Enhancing Your Time with Jesus (Part 4: Girls who Nurture)
A Note from Mary Margaret West: This is part three in our series Enhancing Your Time with Jesus. Our goal is to give you some tools to help specific groups of girls in your life, based on their interests and gifts. We hope that these posts are helpful to you!
The first three posts of this series gave ideas for Girls who Write, Girls who Perform, and Girls who Plan.
Today we’re looking specifically at Girls who Nurture. As followers of Jesus, we’re all called to love, to be compassionate, to help, to serve, and to put others first. However, Girls who Nurture have shown this natural bent from a very young age. They were the ones who, as toddlers, took motherly care of their baby dolls. They were the girls asked to babysit before they could drive. They take in stray dogs, they help out in the nursery, and they are moved to tears whenever a missionary comes and talks about the poverty of an orphanage. These girls may have been told they were a little too emotional at times; they’ve been told that they need to “toughen up.” However, what softer hearts can be found than in these Girls who Nurture?
Girls who Nurture can also be the girls who may Write, Perform, and Plan. The better you know these girls, the more you’ll see a beautiful variety of passions and vision that shape each girl uniquely for the things God’s called her to do and be.
Identify your Girls who Nurture by asking:
Would others say you are the “mom” among this group?
Who helps take care of other teenage girls on trips?
Who loves babies, animals, kids, and helping others in need?
Who has said, “I can’t wait to be a mom!”
Who cries easily at the sad parts of movies?
Who feels passionately about helping others, whether through food or clothing or shelter or just love?
The girls who would raise their hands to two or more of these questions are your Girls who Nurture. God has placed in them an especially tender compassion for others. Help them build on that natural nurturing tendency with these ideas:
Turn God’s Word into your personal ministry. As you find verses that apply to people in your life, pray that verse for them personally. You may even want to write out the verse (beautifully!) on an index card and mail it to let them know you are praying God’s word in a specific situation.
Focus on the heart of God. Center your study on the passion and compassion of God and Jesus. Observe God’s patience, forgiveness, and willingness to touch those in need. Ask Him to make you more like Him in your relationships.
Seek out ministry and mission opportunities. Ask your pastor or youth minister or missions leaders how you can nurture people in your community or around the world. Prepare both your heart and mind by committing to memorize scripture, seek God in His Word, and apply Biblical truth to your own life.
Worship daily. Consciously spend time focusing on God and allowing His peace and presence to soak deeply into your heart and mind. Let Him be your first passion; finding specific ways to do that will flow from it.
Don’t overdo it. Girls who Nurture must be careful not to overtax themselves. People all around will find you dependable and compassionate, but that does not mean it’s your job to help every single person who asks. Find where God is pointing you and serve excellently there.
Show others the love of God. You may never speak the name of Jesus, but your desire to encourage, cultivate, and develop others will point to God. Share how God has changed you and loved you whenever you can, but remember that Jesus loved with His hands and feet, too.
Last note about this series: it’s tempting to use these designations (Girls who Write, Perform, Plan and Nurture) as a way to divide our girls; don’t let it! Instead:
Use these categories to let girls see how their different personalities blend well and complement one another. We are made to be a body, all different and useful to one another!
Encourage girls to use their set of talents and interests to help someone who lacks in that area. For example, if you’ve got a Girl who Performs and she’s planning a Night of Worship, pair her up with a Girl who Writes to create marketing materials.
Point out the things we are ALL called to do: Share Jesus. Love. Go into the world and make disciples. Worship. Be thankful. Forgive. No matter the girl’s type, there is much more that unites us as believers than is evident on the surface.
Leslie Hudson is a Renaissance woman, coffee roaster/connoisseur/addict, volunteer Girls Ministry leader, and teacher of God’s Word.