I’m certainly not in the “girl” category anymore. My years have bumped me way past that title. My daughter let me know in the store last week what my new bracket is. The current t-shirt designs have many of the cartoons & images I grew up with. Jaelynn quickly pointed out it’s because they’re “vintage” & vintage is in right now. Have mercy! I’m vintage!

Every season is full of learning. Life lessons never end. Let’s grab a cup of coffee or tea ( I drink both!) & chat for awhile about girls & their words.

The Lord has graciously given me words to write with. They float around in my head all the time. What doesn’t come easy for me is spoken words. I can get things down on paper so much easier.

Spoken words come with body language & tone. Ugh…two of my hardest hurdles. I’m working on it. The Holy Spirit is more than able to soften the edges on anyone, including me. First, it takes awareness & honesty. Then the desire for change, commitment to change & intentional effort to change. All this change needs to be rooted in God’s Word, prayer & meditation on His Truths. I can’t change me, but the Holy Spirit will always be transforming me & that gives me hope. The moment I think I’ve arrived or am all good is the same time that 100 red flags start flying.

The Lord has opened my eyes wide to what He doesn’t want me to be. My learning style absorbs things better with reading, writing & physically seeing something. I’ve seen a lot of different examples of “a girl & her words” lived out around me. Oh friends….words matter. Tone & body language matter.

It’s never OK to discount another’s feelings, offer unsolicited cutting “advice” disguised as compassion, make assumptions based out of your own thinking followed with fix it statements, mask bitterness with caring, frost all your sharp words with an attached disclaimer saying that’s who you are, or just plain show a lack of interest in really listening to someone. Saying hurtful words that you feel are right & offering a hug at the end isn’t empathy. Girls…our words will either bring life or death.

We all have different personalities. Each of us have different strengths & weaknesses. Those differences are meant to come together & make a beautiful puzzle.  Some of us will be around the edge, some in the middle, some way over to the right/bottom, etc. We’ll piece together strongly with those that fit into our unique shape. Others, we’re part of the same puzzle but placed in different areas & that’s OK. Encourage the pieces that God has placed you next to. No matter how hard you try to force pieces together that weren’t meant to fit, it’ll never work. A new puzzle box might be brought out soon & you could be connected to different pieces in that one. No matter which season or puzzle it is, the purpose is always Him.

I have “walk worthy” written in my bible next to Ephesians 4:1-3. Ephesians 4 is packed with helpful truth.  None of us will ever find the right answers or direction in our own thinking. It always comes from a changing of the heart through God’s living Word.

For me, I know that I need & will always need Jesus….desperately….completely.

A girl and her words shouldn’t cause others to search for a back door escape. A girl & her words should be a welcoming mat to all who enter her presence. People shouldn’t walk away from time spent with us feeling discouraged. Let’s be hope bringers instead! We can start by asking ourselves a question before we speak… “Jesus, are these words helpful or harmful?”

Lord, thank you. Thank you for change. Thank you for not leaving me where I’m at. Help guide my thoughts & words to be in line with Yours. I pray for encourager’s to rise up & discourager’s to be softened. I pray that you plant a deep root of encouragement in me. It takes Your courage to seek continued transformation. Fear & pride keep chains around hearts. Please free these hearts, Lord. I pray that You soften my words, tones & body language. I know You’re always at work even when there’s silence. Your timing is always perfect & I trust You. I love Your perfect plan. Please send the Helper to show me how to be a girl with life giving words. I love You, Lord Jesus. Thank you for the cross & for choosing me. Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, & renew a right spirit in me. In Jesus name….Amen.

In Him forever,

Tracy