What's a Girl to Do?: 90-Day Devotional

By Kristi Holl

A new addition to the popular Faithgirlz! devotional line, this book takes girls deeper in their faith walk. Here’s a brand-new Faithgirlz! devotional for tweens who are searching for real ways to grow—and show—their faith. Parents and Sunday school teachers always find lots of good advice in the Bible, but when a girl needs to know whether or not she should quit the school band or how to tell a friend her skirt is a little too short, what’s she supposed to do? Filled with everyday situations and examples, devotions are paired to help girls take their faith walk from indifference to compassion, from critical to admiring, from anxious to peaceful, from worldly beauty to self-acceptance, and much, much more. Each story is paired with Scripture and more Scripture to help girls see that the Bible does have answers, even for the most contemporary predicaments! There’s also a reinforcing prayer and a fun quiz to help girls really think about the lesson—ninety days of devotionals to help girls grow from the inside out. kRISTI HoLL is a bestselling and award-winning author of dozens of middle-grade novels. With additional background as an elementary school educator and instructor of writing for children, Kristi’s books are on many recommended reading lists and have been nominated for numerous Children’s Choice Awards. Kristi has three grown daughters and lives in San Antonio, TX.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: May 26, 2009
• ISBN: 9780310569015

Kristi Holl

Kristi Holl is an award-winning author of dozens of middle-grade novels and six devotionals for girls. As a writing instructor with a background in elementary education, Kristi's books are on many recommended reading lists and have been nominated for numerous Children's Choice Awards. Kristi is married and has three grown daughters. She lives in San Antonio, TX. Visit wwwkristiholl.com to learn more. 

Book preview

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Other books in the growing Faithgirlz!™ library:

NIV The Faithgirlz! Bible

NIV Faithgirlz! Backpack Bible

My Faithgirlz! Journal

Nonfiction

No Boys Allowed: Devotions for Girls

Girlz Rock: Devotions for You

Chick Chat: More Devotions for Girls

Shine On, Girl!: Devotions to Keep You Sparkling

Check out www.faithgirlz.com

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So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what

is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is

unseen is eternal.

— 2 Corinthians 4:18

ZONDERKIDZ

What’s a Girl to Do?

Copyright © 2007 by Kristi Holl

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

ePub Edition January 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-56901-5

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zonderkidz, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Holl, Kristi.

What’s a girl to do? : finding faith in everyday life / by Kristi Holl.

p. cm. -- (Faithgirlz!)

ISBN-13: 978-0-310-71348-7

1. Girls--Prayers and devotions--Juvenile literature. 2. Girls--Religious life--Juvenile literature. 3. Girls--Conduct of life--Juvenile literature. I. Title.

BV4860.H637 2007

248.8’2--dc22

2007022892

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Scripture quotations come from the following sources:

The Amplified Bible, Old Testament. Copyright © 1965, 1987, by the Zondervan Corporation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Amplified Bible, New Testament. Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987, by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

All scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version ®. NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The New King James Version. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken form the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, Today’s New International Version®. TNIV ®. Copyright © 2002, 2004 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Zonderkidz is a trademark of Zondervan.

Editor: Barbara Scott

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

Copyright Page

1. From Indifference . . .

2. . . . To Compassion

3. From Rashness . . .

4. . . . To Caution

5. From Lying . . .

6. . . . To Honesty

7. From Worldly Beauty . . .

8. . . . To Self-Acceptance

9. From Rejection . . .

10. . . . To Forgiveness

11. From Discouraging . . .

12. . . . To Uplifting

13. From Unreasonable . . .

14. . . . To Fair

15. From Foolish . . .

16. . . . To Wise

17. From Gossipy . . .

18. . . . To Trustworthy

19. From Negative . . .

20. . . . To Positive

21. From Cruel . . .

22. . . . To Kind

23. From Critical . . .

24. . . . To Admiring

25. From Haughty . . .

26. . . . To Humble

27. From Self-Indulgent . . .

28. . . . To Self-Controlled

29. From Blaming . . .

30. . . . To Responsible

31. From Anxious . . .

32. . . . To Peaceful

33. From Undependable . . .

34. . . . To Reliable

35. From Rude . . .

36. . . . To Polite

37. From Desperate . . .

38. . . . To Hopeful

39. From Rebellious . . .

40. . . . To Obedient

41. From Sarcastic . . .

42. . . . To Respectful

43. From Helpless . . .

44. . . . To Powerful

45. From Fearful . . .

46. . . . To Brave

47. From Argumentative . . .

48. . . . To Cooperative

49. From Suspicious . . .

50. . . . To Trusting

51. From Perfectionism . . .

52. . . . To Excellence

53. From Talkative . . .

54. . . . To Listener

55. From Vengeful . . .

56. . . . To Merciful

57. From Outspoken . . .

58. . . . To Tactful

59. From Callous . . .

60. . . . To Sensitive

61. From Mediocre . . .

62. . . . To Outstanding

63. From Misleading . . .

64. . . . To Straightforward

65. From Bored . . .

66. . . . To Enthusiastic

67. From Double-Minded . . .

68. . . . To Decisive

69. From Quitter . . .

70. . . . To Enduring

71. From Complaining . . .

72. . . . To Praising

73. From Harshness . . .

74. . . . To Gentleness

75. From Greedy . . .

76. . . . To Generous

77. From Grouchy . . .

78. . . . To Good-Natured

79. From Unthankful . . .

80. . . . To Grateful

81. From Messy . . .

82. . . . To Organized

83. From Lazy . . .

84. . . . To Helpful

85. From Guilty . . .

86. . . . To Cleansed

87. From Extravagant . . .

88. . . . To Money Manager

89. From Cursing . . .

90. . . . To Blessing

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FROM INDIFFERENCE . . .

devotion 1

The poor are shunned by all their relatives — how much more do their friends avoid them! Though they pursue them with pleading, they are nowhere to be found.

— Proverbs 19:7 (TNIV)

Elizabeth raked leaves for an elderly lady in the neighborhood. She liked the wages, but she felt uncomfortable when Mrs. Krauss came out on the porch to talk. Elizabeth said hello but continued raking while Mrs. Kraus talked or asked her to sit on the porch and have a cookie or lemonade. Elizabeth wanted to finish raking and get back home where she could call a friend or do her own thing. Elizabeth’s mom said Mrs. Krauss was lonely after losing her husband. While Elizabeth pitied her neighbor, she wished she didn’t have to spend her time helping her.

Showing indifference toward people shows that you don’t value them very much. Indifferent people don’t notice or pay attention to the needs of others. They are usually too busy concentrating on themselves.

The next time Mrs. Krauss invited Elizabeth to sit and have a cookie, Elizabeth said, Thanks, but I’m really busy today. When she left, Elizabeth waved and called, I’ll join you another time, Mrs. Krauss! Mrs. Krauss nodded and waved. But Elizabeth could tell she was disappointed.

Elizabeth’s cheery words don’t help. Good intentions don’t help either, unless you follow through. Think about how a young woman can grow from being indifferent to showing her soft heart of compassion.

WHAT’S A GIRL TO DO?

Which girl seems to be showing indifference?

1 When she sees the red Salvation Army bucket, Cassie reaches into her purse for a dollar. She smiles shyly at the bell ringer, drops in her dollar, and hurries into the warm store.

1 When Becky hears about children who survived a flood, she decides to organize a clothes-and-toys drive at school. After a month, the school has enough to deliver ten boxes to the local shelter.

1 When she is walking down the street, Kayla skips right by several homeless people while she tells funny stories to her friends.

CONNECTING TO GOD

Lord, please help me to see ways that I can be more like Christ and help others in need. Your love is so amazing. Amen.

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. . . TO COMPASSION

devotion 2

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

— 1 John 3:18 (NLT)

One Saturday morning you watch your neighbor across the street struggle into her house, juggling bags of groceries, a baby, and a toddler. While she is trying to calm the wailing baby, a grocery sack rips open and spills its contents on the ground. The toddler runs toward the street with the young mom in pursuit, carrying the wailing baby. You feel really sorry for the young woman. How does she handle that every day? It would drive you crazy! Just watching her makes you feel overwhelmed. You want to say something encouraging, but you don’t want to embarrass her or say the wrong thing.

A person with compassion feels sympathy toward another person’s problem but also wants to help in a real way. We often say that we care about others — we may even believe it — but until our words turn into actions, we’re not helping. If you see someone in trouble, help in the way you’d like to be helped if you were in the same situation. Don’t let embarrassment stop you from volunteering your ser vices.

Based on what you observed, you make a decision. Early the following Saturday morning, you ring the young woman’s doorbell. You introduce yourself and offer to babysit so she can go grocery shopping alone. The mother looks astonished at first, then grins and hugs you. You’re an angel! she cries. You blink in surprise, smile back, and start making a