“The days are long, but the years are short.” A good friend made this comment to me a few months ago as we were talking about our kids. I knew in an instant exactly what he meant.
I remember the years when my daughters were preschoolers and I was barely standing by dinner time. There were days that I thought would never end. I counted down each moment until bedtime; not because I wanted my kids in bed, but because I was totally exhausted!
The elementary and middle school years had their ups and downs with my oldest daughter where some seasons in life moved fast while others moved slowly. But before we knew it, all the baby teeth were gone and the two plus years in braces were over.
Now here I am with a daughter starting high school thinking, “What happened? Where did the time go? I can’t believe we only have four more years with her at home!”
As I’ve watched my daughter prepare for high school this summer, I’ve been doing some preparing myself. A few things I’ve pondered…or sometimes panicked!
What is most important for her these next four years?
How can I best prepare her for young adulthood and for being on her own?
What is God preparing her for?
What are His plans and purposes for her life?
How can I guide her to seek God for answers and direction?
My list of questions is longer some days when it seems God is silent or not moving in her life.
You may feel that same way some days. There are high school girls (or middle school girls) in your student group and girls’ ministry where you wonder what God is up to—or is He up to anything at all. Is she listening? Does she get it?
Some days may be long in girls’ ministry. You may feel like you say and teach the same truths over and over and no one is getting it. You invest hours, days, weeks, months into one girl who then chooses to do things her own way instead of God’s way.
The days are long, but the years are short. Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.” Even if the days are long, we need to make them count.
For those of us in girls’ ministry we have, at the most, about seven years to invest in the development and nurture of our girls. What do you think is most important for girls to “get” specifically during the middle school and high school years? What main truths will influence them for a lifetime?
According to a book I just read titled "Already Gone" it is essential that we teach them apologetics - how to defend the faith from creation to worldview stuff. Without it they won't have a foot to stand on and therefore will leave the church.