Cha-Cha is like any other normal child growing up in the hood(or America for that matter) She is a girl who loves sports, she plays basketball, and baseball. She even was on the cheer leading team last year. She plays the drums in the band. She likes to climb trees and rough house many of the kids around the building from time to time.(like alot-lol) She is who she is and I love her for that. ( to hear Cha-Cha story go here)
This young girl sat in the ministry building today and shared with me how she was teased at school for not dressing as "prissy" as the other girls. She begins to share with me how it starting to bother her a little that things are being said about her.
Cha-Cha-"Mrs Nicole, it really hurts, they say that I need to stop acting the way I do or dressing the way I do, but I think its because they don't know how to play sports as well as me...I don't know...when they said what they said to me I hurried and ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror...and you know what I saw when I looked in the mirror... I saw God's creation starring back at me, I saw a girl who was beautiful, because God created me in his image"
Me- "That's right baby, you are beautiful, there is only ONE of you and God made you perfect just the way you are"
I grabbed her and I just lost it. I held that child and I just wept over the battle she has to face day to day for just wanting to be who God created her to be. Our culture has it soo screwed and of course now our children are picking up on the same mentality.
I told Cha Cha to continue to remind her self of the truth, "God is pleased with who you are." Oh, how I long for girls everywhere to know the TRUTH, how I long for even a 32 yr old woman like myself to remember, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. We have gots to tell these girls more often they are beautiful, and help them to fight against the media/culture and its images. Though Cha Cha was challenged as to who she is, God brought TRUTH back to her heart, she believed it and walked in it. I have learned a lesson from her I will never forget. God wants me to be me and not someone else. I am me for a reason and that reason and ONLY that reason ALONE, He wants and will use for HIS glory and for the proclamation of the Gospel.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.-
Zephaniah 3:17