Enjoy Your Girlhood

“I want to grow up…NOW!”

When I was a little girl, I remember looking up to my sister and trying to be like her. She was six years older. It seemed as though she always had more fun. The way I saw it, she got to do everything and I couldn’t do anything! Her clothes and friends were even cooler. I always felt left out! It appeared that teenagers and grown-ups could do whatever they wanted. I was tired of being treated like a baby. I wanted to grow up! Whining and pouting about it all the time didn’t help my case though!

Most of my growing years were spent looking so far ahead and being in a hurry to grow up! The real issue was I wanted to experience things before my time. It’s like the little girl playing dress up in her mother’s clothes and high heels. She looks so beautiful in the mirror, but as she tries to walk, she trips and falls. She can’t keep her balance at all. Everything’s too big and not the right fit.

It’s the same when you’re in a rush to grow up. I hurried to do things that I wasn’t ready for. As a result, I spent a lot of time making bad choices and being miserable during many of my growing years. Then, before I knew it, I was an adult.

Each stage of life comes with more responsibilities, and I didn’t really begin to understand that until I became a wife and mother. Watching my children grow and spending time with them brought back great memories of my childhood, and sometimes I wish I had enjoyed my youth more!

I tell my kids all the time not to be in a rush to grow older. Instead, I tell them to cherish every moment of each day because you can’t turn back the clock. Planning for the future is necessary, but trying to change time is a waste of energy. Time is not something we can control. It’s what we do with the time we have that matters most. Even as an adult, I’m still growing and learning everyday.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV

Growing up takes time, and each stage is very important. Every part of life comes with challenges and rewards. A caterpillar doesn’t turn into a butterfly overnight. It’s a process that takes time, but one that ends in something beautiful!

So, enjoy your life, and don’t think you’re missing out anything! Get outside. Have fun. Laugh. Take a nap. Eat well. Be excited about learning, and do your best in everything! Don’t spend all of the money you get…start saving now! Choose your friends wisely. Listen to your parents. Be responsible and respectful. Don’t go behind their backs to do what you want. Otherwise, you’ll lose their trust, and even when you old enough, they’ll still say no! Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Nobody else can fit the purpose God has for you. You may not feel like it sometimes, but you are a beautiful girl, and God is designing your beautiful life just the way it is supposed to be!

He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV