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Meet Jenny. Beautiful. Funny. A Fashionista. Jenny is loved by everyone. And I mean everyone. She loved the boys and the boys loved her. She began her "dating" career at the young age of eleven years old. Jenny loved attention and wanted the boys to like her. She said "Yes" more times than she can remember. That is what she thought she was supposed to do. Popular girls say "yes." Not "no." Boy after boy came and went. In the process Jenny's heart was broken, piece by piece. When I met Jenny, she was one hard-hearted girl. "Why?" I asked. Why had she said "yes" to so many boys? Jenny was a Christian, involved in her youth group and, on the outside, looked like she was growing in her relationship with Christ. We discussed the answer to this question at length. And what I discovered was something that I had never thought about before. Instead of trying to navigate the choices of who to date and how to date and when to date and how far is too far, young Christian girls should be asking themselves another question - "Who will I pursue?" The hard part, though, is that it is a tough question. It is a sacrifice and it goes against the grain in this tough world of growing up. Love awakens in our youth. It can be awakened by the movies and television we watch, the books we read, and the topics we talk about. Love will awaken at some point. And when it does you will need to make a choice. You can either awaken romantic (sexual) love - and hunger after approval from boys that can lead to compromise and hurt. Or you can awaken another type of love - a passion and pursuit of God. God warns us to remember Him in our youth: "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no delight in them." - Ecclesiastes 12:1 It is in our youth that we choose which direction that our hearts will go. And it tells us in Proverbs, we need to guard our hearts. You don't always have to buy what the world is selling. God always gives you another choice. Another path. God is asking, "Who will you pursue?" Will you give your heart to boys, which at a young age can bring much heartache and long-lasting consequences? Or will you give your heart to God, the lover of your soul and the one who wants to write you a God-written love story? God tells us not to awaken love before it's time: "I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,… do not stir up or awaken love until it is ready!" Song of Solomon 3:5 Romantic, sexual love that is awakened too early can be misused and is destructive. I believe that girls can say "Yes." "Yes" to God when love awakens. "Yes" to pursuing God. "Yes" to giving God your heart and letting Him take charge of your love life. This is where the sacrifice takes place. Because you will look different than the other girls. And sometimes different isn't easy. But whoever said following after God is easy? It will take discipline. It will take courage. And it will take accountability. When you say "Yes" to God, and awaken a passion for Him, and pursue Him, then you will begin to discover God's amazing, soul-satisfying love! Who will you say "Yes" to today? Katy Flood is an international speaker who is passionate about communicating God’s heart for sexual wholeness. She is a freelance writer and a consultant for Heartbeat International. More information on Katy and her speaking ministry can be found at www.katyflood.net. |
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What happens when girls say "Yes"?
This might sound like a strange question to you. It does sound strange - because
no one is asking it.
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