Who do you give credit to?

We were down 56-51. There were ten seconds left and when I hit my three pointer, my coach called a time out. After the time out, the clock was slowly running down and my teammate hits another three to help us successfully beat a team that’s got a lot of talent.

 

For the next couple weeks, I was so happy we won because of all OUR talent and strength. We, as a team, did it. 

What’s wrong with the last sentence? Everything! First off, we don’t have any strength or talent without God graciously giving it to us. For the past three years I didn't see that it isn’t my strength, or my teammates strength, but my Heavenly Father’s strength!

 

As a Junior this year, I’ve decided to put my pride behind me and fully trust God on and off the court. Why do something when I’m giving the credit to myself? Doing that is like getting an A on a test and cheating off my neighbor to get it. It’s not my credit, but I’m going to play it off as if it is.

 

I’m getting prepared for a big year of basketball with my team. I’m practicing, running, and eating healthier…wait, who am I kidding? I love food, and I won’t give that up unless God asks me too. As I was saying, I’m giving it my all this year. I’m trying to be a witness to my team and my competitors.I thought to myself, "How do I do that without telling them about Jesus during the game? I got it! I’ll write verses on my shoes." I kept replaying this is in my head and realized that Jesus comes first… Always!

 

I wasn’t sure what verses to use, but two jumped out at me. "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is my strength of my heart and my portion forever!" - Psalm 73:26. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” - Philippians 2:3. 

I proceeded to write these verses in sharpie on the back of my shoes to remind myself and the others around me that all the glory goes to God!

 You might be wondering how this has anything to do with a Mighty Strong Girl, but I’ll just come out and tell you that my place to mentor and show who Jesus is, is on my sports teams. God gives us unusual places to be a witness, but it’s important that you are obedient to everything He calls you to do! Swallow your pride and listen for God’s calling in your life.

Swimming out of a whirlpool

By Payson

You're swimming in an ocean, just minding your own business when all of a sudden...

A WHIRLPOOL ERUPTS! Quickly you get sucked in by its amazing force as you struggle so hard to escape it's viscious grip. You go around and around, over and over again, but you get tired of fighting. You see no point in trying because you see no way out. Then, just like that, you're gone. You've been sucked in. Totally consumed by this whirlpool.

Could you see it? Could you see yourself going around and around this whirlpool? It's pretty easy to picture in your mind, right? Well go back up to that paragraph and read it again, only this time, replace the word "whirlpool" with "addiction."

This is how I visualize my addictions. I was totally consumed by my eating disorder. I was totally consumed with my cutting. It became an obsession. I couldn't escape from the iron grasp that they had on me. The farther I got in, the harder it was to get out.

But I did get out. You know how? God. God found me and put so many amazing people in my life. He reached out to me, even though I didn't want to be reached out to. God did the impossible. He saved my life. 

I could have easily cut too deep and hit a vein. I could have had a heart attack while purging. I could have developed heart problems because of the anorexia, or I could have succeeded in my two suicide attempts. But I didn't. He didn't let me.

Can you believe that all of this was caused because society told me I wasn't beautiful? More and more people are being sucked into this whirlpool filled with sick lies and twisted beliefs made by society. When will it stop? I mean, who gets to decide when enough is enough?

These "whirlpools" need to be stopped, but how? It seems impossible. I honestly don't believe that they ever will be stopped completely. You're going to face struggles every day of your life. It sucks, I know. But you know what really helps? Wearing God's armor. 

Ephesians 6:13 says, "Therefore pick up the full armor of God so that you can stand your ground on the evil day and after you have done everything you possibly can to still be standing."

God will pick you up. He will save you from the whirlpools of your life. He can do anything if you give your trust to him 100 percent. Had I not done this, I would be 6 feet under ground at this very moment. It's scary to think about really. But here I am! Writing this for you today, as happy and as healthy as I have ever been! Sure, I'm still struggling, but it's nothing compared to what it was.

God got me out of my whirlpool, and now I'm swimming free!

The Beginning

By Meg

Okay, I love telling this story.

On my first day of seventh grade, I walked into Athens High School more confident than Iʼd ever been in my life. It seems strange thatʼd Iʼd feel this way, but all my life leading up to that point Iʼd been unconsciously preparing myself for that moment.

I went into the multipurpose room off the high school hallway and walked over to where my new class was sitting. All of a sudden a boy (whose name I will not disclose) yelled over at me, “Hey, are you new?”

Of course I answered, “Yep, sure am. My nameʼs Meg.”

I will always remember that boy as the first one ever to talk to me at Athens Junior/Senior High School. Of course, for the first two weeks of school he thought my name was May, but itʼs whatever.

Athens High School was good for me. Thereʼs no question I have made lasting friendships there, and it felt amazing to have God work through me in others' lives, and to feel God working inside me through the people at Athens. My family found an amazing church, and we settled down on a 5-acre patch of heaven. I buried my fears and sadness about the move until those feelings were gone.

Unfortunately, the pain returned four years after we moved to Illinois. My dad took a job in Anchorage, Alaska, and we moved back.

Going through a transition takes something out of you. After moving away from all my amazing friends in Illinois, I feel completely lost. This struggle isnʼt just something that happened a long time ago that I can talk about easily; this is something thatʼs happening right now. And if you're reading this blog, itʼs probably happening to you, too.

The thing is, when God throws you a curveball, you can either stand there and let it hit you in the face, or you can catch it. Iʼm going to be completely honest. I let the ball hit me in the face. And right now, Iʼm trying to chase it down.

The first transition brought me closer to God. I felt like I was making a difference in Athens for other people, but here in Chugiak, Alaska, I feel totally separated from everyone and everything. Including God.

Now, Iʼm not here to complain. Itʼs the last thing I want to do. I just want you to know Iʼm not an expert on transitions. Iʼm still learning even now. Let me tell you this: Iʼve come to realize that sometimes what we feel isnʼt what is true. God is here with me, and God is there with you. Sitting next to you. Right now. All you and I have to do is go to Him, and He will give us rest.

Make an effort to like the new place God has put you. Who knows, He might surprise you. :)

Examine yourself from a new perspective

by morgan

We all have people we look up to. They could be your parents, super heroes, celebrities or someone close to you who has had a big impact on your life. There are some people who might even look at a magazine and see a pretty girl and say, “I look up to her because she is beautiful! “ I’ve heard many of my peers who will compare themselves to ladies on television or in magazines.

I used to always want to match up to whoever everyone thought was pretty. I wanted to be beautiful in the world's eye; God’s eyes didn’t matter to me. 

Why do we do that to ourselves? 

Is it because society has brainwashed us, or is it because people tell us we don’t fit the world's standards? What people thought used to get to me because I wanted to be perfect, but is there really such a thing?

In my eyes, a role model is someone you want to live like. A role model challenges you to be a better person. 

I was once told that you should make someone’s ceiling your floor. Those words have stuck with me to this day. When someone dies and you see where they lived at, you should want to start from where they left off and continue on the legacy.

“You have younger eyes watching you!" This is a phrase I am constantly hearing from the very person I look up to. 

How true is that? Whenever you are doing something, who are you giving the glory to? Are you giving all the glory to you, or are you giving all the glory to God?

Once I realized how true that statement was, I started living in a way that was glorifying to God and everyone around me. When I think of someone as a role model, I think of faith, hope and love. I want others to look up to me, and see who I live for and where my happiness comes from. I want to watch others grow around me, and I want to watch them give the glory to God in everything!

My goal is to leave a legacy that most don’t understand. I want to watch others test my faith, and I want to stand up for what I know is true. I don’t want others to look up to me because they think I’m good at sports or pretty. I want people to look up to me because I’m a good Christ-like example of what God wants from each of us. 

Are you a good role model? Would you want others to look up to you as you are right now? How can you change that today?