Last 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:
"After the lesson on giving your heart to your father, I've found out the impact gratefulness can have. I've found it easier to express thankfulness for things my parents do for me. I've also noticed more of the many, many things they do for me on a daily basis."
"This year in Bright Lights, I was probably most affected by the lesson on encouraging your brothers and sisters. It helped me to realize that just having a 'better than average' relationship with my siblings wasn't good enough, and that I needed to be much more intentional about my words and actions. As the oldest, I have an amazing opportunity to impact their lives on a daily basis, and I had no idea how much simple little acts of kindness and encouragement could really brighten up their day. This is definitely something that I'm still working on, but I think that now I can say that I am making a conscious effort to show my love for them everyday instead of just assuming that they know how I feel. Me being more open with my emotions has really made a difference in how we can relate to one another and it has definitely improved our relationship."
"One of the biggest lessons I have learned from Bright Lights this year is diligence. This year has been very challenging for me. I have learned how to balance going to a really difficult school, working, and being a small group co-leader. I've had to learn perseverance and a lot of diligence. While I most definitely don't think I'm perfect, God has used this year to grow me and strengthen me in this area."
"Diligence has been something that I have been learning to have. I knew that I needed to be more diligent with my time and how I use it. I have really been trying to apply this to my life after Allison spoke about it a few weeks ago. I just saw how I was not really giving enough time to the Lord and that I need to spend more time in His word, especially with some difficulties going on in my life lately. This lesson really spoke to me and showed me that I needed to change things."
"One very important thing that I learned was how sinful we are compared to God. Allison talked about this during a lesson and demonstrated it by holding up a gray sheet of paper next to a black sheet of paper. Next to black, the gray sheet looked white. However, when she showed us the gray sheet of paper next to a white sheet of paper, the gray definitely looked gray.
A lot of times, to make myself feel better, I compare myself next to the world. I say, 'I'm so much better than them; I don't steal, cheat or do very bad things and I read my Bible and pray and I try to actually do better. But I have to remind myself that I shouldn't compare myself to the world, instead, I should compare myself to God. After all, by God's standards, I'm as black as could be - I can't do anything to change that. I'm powerless. I really have to rely on Jesus to wash me clean of sin. Allison's demonstration really helps me to do that, because it stuck in my mind."
"The Lord has taught me so many things that it's hard to decide which one. I believe that the Lord has taught me to realize that I am never, ever alone. The Lord loves me as I am. I am just a little speck in this big universe. He could have chosen to ignore me as a wicked, sinful person. Instead, He had His Son Jesus die for my sins. God gave me the Bible full of sweet promises and commands. To me, the Bible is a letter He has written to help me onto the path of life."
"One topic in particular that stood out to me was delighting in God's Word. I was really struggling with doing my daily devotions and this topic really helped me. One thing that stood out to me in the pamphlet was looking for Jesus in every passage. So, I started highlighting one of God's names every time I came across it. That really helped me to focus on what I was reading. I am surprised at how many of God's names are in one page! Additionally, I have really enjoyed being able to fellowship with other girls this past year during Bright Lights."
