“I get it.” {Part 1}

“You belong.” {Part 2}

Above are the first two things that every girl needs to hear from the male youth workers in their lives. But we’re only half way there.

Everyone loves a good story. A good story inspires you by allowing you to see yourself in the hero(es). A lot of the stories now told to teenage girls are based in fantasy and include vampires/werewolves. Even worse are the real life stories of Disney stars gone wild. Both of these kinds of stories can seem pretty hopeless.

church

In our churches we need to tell better stories. When we share stories of other females who have gone before the girls in our ministry, we inspire, but more than that, we communicate the third truth that every girl needs to hear:

“You are not alone”

We’ve told the girls in our ministry they belong by giving them a voice and including them in the programming but that is about the present. What is in their future…or what impact can they have on others…are they alone in their pursuit of faith?

There are so many stories you can tell to point girls in the right direction- here are four places to look for better stories:

The women who have impacted your life

Tell a story of a female teacher or a youth worker who changed your life. Watch the girls’ eyes light up as they hear you talk about a significant woman in your life who isn’t your mother or wife. The thought that someone like them…could impact someone like you..is hugely inspiring.

The women of your church who inspire

In our church, we have a group of women who decided that they could do something about human trafficking. These women were single, married, young, old, from broken families and broken pasts. Not only did these women become role models to our girls, but they showed these girls a picture of what they could become no matter what their circumstances were.

Who are women in your church who are living a story that could inspire the each of the girls in your ministry? Tell their stories or invite them to come share their stories. (The girls will be inspired…and you just might recruit a new volunteer.)

The women in past in who have shaped the Church

Evangeline Booth, Aimee Simpleton McPherson, Mother Teresa or Florence Nightingale are just a few of the women who have impacted and shaped the Church. Women who gave their lives for the Gospel and for living out the Great Commission. When you tell their stories, the girls in your ministry will see that the Church is a PLACE for them and that they are not alone in their calling and their gifts.

The women of the Bible

The Bible is filled with stories of women…the good, the bad and the radical. Look at your calendar, how many weeks of the year did you spend talking about men from the Bible? Paul, David, Moses, Peter, Abraham…the list goes on and on. Obviously, all of these heroes are hugely important, and our students need to learn about their lives. But let’s be careful not to overlook the heroines of the Bible. Otherwise our girls will be left wondering if they really have a place in the gospel story at all. Try bringing the story of Mary to life for your girls. A young teen girl who changed the world by obeying. Or the story of Rahab, a woman who didn’t let her past keep her from following God. Or the story of Abigail, a woman known for her intelligence and ability to bring peace. This list goes on and on. Tell their stories and inspire your girls when they see themselves in the pages of Scriptures.

Each week we get to tell a better story. A story that allows for the girls in our ministries to see that they are not alone. That there are others like them both in the past and in the present who have said yes to God’s story. These stories encourage and will move them to action.

Will you join me in sharing them?