Theme for Girl’s Camp is: It is not about me…ever.
Through the next few days we would like to build a vision for becoming a lady and leaving your girlish, childish ways behind. I Cor. 13: 11 “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man (lady), I put the ways of childhood behind me. “
What would you say defines a lady vs a child or girl?
Lady= a woman of distinction-difference in kind of qualities one is known for. Originally given to daughters of fathers in high rank. (fitting as we are daughters of THE King)
Girl/Child=one weak in knowledge, experience, judgment or attainments
**note the difference between a lady and a girl is maturity, not a specific age
As girls becoming ladies we go through stages. As toddlers we do things that aren’t acceptable in elementary, examples? (take a bath together) As elementary age we do things that are not acceptable in Jr. High, examples? (walk around holding hands) As High School age we do things that are not acceptable as an adult, examples?(sleep until noon) Is there anything you are doing now that perhaps needs to be left behind in the last stage?
Last year I talked about stages we go through by giving them pictures, I would like to share those again.
Girlhood: fun, imagination, snuggles, giggles, lots of time with friends
Ballerina: start to realize life takes work, discipline and focus—yet, there is still a strong desire to be beautiful and noticed by everyone.
Cheerleader: start to see other’s needs and want to do something to help. But the big step comes when self loses its grip and action is put to those desires to help others. This help might be side by side or encouragement from the sideline. The goal is to give those around us what they need to keep going.
Queen and Sage
So although our theme is: It is not about me…ever, today:
It is not about me … ever, it is about living for God
God has called us to maturity, Eph 4: 11-17
We need to reject the world’s philosophies and embrace God’s ways. This takes work, recognizing temptation and being prepared to handle it.
We need to flee temptation like Joseph did, Genesis 39.
bubble wrap illustration (bob, stop, drop, pop):
Let’s say this bubble wrap is any temptation you deal with. Your parents have told you that as a family they do not want you to pop bubble wrap. And as you have read your Bible you have been convicted not to kill and popping bubble wrap does kill its function. So one day as you are bopping along you see some bubble wrap sitting on the table. Suddenly, you stop, you stare….then you drop, into the chair by the table. Before you know it you have popped the bubble wrap.
What happened to your families stand? to your convictions about bubble wrap? Where did you slip? How could you have resisted? Next time you are bobbing, don’t even stop…keeping on bobbing past temptation and you will never drop or pop J.
Read and journal: Rom 12: 1-2 The Message “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
Discuss: What stood out in these verses
Challenge: Think about ways have become too well-adjusted to culture, adjust as needed