Testimonies

Monday night was our final meeting as a group before the end of the year gathering. To conclude our year together, I asked each of the girls to write a testimony of something God had taught them during the year of Bright Lights. Then, we gathered back together & various girls took turns sharing their testimonies. It was a sweet time of rejoicing in what the Lord has done this year. There were several times of laughter but also several tears hanging in the corners of eyes as young ladies shared the stories of God working in their hearts.

Below are a few of the written testimonies girls shared with me:

"The lesson on encouraging my siblings spoke to me because I fell like my relationship with them isn't what I'd like it to be. I pray that God will move through me and give me wisdom for how to handle my friendship with my sisters in a loving and friendly way. I can only do all things through Jesus who strengthens me."

"I learned things from the lesson on encouraging my siblings. I have two younger sisters and they can get annoying. But I learned to stay focused on what's important and NOT teasing or yelling at my siblings (older and younger)."

"God has shown me that by being diligent in His Word you will be rewarded. When Allison talked about diligence I realized I had been slacking on my Bible reading/prayer. I made a commitment to read & study the Bible everyday. Even though I might skip one day sometimes, God has been faithful. He has shown me many new things about Him through my reading. I've been reminded to seek Him first & everything will be added (Matt. 6:33)."

"One of the biggest things that stuck out to me and that I'll always remember is the lesson about fathers. My dad works hard to support me, get me what I need and take care of me. It was nice to write him the letter & see his reaction. I don't say much to him but it was great to remind him that I love him."

"I think the one thing I really learned in Bright Lights is the importance of being nice to your dad & thanking him for protecting us & being there for us. Also, when we wrote the letters to our dads, I gave it to him and I can really tell he loved it. That is my favorite lesson this year."

"This year in Bright Lights I have learned a lot. One of the lessons that helped me was how to receive a rebuke. This lesson helped me realize how much my reactions & responses to different situations are. It also helped me realize that my reactions were not a good Christian example to others. I don't like to accept corrections and I argue with people who give me them. I defend myself and try to blame others.

Now I'm trying to do better with dealing with rebukes. I'm trying to change my worldly responses, like defending myself and blaming others, into God-like responses such as thanking the person and praying to God about it. I'm not perfect about receiving rebukes, but I'm getting better about it & working hard to fix the problem."

"Orderliness is the lesson that really stood out to me. Before this lesson, I would leave my school all over the place. My mom & dad would always have to get on to me about leaving all my books spread over their room. They still have to tell me to put away my books, but it's not as much as before."

"The lesson on diligence really stood out to me because I am eager to earn my "Mrs." more than any other degree & I thought I was prepared. I was wrong. I realized how often I let things go and don't do things that need to be done because 'I'm too tired.'

I also underwent a trial by fire the Friday after the lesson, as my mom had a surgery that limited her ability to walk long & take care of the house. I think that studying diligence the Monday before I had to help by stepping up, really opened my eyes to how much being a mom requires and how truly under-prepared I was."

"The lesson that has had the most impact on me is Diligence. At times, when school gets really hard, I tend to set school aside and do something that seems more pleasant to me. I recognized that if I'm diligent in my schoolwork, I can get better grades and finish sooner and have more time afterwards to do other things."

"One way that Bright Lights has impacted me is reminding me about turning (and keeping) my heart to my father. Over the years, I have tried to obey my father with a cheerful heart (which is hard to do sometimes) and have usually failed. On the outside I would respect him but on the inside, be fuming.

The biggest issue recently has been over relationships and boys. We had many 'discussions' and arguments (usually with tears). I was disrespectful and refused to listen. I had hardened my heart. I was convinced that I was right and he was wrong. But, I soon learned that my father was right about every relationship I ever had and, now, I appreciate his guidance.

Most of this happened before Bright Lights but the lesson on giving your heart to your father stuck with me. However, until we discussed this lesson, I never thought about praying for him and communicating with him. Also, the biggest thing I learned was to trust God to work through him."