Give the Girl Jesus

by Anonymous As a child I was OBSESSED with princesses and all the romantic stories that went with them. I loved how pretty and kind they were, and that they always got their “Prince Charming” at the end of the story. So when my Prince Charming turned out to be a lanky soccer player from church who also was my best friend, I was head over heels. Not only was this guy athletic and handsome, he also proclaimed to be a Christian which made him perfect in my eyes. In the midst of being completely in love with this guy, I took my focus off of God which made me blind to the events that would come to pass. It started off slow with a minor faux pas that I quickly forgave into this mountain of regret, depression, anger, and lies.  “I just think that we need to spend a little time not talking to each other, so that we can get back on the right path with God.” Harmless right? One would say even encouraging. I had already felt guilty beforehand about how fast our relationship ...

by Rebecca Kiser In Japan, it is common practice for a potter to repair a broken piece of pottery with resin made of gold. These items are worth more than the originals, indirectly, because they have been broken. It is a special form of art that is meant to utilize and glorify the cracks, missing shards, and imperfections of the pottery. This ancient practice is known as Kintsugi or “golden repair”, and its pieces can be found all over the world in prestigious art museums, and are considered priceless. I find this really interesting not only because of the symbolism of something being more valuable because it’s been broken, but because of the potter. The first one to do this saw potential, worth, in shards of broken pottery sprawled lifelessly across the dirt-ridden ground.  When anyone else would have swept up the pieces and thrown them out with the rest of the trash, this potter took care to meticulously gather up every last bit. He invested time, love, and valuable re...

by Rebecca Kiser “Our hearts ache but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:10 All my life people have told me I could be whatever I wanted. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, they asked (as if a 7 year old has any clue) and no matter what the answer, they were excited and told me I would excel at it. But now, I’ve apparently reached the age where I should know for sure what I want to do, but the pool of acceptable career paths seems to have shrunken. Now they tell me to dream big. "Are you sure you don’t want to be a neurosurgeon?" "An Aerospace Engineer?" "A millionaire entrepreneur?" No longer is my heart’s desire a good enough answer, I could always go bigger. They make suggestions and tell me, “You’re gonna do big things!” and, “You’re gonna be successful.” What does that even mean though? What kinds of things are considered “big”? Wha...

by Rebecca Kiser Like every other high school senior girl, I recently embarked on the exciting (and stressful) activity of searching for a prom dress. Somewhere between dress 26 and 39, I realized that this whole process is pretty much exactly like dating. First, let me note that I’m talking specifically about dating as a Christian, as in dating in the pursuit of marriage. Dating just to have a fun time in high school is not what we’re talking about here. Now, to be perfectly transparent with you, I’ve had very little experience in this area, but I’ve also never been to prom, so I feel like that puts me in a good place to talk about my initial impressions of both and the connection I’ve recognized between them. There are endless similarities: Both start out hopeful and exciting, but end up being a lot more exhausting than social media and society advertise them. Both left me feeling insecure, less-than, and inferior to every other girl. For both, I’ve been told, “You’re nev...

by Rebecca Kiser Do you ever get tired of the christian answers? Like when life is being particularly unfair, and you know if someone quotes you another encouraging Bible verse you’re gonna grab the nearest heavy object and launch it through the wall? What about being the positive one; the one giving those answers? Does it ever become too hard to manage that automatic, encouraging response you’ve perfected? When life makes you feel like you’re unraveling, do you ever just want to take a minute to unravel? My best friend moved across the country. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him…” All of my friends betrayed me. “I know the plans that I have for you… Plans to give you a hope and a future.” I got fired. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart...” There are literally not enough hours in the day to get everything done. “I can do all things...” NO! I’m over it. I need some sympathy, some time to be mad, and, ...

by Rebecca Kiser I’m not talking about every single person you ever hang out with, or even all of your friends; I actually think a lot of those people need to be non-christians. No, I’m talking about your absolute closest friends. The ones whose houses are your second homes, the ones that have to be the first to know about every event in your life, the “Call me, I’ll be there,” kind of friends. Every Jesus girl needs these people to be other Jesus girls. First of all, there is a difference between a christian girl and a Jesus girl. Just because they are Christians and go to church and all that good stuff does not mean they are the Jesus girls who we’re talking about here. Jesus girls are the ones who are actively pursuing God and the life He has for them. They are the ones who are legit about their faith and let it be the guiding factor in their lives. The most important friends in your life have to be Jesus girls, and here’s why: Who you hang around influences your cha...