Where God's Word Meets Our Mess
This post was written by author, speaker, podcaster, and cofounder of Girl Defined Ministries, Bethany Beal. I've consumed so much content from her ministry over the years, and I can't wait for you to read this post written by its cofounder! In this post, Bethany shares a personal story about body image and three truths for girls about their God-given identity.
But there was one really hard thing about the transition from living at college to moving back home that all single college graduates have to deal with—feelings of loneliness. Knowing that I was welcome back home with my family. Yet feeling like I should be getting married and buying a home of my own. Being thankful for the space that my parents had for me. But learning to accept that I didn’t have a home of my own to “homemake.”
Let’s rewind a few years, shall we? I know you can remember it. I was a sophomore in high school trying to figure out her college plans, wanting to grow in her writing craft, and internally panicking about what was ahead. I was very involved in church—participating in youth group, Awana, Sunday school, and music ministry. I was taking classes at a local homeschool group alongside other homeschoolers. And even though I wasn’t exactly sure how I would get there, I knew that I wanted to be a published author. It had really been my only dream since I was a little girl. But you were willing to do anything and everything to make sure that that dream didn’t become a reality.
My pride says, "Grace, your book could encourage so many young women as they recover from their eating disorders." My pride says, "There's so much potential for your book; you'd be famous if people knew about it." My pride says, "Your book could be a bestseller if only people would let you promote it." But as I focus on my book and my platform and my lack of success, I quickly drown in discouragement. Perhaps I need to focus less on my efforts and focus more on God’s will.
Over four years ago (what the heck?), I wrote a post called “Are You Ready for a Romantic Relationship?” for Valentine’s Day. I described some reasons why readers might not be ready for a romantic relationship and then admitted that I wasn’t ready for a romantic relationship myself. Fast forward almost five years, and I figured that it was time to ask an even harder question: Are you ready for marriage?
I should definitely preface this post by saying that you’re not sinning if you choose not to go to college or if you choose to go to an in-state college. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with choosing either of those options! However, now that several months have passed since I graduated from an out-of-state college, I can say that I’m really glad that I chose to go there. I encourage you to consider these reasons for attending college out of state if you’re getting ready to enter that season of life.
My physical recovery was fairly quick, but it has taken (not took, but has taken) years for me to recover mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Because honestly, my eating disorder took a much bigger toll on my mind, heart, and soul than on my body.
Hi friends! A ton of ideas have been brewing in my mind recently about Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth, so I created this super short survey below to get your feedback on TTT. The survey will close on October 31, 2022, so please fill it out by then. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this! I look forward to seeing your feedback!
Oh, how I don’t want you to settle. Because I’ve seen so many girls settle for guys who weren’t necessarily losers but who definitely weren’t winners. They deserved winners, and so do you. So if you think that you might be settling for a guy who’s simply not right for you, here are a few signs to know for sure.
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