Why You Need Girlfriends: from the Girl who Hangs with the Guys

girl friends lisamuccio.com

I used to dislike “girlfriends”. There was a time in my life when I just hung out with guys, because they were easier. I didn’t have to worry they were judging me for not being pretty enough or funny enough or just… enough. Some of this was based on my own insecurities, but you know full well my fears weren’t completely unfounded. Girls can be mean.

Let me also state that I hate “fake”. I hate when people are fake with me, and I hate when that, in turn, forces me to be fake with them. I despise it. This cut out about two-thirds of all girls as potential friends growing up. (I always had one close friend who was a girl, but otherwise I surrounded myself with guys – it was safer.) 

Fast forward to tonight. Five women. Different cultures, different walks of life, different situations, gathered in a Starbucks being totally REAL with each other. Walls down. Hearts open. Talking about life and God and love and there is not a hint of “fake-ness”. Not a drop. Nor a smidgen. Just 100 percent real-ness and we are having the time of our lives.

We’re hitting every topic from loving God to inappropriate ways to wear bikini bottoms. And I love it. God, I love it! So much. I love that we can all be real and open and there is no judgment. I love that we can all be godly, christian women and yet no one is pretending to have it together, and no one is playing the holier-than-thou-card. It’s just so beautiful. So gloriously beautiful. This is what girlfriends are supposed to be.

It’s figuring out life together. It’s having someone to relate to. It’s someone to text when your day has gone down the crapper and you just need some prayer and an encouraging word. Oh my word! I don’t know what I would do without my girlfriends now! Thank God for them. Thank God I didn’t stay the way I was. Thank God I didn’t let the fear of rejection or judgment keep me from making friends. I would be missing out on so much! I’d be missing out on the fun, the laughter, the support, the quality time. I would be missing out on LIFE!

Don’t let fear hold you back. Don’t let insecurity steal your friendships. The beautiful thing about women is that we are all different. We are different shapes, sizes, and colors. We have different strengths, talents, and abilities. It’s what makes us strong. Together we are unbeatable – a force to be reckoned with. Find yourself some girlfriends, and go do life with them. We are not meant to go it alone.

Purity

My kid had a total meltdown in the freezer aisle at Trader Joe’s this afternoon, complete with people staring and making comments. I blocked them out, remained calm, and gave myself a pat on the back when I finally got her calmed down – which didn’t happen until I finally prayed, “Lord, please show me what to do here!!”

I’m planning my sister’s baby shower, two weddings, and a middle school girls sleepover in the next 2 weeks. Sorry hubby. I haven’t even thought about your birthday next week :/

I swear I spend half my day rolling toilet paper back UP the roll and the other half exhausted, trying to motivate myself to check off the things on my to do list. Even coffee didn’t seem to work today…

And, now, here I come before the Lord to find out what I should be saying to 20 middle school girls Friday night. The topic: Purity. Guard your heart.

Guard your heart (1)

Honestly, it’s a topic I thought was boring most of my life. Ew, purity doesn’t sound fun. More like fun-killer! And yet,two years ago the Lord started speaking to me about purity. But wait. You’re married Lisa. Aren’t purity talks for teens and tweens. Save yourself for marriage and all that. Why is God teaching you about purity now?  Excellent question. Thanks for asking. Because purity is necessary to keep your marriage strong. That’s why God wants us to come into marriage pure. So our foundation is solid. From then on it’s about keeping it pure. Keeping out the things that will deteriorate your marriage – the things that will deteriorate the trust between you and your spouse.

But how do you stay pure? What does that mean? Continue reading “Purity”