Girls Lifted Up

11/16/2020

We need to Circle Up 🐘

Did you know that Elephants are one of the most community-driven species ever?

They also are one of the few species that are lead solely by females.
Once the males grow into teenage years, they separate and leave the females to be by themselves.

Elephants are also known for being fantastic emotional support friends.

When a fellow herd member is grieving or anxious, another elephant will comfort her and calm her down.

In elephant herds, the females are known to stay close to each other and help take care of one another’s young calves.

Even more intriguing, when an elephant has a baby, the females form a circle around her. They provide physical support, encouragement, and protection. When predators lurk nearby, elephants will similarly circle up and protect any of their weaker herd members, hurt elephants, or easily targeted young calves.

The picture below is an actual image of Elephants circling around a herd member that is having a baby.

How great would it be if we had our own circles? If we were willing to support each other in times of need? Having other female friendships are so critically important, even the elephants know!

I hear it too often...

"I just can handle other girls, it's too much drama."

"other girls just don't like me."

And although that may be true, I can assure you that God has a group of girls out there waiting for you to discover them.

Choosing to seek out and support other female friends can be such a beautiful thing. God designed us for community and to grieve with each other and to encourage each other. So why do we try so hard to fight it?

Finding a good group of girls isn't going to happen overnight. But I know it's going to be so worth it when you finally find them.

So I want to challenge you to practice being an elephant:

• Welcome other girls into your circle
• Support your friends the best you can
• Make kindness your first line of defense
• and always protect a friend when she needs it.

~ Athena 💕

11/13/2020

𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝?⁣ 🤔

When you're being stubborn, you usually don't care what the other has to say or what they believe, because you're not going to change. ⁣
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⁣People like to get creative with the term “Stubborn”. I have been told that I was stubborn for not participating in something others wanted me to do, or setting boundaries that made others uncomfortable. This is more commonly known as Peer Pressure. ⁣
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But being rooted means that you are confident in your beliefs and values and boundaries. You are willing to talk about the things you are rooted in and understand other's perspectives, but you are grounded and know you don't have to change your roots. ⁣
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⁣𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞.⁣
⁣
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• I am rooted in God's plan for my life. ⁣
• ⁣I am rooted in my identity in Christ ⁣
• ⁣I am rooted in the values and boundaries I've set for myself⁣
• ⁣And ultimately, I am rooted in the Bible. ⁣
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Think about a tree. The roots of the tree are confidently stable deep inside the ground. The tree does not apologize if you don't like its roots. The tree knows that it needs those things to survive. ⁣
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⁣You would never hear someone say, “That tree is so stubborn for having a root system that keeps it alive”. ⁣
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Because the tree needs that to survive. It thrives off of its roots, and if you cut them up, the tree will die. ⁣
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It's the same thing for your beliefs and boundaries. If you don't have those roots, you could get in a lot of trouble and harm yourself or others. ⁣
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So what do you want to be rooted in? ⁣
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I want to be rooted in the Bible.

You can be rooted in all sorts of things from worldly opinions to stances on really important things like friendship, marriage, money, The Bible, or politics.  ⁣
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The next time someone says you're stubborn for standing up for your beliefs, remember that you need to be rooted in those things for the benefit of you. Not to please others. ⁣

11/02/2020

Want to see how to do this fall hairstyle? Click the link below for a speedy tutorial! ⬇️
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHA-tILB2AI/?igshid=1okci2wpxd9g2

10/30/2020

The ONE thing that makeup can not cover-up

Is an ugly heart. 

Dear one, people won't always remember what you look like or what you were wearing, but they will always remember how you made them feel. So here is a list of dos and don't to ensure your heart is as beautiful as you are. 

DO NOT bully others 

DO be kind 

DO NOT gossip

DO compliment. Encouraging words are rarely forgotten. 

DO NOT be greedy

DO share your blessings with others 

DO NOT boast or brag about yourself 

DO be confident in a way that glorifies God. Quiet confidence screams louder than an arrogant spirit. 

Makeup, jewelry, pretty clothes, and glittery shoes are awesome, but they can never cover up an ugly heart. When you have a kind, loving, confident spirit that glorifies God, that is truly beautiful. 

Also, enjoy this super old pic of me and my best friend Paige lol.
🤣🤪

10/26/2020

Facebook has been giving us trouble when it comes to uploading our Heart-2-Heart episodes, so we created a YouTube channel! Now you have ultimate easy access to our videos. Click the link below to subscribe and binge the latest Heart-2-Hearts ⬇️

Our passion for GLU [gloo] ministry is to guide elementary-age girls into like-minded relationships that last a lifetime with friends and most importantly Je...

10/26/2020

Hey GLU Moms! We are currently creating fun stuff for this week that will hopefully inspire and encourage you and your girls. Are there any specific topics you would like to see or watch us speak on? Let us know down below!

10/19/2020

When You Miss Your Own Finish Line...

In this weeks IGTV video, we talked about stopping comparison and enjoying our own blessings with gratitude.

Here is a small peak into the contents of the video...

When I was little, I ran a lot of small races for fun. Now, one of the biggest things they tell you is to watch the finish line, not the other runners. They say that because it is incredibly easy to be so focused on the competition, that you totally forget about your finish line.

I have certainly had times in my life where I was so focused on the competitors that I forgot to think about my own finish line. 

We can spend so much time comparing what the other person has that we totally miss the opportunity to enjoy our own blessings and gifts from God.

Or even worse, we can tear down the competition so we feel like we are bigger and better than them. 

The next time you are struggling with comparison, I want you to ask them for help. 

When you start to grumble out of jealousy, count your blessings. Find 5 things around you that you can be grateful for.  

You need to OWN what God gave you with a confident mindset and a humble heart.

God has given you something so unique and he has so many wonderful ways for you to use it. 

If you're enjoying, go check out our newest IGTV, "When You Miss Your Own Finish Line..." for more insight on this topic.

10/12/2020

When did you start your Ministry?

This is a common question, so here is the official GLU Timeline...

2012: We hosted a small group of girls in our house for a Bible study called Polka Dot Girls

2017-2018: Athena lead a 5-day summer bible study for a group of girls that quickly outgrew our house!

2019: Brainstorming and creating our future ministry 

2020: We launched our website, Girlsliftedup.com alongside our social media

2021: LOTS of surprises to come...

THE STORY:
We started way back in da day with a small group of my friends. It flew by and we didn't want it to stop.

Life got busy and we didn't do another one until around 2017. That's when I (Athena) decided to pick the books up and lead a 5-day summer Bible study myself with a close friend of mine.

The attendance we got those two years still blows my mind!
We quickly outgrew our home space and planned on doing the next Bible study at our church, but COVID-19 had other ideas.

Quarantine became go-time as we put the final bows on our website and launched it into the world on June 1st. 

We planted this ministry in hope of inspiring and encouraging young girls to embrace their uniqueness and lead with impact as God has designed them to.

I want to teach every young girl the diamond analogy that I mentioned in last week's IGTV. I want girls to feel empowered through each other, and ultimately, Jesus. 

For more insight and details on how our ministry began, go to our last IGTV. I shared our story alongside some personal things about myself. 

❤️ #2020 🍁

10/06/2020

"Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity."
(1 Timothy 4:12)

As young girls, we are called to set an example of Christ to the Church and to the world, not to shy away and sit back. We ought to voice out our faith and preach the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must conduct ourselves the way Jesus did, loving others, being kind, faithful, and living by faith.

Remember Joseph (Genesis 37)

He was a young gifted boy, dearly loved by his father. He had the gift of interpreting dreams but he also had brothers and they didn't love him or delighted in the fact that he was their father's favorite and he was gifted. (NB: Jealousy) They were so Jealous of him, looked down on him because he was young and gifted. Because of their evil intentions toward Joseph, they did something evil to him(their own brother). They sold him to the Egyptians and told their father that Joseph is dead.

But the Lord was with Joseph and he was a successful and respected person in a foreign country.

The evil intentions and hatred from others shouldn't dim your light. There will always be people who just don't like you and never want to see you succeed but the Lord is with you and he will see you through the difficult times. As much as we shouldn't let people look down on us, we shouldn't look down on them. we speak good and only good because looking down on others is the root of evilness, hatred and can lead to sin just like Joseph's brothers.

Job 32:6-8

“I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you.

I said, ‘Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom.’

But it is the spirit in man,
the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.

Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite thought that because he was young, he shouldn't interfere with old people because they are wiser. The truth is, true wisdom is from God and if the Spirit of the Lord is within you, you are wise. The Holy Spirit does not dwell in age, so do not fear to speak the wisdom of God but set an example to all believers.

Caption/Art by

09/30/2020

What's Your First Line Of Defense? 

Is it anger? 

Frustration? 

Isolation? 

Or is it kindness? 

"God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So always do these things: Show mercy to others; be kind, humble, gentle, and patient." 
~ Colossians 3:12 ICB 

God has called us to make kindness our first line of defense. To show mercy to others. He tells us to be gentle and patient to those who persecute us. 

If you struggle with making kindness your first line of defense, getting help, and improving it is so simple. 

We have the blessing of a direct contact line to Jesus, and he's always there. 

So the next time you are wrestling with kindness, ask Jesus for help. Ask him for kindness and opportunities to improve it.

He will be overjoyed that you asked. 

So what's your first line of defense? Comment below ⬇️

🎀🎀

09/29/2020

09/28/2020

The lies of comparison are endless...

But so are the truths of Jesus 🙌

He created you so perfectly and wonderfully unique.

You will never look just like someone else because you are you own kind of beautiful.

So when you are struggling with comparison, think about Christmas lights and flowers. Both are beautiful but look nothing alike. They are both perfectly brilliant and wonderfully unique.

Tag a friend in the comments ⬇️

Share this to your story to help encourage others today 👑