Emily P. Freeman - Graceful (for Young Women): Letting Go of Your Try-Hard Life

2012 by Emily P. Freeman

Published by Revell

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.revellbooks.com

Ebook edition created 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-4021-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Scripture quotations labeled AMP are from the Amplified Bible, copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Scripture quotations labeled Message are from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Some names have been changed for privacy purposes.

The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.

Emily is the big sister in your pocket. As a mentor to young women, I appreciate her ability to paint such vivid pictures of her experiences. She is relatable and authentic to all us good girls.

Amber Lane

Emily helped me uncover that hiding behind my daydreams is getting in the way of the dreams God has for me in the real world. She got right down to the point and left no room for me to hide from the grace God has given me!

Britney Monte, senior

Emily knows what girls my age worry aboutcollege, grades, who were gonna marryand she gives insightful advice with solid Scripture to back it up. Highly recommend!

Hannah Fulks, junior

Graceful made me think about how much I want to be valued by other people. I realized that I dont need to do anything to be important because God made me in his image, and I have value because of him.

Kylie Jones, senior

Emilys book, Graceful , made me realize that I need to stop hiding my true self behind barriers I have built. I want to be more open to who Gods made me to be, and what he has planned for my lifeotherwise I might miss it.

Rachel Walters, junior

Emily gives real-life scenarios that girls like myself can completely relate to, and she helps guide us through the crazy emotions and doubts that we have in high school. She reminds us that Gods plan for our lives is bigger than we are, and he is the only one who can really satisfy us!

Lupita Mendez, junior

Youth leaders, parents, and mentors can say it over and over againYour value comes from Christ alone!!but the message just doesnt click for most teenage girls. Emily, on the other hand, gets right into their world and becomes their best friend. She walks them through her own story and instead of offering syrupy flattery and a high five, she convicts them with the hardcore Truth of Scripture. Because the Truth is, God doesnt take low self-esteem sitting down. It actually breaks his heart. He made these girls. He wants them to see themselves through his, their Makers, eyes. And Emily will take girls to that place where not only will they start to tear down walls of guilt, insecurity, and self-doubt, but they will also discover a deeper love for Jesus Christ, their Creator and Savior, whose hands are strong enough to carry them through every self-loathing thought.

Sarah Nutter, youth leader

We all have a desire to be right with God that comes naturally. When we try on our own and strive to make ourselves right is when we get in trouble. Women of all ages struggle with this dilemma. How wonderful if young women would learn this lesson early and not spend their adult lives striving to receive the gift that has already been bought, wrapped, and given. Emily has done a great job walking through the book with us and helping us unclench the hand of striving and controlling and helps us open our hands to receiving the beautiful gift of grace.

Jill Shelby, high school Sunday school teacher

1. The Beginning

2. The Girl Who Wears a Paper Face

3. The Actress

Hiding behind Her Good Performance

4. The Girl Next Door

Hiding behind Her Image

5. The Activist

Hiding behind Her Causes

6. The Heroine

Hiding behind Her Strength and Responsibility

7. The Bystander

Hiding behind Her Comfort Zone

8. The Judge

Hiding behind Her Rules

9. The Intellectual

Hiding behind Her Report Card

10. The Dreamer

Hiding behind Her Somedays

11. The Beloved

A Different Kind of Hiding

12. The God Who Set Her Free

The Freedom of Being Found

Finding Your Voice Once Youve Been Found: Questions for Further Reflection

From Good to Graceful

Notes

Acknowledgments

Your ears will hear a word behind you, This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right or to the left.

Isaiah 30:21

The little white house on Gladstone Avenue had a driveway that ran the length of it on the right side. The gravel popped and crackled under the weight of any car coming through, sending up gray billows of dust. So we had some warning when Dad pulled his white Datsun up beside the house at the end of the day. It was the automatic on your mark, get set signal to my sister and me. We needed to get into position for a round of hide-and-seek.

Our house was small, and there were exactly three good hiding spots: behind the overstuffed recliner in the corner, behind the long curtains in the living room, or under the kitchen table. But anyone who hid under the table was nearly always found first, so maybe there were really only two good spots.

I still remember through seven-year-old-girl eyes: he walks through the back door near the laundry room, and Mom hollers out a mom-ish I have no idea where the girls are comment as she stands over the stove, stirring the chili. The pursuit begins. I have an overwhelming urge to laugh and wet my pants, and I hold myself into a ball and shake with excitement, both hoping he finds me and hoping he doesnt.

Dad knows all the good spots, but he plays along and looks everywhere else first, letting us girls win at our game. And if we hear his voice close to the place we are hidden, we wiggle and squirm and retreat deeper into our hiding. We get giggly, and the play goes on a little longer.

As I grew up, I stopped playing hide-and-seek for fun. Instead, I played for survival. When youre a kid, its a game. As you get older, hide-and-seek can become a way of life, and you dont even realize youre playing it.