Be Thankful

Be Thankful

By Rebecca U.

Hey girls! So, because I'm a Canadian, our Thanksgiving was last month. But really, this is all applying to me too, because we should be thankful all the time!! Yes, even when we are in the depths of despair, and think we have the the worst life ever! Because I can guarantee that you are much better off than a lot people. So be thankful! A few things I'm thankful for right now.

1. God! I am so thankful for God, and for the opportunity to have relationship with Him. He sent His only Son to die, so that we could have a relationship with Him. And so that one day we can go to heaven, if we accept His gift of salvation. I am so thankful for my relationship with God!

2. A warm house! I has been snowing here all day, so I am very thankful to be inside and warm as I'm typing this. 

3. Technology! This doesn't get mentioned a lot when we list what we are thankful for, but I think we are all thankful for this! Everything from laptops, to TVs, to cars. It's all technology! If we didn't have laptops, mobile devices, or WiFi connection, you wouldn't be reading this. 

4. Family! (ok, so family is mentioned on just about everyone's list, but family is important.) I can honestly say I don't have the best family. But I still love them. And they love and care for me, and I'm thankful for that.

5. Friends. Because really, friends are the best, right? They laugh with you, they cry with you. They are there for you. They are so much fun to be with!

6. Last, but most definitely not least, I'm thankful for GGFG!! I am so thankful for this website and the encouragement it brings to me, and to all of you. I love going on the forums and talking with you girls. I love writing for this website and having a part in this ministry. I am so thankful that God gave me this opportunity to be part of this amazing website! 

Happy Thanksgiving girls!! Enjoy time with family, and hopefully a good meal, but most importantly, remember to be thankful! After all, that is the real reason for Thanksgiving.

The Little Things

The Little Things

By Sarah K
   This year, I am thankful for the little things. For the brilliant colors of the sunrise I can now see out my window every morning, lighting up the world, and giving me hope. For the hugs from my little sister. For the tentative smile I shared the other day with someone I thought I would never be able to forgive. For the smell of smoke on the air as my family shouts and screams while watching football. For the school everyone thought wouldn’t happen, but inconceivably did, all 50 kids growing as close as family. For not only the laughter, but the feel of my friend’s hand on my shoulder that speaks louder than words, as my world seems to shake on its foundations. For that moment in my impatience and self-pity, when the realization hits that I’ve been carried all along, and the God I thought had abandoned me taps me on the shoulder, and points out He’s always been there. For those ethereally short, but shining moments, when I meet a friend’s smile, and there’s only the two of us. For the strangely freeing tears over someone else’s heartache, because it only makes my heart bigger, even though the stretching hurts. For all the ways His Creation amazes me, from the slippery coolness of water in mid-summer Arizona heat, to the discovery of a flower blooming in the midst of weeds, to that supremely exciting day it is first under 100 degrees, and that feeling of breathtaking awe and yet peace underneath a night sky not tainted by city lights.  For all the little things that have suddenly become big, like my family sharing dinner together (for once) and sharing a moment of hilarity. For the ridiculously embarrassing moments when my face is as red as a beet as my friends and I pile into a group hug, and I feel like I’m going to burst, because I love them so much. But most of all, I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to look back, and see - half-ashamed that I missed it before and half in awe of the sheer wonderfulness of it all - the miracles God provided, the times I swore I couldn’t make it, but He carried me through, and all the moments that His Love burns out like a brilliant fire: a testament to the fact that I am His beloved child. And for that, my gratitude will never be enough – but He knows what I mean, anyways.

Thankful

Thankful

By Rachel S.

I am thankful for many things. Picking just one is… exceedingly difficult. I mean, I’m thankful for roses and friendship, birds and Facebook, books and words. The laughter of children, and the warmth of my home.

But of all the things on the earth that I’m thankful for, I must say that I’m most thankful for Freedom. Freedom to be thankful for a million things. Freedom to dance, to write, to hang out with my family and my friends. 

And that’s what I’m most thankful for…

Little Things

Little Things

By Samantha W.

I am thankful for a paperback book cradled in my hands. Summer nights with the perfume of wisteria drifting on a breeze.  An oak graced with Spanish moss, and stars, millions of stars winking at me from above.

I am thankful for the laughter my family makes. Warmth offered when I draw a soft but scratchy blanket around my shoulders. Changes, dozens of changes chipping away my selfish ambitions and drawing me closer to Christ.

I am thankful for little things, which mean so much because God shares it all with me.

Of Matters of Faith

Of Matters of Faith

  By Emily M.

I have been for the longest time the biggest coward when it comes to motor bike rides. I could not stand the thought of being on one. It is scary. Here in Kenya they even have a name 'death traps' a whole hospital ward is dedicated to victims of motorbike accidents. Recently God put me in a position where I had no choice but to trust that He knows what he is doing. I recently read a book from rick warren The purpose driven life and in it he was talking about how God continuously tests our character.. He suggested that all of life is actually a test. God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment and even a motorbike ride. Did I mention that I had no choice in the matter? Well, for three days I have been on one. Going through bad weather - rain and mists and cold, through rough roads- sometimes we even had to walk, long distances to inaccessible places and all this time I imagine God is watching my reaction and enthusiasm to what I am doing. The real question is do I trust him enough to know he will take me through it all and take me out a better person? I have reached a point and understood that life is a test therefore there is nothing insignificant in my life. Everything that happens, happens for good for those who love God. It has taken my life to a whole new dimension. I am in the arms of someone who loves me....despite the close shaves with the reality of hitting a bush or sliding to the ground. In fact, at one point we actually run out of fuel and guess what God was faithful. I have come to realize that every day is an important day and every second a growth opportunity to deepen my character, to demonstrate love or to depend on God. I want who I am, what he has given me to praise him and glorify His holy name.

Well at this point God has indeed kept his promise, and has not allowed me to be tested beyond what I can handle. He has given me the strength to endure that motorbike for three days even if I am extremely tired at the end of it all and provided me with a way to enjoy the whole experience.

Of Matters of Faith By Emily M.

Of Matters of Faith 

By Emily M.

I have been for the longest time the biggest coward when it comes to motor bike rides. I could not stand the thought of being on one. It is scary. Here in Kenya they even have a name 'death traps' a whole hospital ward is dedicated to victims of motorbike accidents. Recently God put me in a position where I had no choice but to trust that He knows what he is doing. I recently read a book from rick warren The purpose driven life and in it he was talking about how God continuously tests our character.. He suggested that all of life is actually a test. God constantly watches your response to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment and even a motorbike ride. Did I mention that I had no choice in the matter? Well, for three days I have been on one. Going through bad weather - rain and mists and cold, through rough roads- sometimes we even had to walk, long distances to inaccessible places and all this time I imagine God is watching my reaction and enthusiasm to what I am doing. The real question is do I trust him enough to know he will take me through it all and take me out a better person? I have reached a point and understood that life is a test therefore there is nothing insignificant in my life. Everything that happens, happens for good for those who love God. It has taken my life to a whole new dimension. I am in the arms of someone who loves me....despite the close shaves with the reality of hitting a bush or sliding to the ground. In fact, at one point we actually run out of fuel and guess what God was faithful. I have come to realize that every day is an important day and every second a growth opportunity to deepen my character, to demonstrate love or to depend on God. I want who I am, what he has given me to praise him and glorify His holy name.

Well at this point God has indeed kept his promise, and has not allowed me to be tested beyond what I can handle. He has given me the strength to endure that motorbike for three days even if I am extremely tired at the end of it all and provided me with a way to enjoy the whole experience.