cause Jr. High is coming... whether I like it or not

this would be me... in the 7th grade

"Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity." -1 Timothy 4:11&12 (the Message)

 

So you guys... You remember that I have mostly grown up boys right? It's common knowledge that I might be a little bit in denial about that actually. They are lovely grown up man people. 

 

Anyhoo... I also have a wee widdle baby daughter who is going to be in the 7th grade next week? 

Needless to say, this mumma has been having a few issues. Why? Cause Jr. High is super hard people that why!!!! 

 

Almost every woman, in the numerous small groups I've lead over the years, have NOT loved Jr. High. In fact, most had a difficult experience... some are still trying to recover from it.  

I just want my girl to know how amazing & beautiful & smart & gifted she is. I don't want her to look for her value in her peers. Boys or girls. I don't want her to worry about being popular or fashionable or even the best at everything. Instead I want her strive to be brave & strong & compassionate. To love the kids who aren't so loveable & to stand up for the kids who get teased.

 This weekend, the last one before school starts, I snuck away with her. We talked about what she can expect... we talked about what things may change... we talked about all the things... from changing classes & using a lock with a combination to running cross country & starting youth group & all the things that make Jr. High awesome. We also talked about the hard things... from friend drama to boy drama to how everyone is just trying to figure out who they are & what they stand for & where they fit.



As we talked, I marveled at this beautiful young lady... cause this is really who she is becoming... I marveled at her strong inner compass, her passion for justice, her desire to do the right thing & not follow the crowd. Could it be that despite the fact that she has a chicken headed mumma (who really has no reason to be freaking out about Jr. High), that she will escape the perils of Jr. High unscathed?

Likely not.

But here is what I'm sure of now... she is sure of herself. Of who she is & where she belongs. She's a Pelkey girl... a spicy little lady who has two protective big brothers who have got her back... a sister-in-law she can share her heart with, a mumma who is determined to help her navigate her teen years with grace & dignity & a daddy who loves her to the point of distraction. Best of all, she knows that she's a child of a King... she knows that He wants the best for her & that He created her for an amazing purpose.


It is my prayer that as she begins Jr. High she will not lose this sense of self. That she will not allow others to tear down what God has so carefully constructed. That instead, she will make a difference where she is... that she will shine from the inside... & be Jesus with skin on.

“As believers, everything we do is based on how we view God.” -Hayley DiMarco