A friend wrote his daughters a letter entitled “Could be rough being a girl?” Its a worthy effort from a Dad to his daughters. That’s why I’m reprinting it just as he wrote it here.

Most teenage girls I believe are unhappy with who they are. They define their happiness by how they look, how many friends they have, whether or not they have a boyfriend, what kind of grades they are making, or if they made the softball team or choir/play. There are so many reasons to decide why you may not like yourself  if you are focused on exterior things or people to make you happy. True happiness comes from the inside. God wants you to enjoy your life and celebrate YOU! How do you celebrate YOU in a world that is so focused on material things? You keep your focus on the things of God. Don’t compare yourself to other girls, don’t qllow what boys might say about you to affect the way you feel about yourself. Who does God say you are? God says you are the apply of His eye, and that He loves you (He loves you)! God’s word tells you that you are more than a conqueror and that you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you (sing, play softball, or whatever your passion is). God loves you and has a perfect plan for your life, start today by looking in the mirror and telling yourself how SPECIAL you are! Don’t forget Jesus died on the cross because HE loved you. God wants you to be happy, and happiness is a decision that you make! Decide today to be happy about who you are! Celebrate who you are and others will begin to notice that there is something different about you! God bless you and have a happy day today.

I spent some time writing this girls. I love you very much and want the best for you as God does (you are SPECIAL). Be comfortable in your skin. You shall achieve what you beleive. Always believe great things. Please don’t forget these words. Believing in you tells God that you believe in him.

Daddy

The human mind requires a place to park. I know, because when I let mine “float” aimlessly it typically “lands” in whatever I’ve been thinking about the most lately, whether good or bad.

This morning I arose around daylight to go to the bathroom. Since it was a holiday and I knew my girls would all be making the most of the opportunity to sleep late, and since they also make the most of their opportunities to stay up late which really makes me tired, I returned to the bed catch a few more hours of sleep. It was there in that mental twilight, not quite asleep, but not quite awake that I found my mind repeating the lyrics of one of the last songs I’d played on my ipod as I drove home last night. The thought came to me crystal clear: the mind isn’t satisfied until it has a place to “dock.”

You’ve experienced it haven’t you? Awakening to a song that you’ve been playing a lot lately? Jolting awake from a nightmare with the same boogie man that was in the movie you watched right before you went to sleep? Muddling in your worries and fears only to awaken in the night and have your mind begin to race again with the same worries and fears? On many occasions I’ve awakened in fear and worry and had to pray “Lord I cast all my cares on you because I know you care for me. I’m here to sleep. You are here to handle my problems. So I’m going to do my job while you go do yours. ”

I suggest that our mind merely “digests” what we feed it. If we feed it positive, uplifting, encouragement, it “plays the tapes” back to us containing positive, uplifting, encouraging thoughts. Likewise, if we feed our mind fear, worry & doubt, if we feed it conflict, angst, and trouble we’re likely to find the “tapes” of fear, worry, doubt, conflict, angst, and trouble playing in our mind when we awaken in the middle of the night. I noticed that when I awoke with that particular song in my mind—and it was a song with a very positive message—I was happily able to roll over and go to sleep with that tape playing. But when I wake up and my mind kicks into the worry/fear gear it usually means the restful part of my night is over.

And ancient book of wisdom says “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, whatever is worthy of praise, think about those things.” That’s a great way to feed our mind. I think if we’d resolve to filter our thoughts through those Seven Thought Filters and only allow our minds to focus on things that can get through those seven filters we’d go along way toward feeding our selves thoughts that are delightful to wake up to; and ones you can roll over and go back to sleep with.

A tool I use to help me go to bed with right thoughts is a gratitude journal. On my nightstand is a notebook in which I attempt to daily (some days I don’t get it done) record what I am grateful for. It’s not fancy, and is most often one sentence. Each entry always starts with “I am grateful……” and finishes with the thing that first comes to mind. It can be something profound, but is usually something mundanely simple but important to me. This is a simple tool you might begin using to help you put your mind in a healthy space before you go to sleep.

The ancient writer said “take every thought captive to make it obedient.” Is your mind captivated by thoughts that are worthy? If not, why don’t you change it and start dwelling on things that can get through the Seven Thought Filters.

Never, ever, surrender to being a victim of circumstance. To do so is to admit defeat. Instead, create victory. If you can’t find the circumstance you want, create it.

Assume responsibility for your tomorrow. Create the outcome you desire. Start today.

Before anything is invented, developed, created, or done, someone first has to think of it. It is first a thought, before it becomes a thing. Nothing exists that wasn’t first a thought.

Thoughts become things.

What are you thinking?

You have not because you ask not.

You ask not because you believe not.

You believe not because you think not.

You think not because you think wrongly.

Change your mind. Change your results.