God Girl by Hayley DiMarco

Author:Hayley DiMarco
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2009-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

Don’t Complain

“Do everything without complaining or arguing” (Philippians 2:14). To complain is to say that God isn’t good because what he has given you isn’t good. Complaint is not only sinful but also ugly to those who watch. It makes them feel uncomfortable. It is exhausting to those who listen and ungrateful to those who provide. When a girl complains, she accuses—she either accuses God of having inadequacies or accuses others of the same.

Most of my life I’ve had a problem with complaining. I saw it not as bad but as communicating my feelings. I always felt that if I didn’t voice my feelings about things, then I wasn’t being honest. And honesty was always my policy. So I complained about everything. It wasn’t until someone pointed out the ugliness of complaint that I woke up and saw it for what it was: a sin. Now when I feel dissatisfied I keep my mouth shut, and I try to find something good about the situation.

Complaint betrays a sense of pride. It says, “I’m worth more than this. I deserve better.” And it is never attractive or desired. The God Girl is keenly aware of the impact even the smallest word can have on her spirit and the spirits of those around her, and because of that she avoids complaining at all costs.

Don’t Gossip

Gossip can be the glue that binds friend to friend. It’s a way to be in agreement, a way to have things in common, and it can be very fun and exciting. But gossip is destructive (see Psalm 15:1–3; Proverbs 16:28) as well as sinful.

The God Girl can be trusted. She doesn’t find enjoyment in hurting others with her words. And because of that, she is loved. Gossip separates friends. It builds walls. It betrays a superior attitude that is inconsistent with the life of Christ. Whenever a chance to gossip comes along, the God Girl changes the subject or explains her tendency to gossip and her conscious desire to stop it. She doesn’t want to be involved in anything that contradicts God’s Word, so she will never be a gossip. If anything you hear or say isn’t something that will build up the person you are talking about, then it need not be said. Avoid gossip and give others the gift of trust.

But what do you do when your friends start to gossip and tell you about so- and-so? Well, there are a couple of things you can do. Give these a try:

1. When girls start to gossip around you, excuse yourself. Say that you are working on getting rid of your desire to gossip, and so you are going to walk away in order to stick to your commitment.

2. Don’t accuse the others who gossip. That only makes you self-righteous. Share your convictions for yourself and let others make up their own minds to do the same.

3. Stop the gossip. If you happen to hear some gossip about someone, tell the gossipers something like this: “I’m not sure that’s true.

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