By Yvonne
Being a young Christian woman in this world can be hard. Since the day that you were born the world has been influencing your mindset. You’re constantly being told who to be, how to dress, what to say and so on. Through the eyes of the world if you are 5’7 and a female you’re “too” tall or if you’re 5’3 and ¼ (like me) then you’re too short. If you have big hips then you need small ones. If you have a small waist then you’re too small. If you have a–STOP! Nobody is “perfect” in the world’s eyes. Using the world’s lenses you will NEVER be perfect and that’s something that I had to work on, and still work on in my life. A scripture that comes to mind when I think about this is 1 Samuel 16:7 b (NIV) “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
Psalm 139:14 (NIV) says “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well”. My mindset has been on “I’m not thin enough” or “I’m not tall enough”, when I should’ve had my mind set on Psalm 139:14! Am I the only one who can look at a sunset and be in awe of what God created and how well he paints the sky and then look in the mirror and not like that image?
When you have your mind set on “never enough” and “not good enough” then you can’t see who God says that you are. I have switched my focus from “never enough” to “enough” because that’s who God says I am.
3 ways I take my thoughts captive:
1. Scripture: I carry note cards in my purse with me wherever I go. I pull one of those out when I need a reminder of who God says I am. I take those out to renew my mind to get myself out of that negative mind set.
2. I encourage myself: As weird as it sounds, when I wake up in the morning and I still look like I was hit by a truck I look in the mirror and say “I am fearfully and WONDERFULLY made, God’s works are wonderful and I know that full well!”. I take that time to remind myself who I am but more importantly WHOSE I am.
3. Self-respect:Another way that I have shifted my mindset is by not short changing myself. I won’t say demeaning things to myself because that’s disrespectful to my creator. If what we say about ourselves isn’t good we shouldn’t say it at all because when God created us He said it was good. He said His creation is good and said his creation is fearfully and wonderfully made!
The last thing that I want to leave with you is learning “whose you are”. Most of us would say “I’m God’s” but do we reallyknow what that means? Learning about whose we are requires us to take time and build a relationship with the Father. Whenever I spend time with Him I learn more about myself. But when I go into His presence my focus isn’t for me, it’s on Him. Building that relationship takes diving into His Word. He’s given it to us to get to know Him better but He’s also given us a direct line to him and that’s prayer. Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV) says, “Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you unsearchable things you do not know”. He told us that He will tell us things that we do not know when we call to Him. That means learning about who we are in Him. When we build that relationship with God we change and grow. Learn who you by knowing whose you are.
So with that being said, who are you?
Yvonne, 16 years old, has a desire to see God do great things too, through and for her, this generation and the ones to follow. She is a junior in high school and also participates in running start at Spokane Community College. She has aspirations to attend Howard University but is willing to wait on what God has for her. She recently started a job as a barista. She serves at her local church with the youth as a media relations person and is involved with bridging the gap with the youth and the church’s women’s ministry. She is the younger generations ministry coordinator. She has a heart to see others reach their potential in Christ as well as finding their identity in Him.
Leave a Reply