion for others in need. It is from her heart people’s lives will be drastically changed.
Satan: Ah, the most important piece God gave this girl – her heart. His plan is for compassion? I think I’ll send a young man her way. I’ll make sure he says and does all the things she wants to hear. I’ll find someone who appears to have the same beliefs as she does. She’ll find trust in him and give her heart away without even realizing it. At the right time he will crush her heart into pieces too small to repair. She won’t be capable of feeling compassion for others when her heart is destroyed.
The thing about this most amazing girl is that she knows who she is and who God created her to be. She looked again at the words from this dream and said it wasn’t completely written. I tried my hardest not to get defensive when asking her what she meant.
“Well, it ends with Satan saying she can no longer have compassion for others because her heart is destroyed so badly. That’s not how my story ends. My story ends with God speaking. ’Behold I make all things new. My perfect creation knows that in all things I work for the good of those who love me. She may have fallen into the enemy’s trap, but I know she loves me, and what the enemy intended for evil, I intend for good. I will sweep up the pieces of this broken heart and make it whole again. This time it will be better than it was before, and her compassion for others will grow even stronger. She will rise and walk out the destiny I planned for her. She will know to speak my name in times of need, and the enemy will flee from her presence.’”
I was in awe of these words. She finished by saying, “I was broken for a moment, but God didn’t waste any time putting me back together.”
Tag Archives: crush
The Thing About a Crush . . .
In lieu of our youth’s retreat beginning tomorrow, I thought it was appropriate to repost. Originally Posted November 28, 2011
You know the feeling: butterflies partying in your stomach, odd giggles making their way out of your mouth at the most random moments, wondering why you just said what you said, strategically making your way down the hall that he walks in even if you don’t need to go that way, having trouble thinking about anything other than him. . . It’s a crush!
I know people don’t really use that word much anymore, but I think it’s sometimes appropriate. I remember having a crush on a guy my freshman year of high school. He was cute, popular, smart, and he seemed pretty nice. I could never tell him that I liked him, but some of my friends knew. One thing I learned in high school is that secrets will be shared.
Don’t you have that one person you tell things to even when you say you won’t tell anyone? Keep in mind that your friend probably has just one other friend that she tells things to, and that other friend has just one friend that she tells, and so on. What you intended to never be heard by anyone else was probably heard by several.
So, I had a friend that I told about this crush. Apparently he ended up hearing about it, but I didn’t know. Keep in mind, I had never had a boyfriend before, and I had liked him for almost a year without him knowing. He was what I thought was the perfect guy (advice of the day: there is no such thing as a perfect guy).
One day, he stopped me before I got on the bus, “Hey, can I get your number?”
Oh. My. Goodness! He just asked me for my number! That’s exactly what was going through my mind. In reality, I was fumbling for paper and a pen because he didn’t have one, and I was stumbling on my words shocked that he would ever want my number. I was the dorky girl with few friends. I didn’t even think he really noticed me. I mean, we always sat near each other in class because our last names started with the same letter. Gotta love assigned seating.
So I pretty much floated home because of what had just occurred. I waited by the phone, but it didn’t ring. The next day, I wasn’t sure if I should talk to him or what, so I just acted like it was another day. He talked to me, though. He said he lost the paper on the way home, and asked if he could get my number again. That totally made sense, so I gave him my number again.
Again, he didn’t call. Each day he said he lost my number, and at that time I didn’t see what he was doing. I just kept giving it to him thinking he had trouble keeping up with things. One day, I typed my phone number – probably to show that I had a computer since it wasn’t something common for people to have at that time. On the paper I wrote my number in a HUGE size font, and it also said something like, “don’t ask me for it again.”
I came to school prepared with it in my notebook. Just like clockwork, he asked me for my number again, and I whipped out my paper and gave it to him confident he wouldn’t ask again.
I was right. He never asked again, and he never called. He had never intended to call. He heard that I liked him, and he thought it would be funny to play a joke on me. It took me a few days to realize that’s what happened, and I was crushed.
I put so much thought into this boy and how I would respond when he called. I wanted him to think I was worthy enough for him to call me. I tried to impress him albeit in an odd way (with showing off my computer), and I dressed my absolute best for him.
Here’s the thing, though, and I’m going to turn it back to you. If you ever feel like you have to prove that you’re worthy enough to have a boy spend time with you, or if you feel like you have to dress a certain way to get his attention or do something to impress him, then he is not worth the time you’re spending even considering him. He is not the person God set aside for you, and why do you want to waste your time on anyone that wasn’t set aside especially for you?
The guy that is being groomed for you right now will notice you on your worst hair day. He will want to talk to you without you doing something extravagant to make him notice you.
It’s great to see a guy that makes you feel all those crazy feelings I mentioned earlier, but once you have to do something special to get his attention, you know you can keep walking. Don’t let your heart get crushed because it will. If he doesn’t notice you because of who you are and who you enjoy being, then your heart will eventually get crushed in some way if you try to form a relationship with him.
If you follow this one simple rule, you’ll save yourself from a lot of heartache in the long run.
Guys & Shoes – My First Published Article
In my book, Perfect You: Realizing Your Perfection in an Imperfect World, there is a chapter about dating. I was desperately trying to come up with an analogy that girls and women of all ages could relate to, and God gave me . . . SHOES! We all understand shoes no matter what age we are. My 2 year old is a shoe lover, and even my mom can relate to finding the right shoe, so it worked perfectly.
My article, Guys & Shoes, was published in the January/February issue of Susie Magazine. Susie Magazine is a Christian magazine for teen girls. If you haven’t heard of it, you might want to check it out. They have a great website community that coincides with the magazine, and my article was one of 3 featured online. So click the picture and check it out!
