Kristi Holl - Whats a Girl to Do?: Finding Faith in Everyday Life

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So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what
is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is
unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

ZONDERKIDZ

Whats a Girl to Do?
Copyright 2007 by Kristi Holl

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

ePub Edition January 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-56901-5

Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zonderkidz, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Holl, Kristi.
Whats a girl to do? : finding faith in everyday life / by Kristi Holl.
p. cm. -- (Faithgirlz!)
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-71348-7
1. Girls--Prayers and devotions--Juvenile literature. 2. Girls--Religious life--Juvenile literature. 3. Girls--Conduct of life--Juvenile literature. I. Title.
BV4860.H637 2007
248.82--dc22

2007022892

Scripture quotations come from the following sources:

The Amplified Bible, Old Testament. Copyright 1965, 1987, by the Zondervan Corporation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Amplified Bible, New Testament. Copyright 1954, 1958, 1987, by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the Holy Bible, NewInternational Version . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The New King James Version. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken form the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, Todays New International Version. TNIV . Copyright 2002, 2004 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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Editor: Barbara Scott

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

devotion 1

The poor are shunned by all their relatives how much more do their friends avoid them! Though they pursue them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.

Proverbs 19:7 (TNIV)

Elizabeth raked leaves for an elderly lady in the neighborhood. She liked the wages, but she felt uncomfortable when Mrs. Krauss came out on the porch to talk. Elizabeth said hello but continued raking while Mrs. Kraus talked or asked her to sit on the porch and have a cookie or lemonade. Elizabeth wanted to finish raking and get back home where she could call a friend or do her own thing. Elizabeths mom said Mrs. Krauss was lonely after losing her husband. While Elizabeth pitied her neighbor, she wished she didnt have to spend her time helping her.

Showing indifference toward people shows that you dont value them very much. Indifferent people dont notice or pay attention to the needs of others. They are usually too busy concentrating on themselves.

The next time Mrs. Krauss invited Elizabeth to sit and have a cookie, Elizabeth said, Thanks, but Im really busy today. When she left, Elizabeth waved and called, Ill join you another time, Mrs. Krauss! Mrs. Krauss nodded and waved. But Elizabeth could tell she was disappointed.

Elizabeths cheery words dont help. Good intentions dont help either, unless you follow through. Think about how a young woman can grow from being indifferent to showing her soft heart of compassion.

WHATS A GIRL TO DO?

Which girl seems to be showing indifference?

When she sees the red Salvation Army bucket, Cassie reaches into her purse for a dollar. She smiles shyly at the bell ringer, drops in her dollar, and hurries into the warm store.

When Becky hears about children who survived a flood, she decides to organize a clothes-and-toys drive at school. After a month, the school has enough to deliver ten boxes to the local shelter.

When she is walking down the street, Kayla skips right by several homeless people while she tells funny stories to her friends.

CONNECTING TO GOD

Lord, please help me to see ways that I can be more like Christ and help others in need. Your love is so amazing. Amen.

devotion 2

Dear children, lets not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

1 John 3:18 (NLT)

One Saturday morning you watch your neighbor across the street struggle into her house, juggling bags of groceries, a baby, and a toddler. While she is trying to calm the wailing baby, a grocery sack rips open and spills its contents on the ground. The toddler runs toward the street with the young mom in pursuit, carrying the wailing baby. You feel really sorry for the young woman. How does she handle that every day? It would drive you crazy! Just watching her makes you feel overwhelmed. You want to say something encouraging, but you dont want to embarrass her or say the wrong thing.

A person with compassion feels sympathy toward another persons problem but also wants to help in a real way. We often say that we care about others we may even believe it but until our words turn into actions, were not helping. If you see someone in trouble, help in the way youd like to be helped if you were in the same situation. Dont let embarrassment stop you from volunteering your ser vices.

Based on what you observed, you make a decision. Early the following Saturday morning, you ring the young womans doorbell. You introduce yourself and offer to babysit so she can go grocery shopping alone. The mother looks astonished at first, then grins and hugs you. Youre an angel! she cries. You blink in surprise, smile back, and start making a plan with her.