God Called a Girl

Today I have been reading through Shannon Kubiak Primicerio’s book, God Called a Girl. Every chapter has brought tremendous encouragement to my spiritual life. The book highlights the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary was chosen by God to change history. The Bible says she was favored and blessed. Shannon outlines that to be favored and blessed means to be preferred, chosen, privileged, the favorite, affluent, elite, noble, exalted, happy, glad, pleased, and contented. God views you and me the same way! Mary was just an ordinary teenager, but God used her for the extraordinary! I am just an ordinary teenage girl, but God’s plans for me are far greater than I can even comprehend! A great quote in the book was, “God hasn’t given you the events of your life to hold in your own hands. He is allowing you to watch them unfold in His.” Life doesn’t always work out the way we hope it will. Friends fail us, we move to a different town, we fail a test, or we don’t get the job we prayed for. These “detours” of life and “unexpected” storms will only shape us into who God wants us to be! The past three years of my life haven’t worked out exactly how I dreamed they would, but I am thankful for every second of these years. Through my broken heart God has brought a complete transformation into my life. Yes, life is definitely still difficult and I don’t think it ever gets easier, but when we focus on Jesus Christ we can be completely satisfied. Shannon also states, “God is choosing to withhold some of the answers you are seeking at this time in your life because He wants to teach your heart to trust Him.” Man that is so true! I don’t want to sit around and angrily blame God or question Him for the way different events in my life have unfolded. I need to trust Him. This is so hard though because I want to have the control in my life. When I take control into my own hands I am never truly satisfied, but when I give control to God I am truly content. Mary relinquished everything to give birth to Jesus. Her family and friends didn’t support her. Her reputation was utterly destroyed. She chose to obey God and she was blessed through that. One of my favorite chapters from the book was chapter four, An Overflowing Heart. Mary’s heart overflowed with praise for Jesus. I want to praise Jesus with my life too. Michael W. Smith said, “Worship is a lifestyle. Embrace God fully and let Him embrace you. Don’t be afraid to be washed in Heaven’s rain.” Spending time with God is so vital for spiritual growth. I love what motivated Shannon to keep her devotional time first thing in the morning: ” When the alarm goes off and I want to hit snooze, I simply remind myself I have a date with the Creator of the universe and I cannot be late.” Praise God today. Look at the beautiful creation around you and just praise Him! This will not only rejuvenate your soul, but it will also begin your lifestyle of worshipping the Creator!