Simple ideas to refresh yourself emotionally, physically and spiritually

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We all have problems with it. Whether we have crazy parents and siblings, or just a lot to do and think about, we will all at some point have a little trouble cleaning, dumping and renewing our mind.

Here are some ways I’ve found to renew and refresh yourself spiritually and physically.

Pick the right time and space.

First, I figured out what time of day I’m most at peace with myself. For me, that’s night.

Then, I came up with a space in a room that I could be alone in (my bedroom) and tidied up the area. I have a huge pink fluffy rug in my room with a beanbag chair and curtains that light up.

Since the area you’re in affects how you feel, I try to make sure the area is clean and I’m surrounded by items I enjoy. (Fun stuffed animals, slinkies, books, pictures, etc.)

Refresh yourself emotionally.

Next, one of the things I do that refreshes me is to write in a journal. For me, I actually write in multiple journals. One has writing prompts, one is a journal with my mom, one is a journal for blog posts and ideas for you lovelies, and one is for whatever else I feel like.

I choose a journal to write in and just do it. Sometimes, if a thought is playing in my mind, then I write it down. Or if I’m bored and tired, I simply fill out a prompt. Sometimes I read my Bible and then decide to listen to music and give y’all a post.

Refresh yourself physically.

After I write in my journal, I go and grab some water. I’ve been really into insulated cups to keep the water icy cold.

Then I put my thick hair in a ponytail to get it out of my way. I spend a few minutes doing some stretches and yoga in my room. Yoga isn’t physically difficult and relaxes my body. It calms my mind as well as helps me breathe and get ready for whatever I do next.

Refresh yourself spiritually.

Once I’ve refreshed emotionally and physically, I move on to spiritual matters. I read my devotion book and/or Bible. Usually, I do a section a night. I read the book of Esther in larger groups though. Currently, I am reading and comprehending the wonderful gibberish that is Job.

After I finish my reading, I open the window (just a small crack in cold weather!) for a couple of minutes and just breathe in the fresh air to help me unwind from the day. Then I’m ready to settle into bed.

Having this time is incredibly important because it gives me time to breathe and unwind. I also get to pray and be in the presence of God for an entire hour.

Remember to unwind and stay healthy, my lovelies! Good day/night!

Girls with Grace, a tween blog written by a tween girl, has new posts on Tuesdays two to four times a month. Find out more about Girls with Grace:

Finding your true happily ever after

“And they lived happily ever after.”

You and I have both heard the usual fairytale ending many times. However, what is our happily ever after? Believe it or not, it’s not in a castle with a fairy godmother and a prince. And that’s actually good news, because that happiness is only temporary.

When I was little, I heard many fairytales. I wanted to be a princess, doctor, ballerina or teacher. But, being a princess was never going to satisfy me. Only God can do that.

The difference between fairy godmothers and God

Did Cinderella’s fairy godmother fast for 40 days and resist the temptations of the devil? Did she die and save all of us from our sins? Could she? No, no and no.

Psalm 103:2-5 (NIV) says:

Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Our God is love. He is peacemaker. The Lord our God is better than all good things.

Why God is better than a prince

We have established the fact that we have more than a fairy godmother. Let’s talk about princes. Do we need a prince? No. We don’t need a prince and will not ever.

I would much rather have God over Prince Charming any day.

However, the Lord will not be angered if we do have a prince. That is love, and the Lord Himself is love.

Knowing who we are

As I was writing this, I thought about the song “Sit still, look pretty” by Daya. It tells about the fact that we are strong. While it isn’t Christian music, it does make a good point. It says, “I don’t know what you’ve been told, but this girl right here’s gonna rule the world.”

We are strong — each and every one of us! Not all endings will be happy, but each closed door will open a new one. We don’t need a fairy godmother or to wait for a prince, because we have God.

(However, if we happen to run into a handsome prince on the way, the good job, and have a nice wedding!)

God loves us regardless, and so I love you all regardless as well.

Have a great week, lovelies!

Girls with Grace, a tween blog written by a tween girl, has new posts on Tuesdays two to four times a month. Find out more about Girls with Grace:

Tips every girl needs for living a positive new year

“New year, new me!” I know you’ve heard it, but did you ever try to live up to it? If so, did you succeed? Maybe you did, but it is just as possible that you didn’t. However, living a positive new year is still possible, whether you know it or not.

Some people will tell you to just do this unlikely and impossible stuff, and you will be like that “perfect” girl on Instagram. Others will tell you things you understand, but aren’t sure how to go about. Then, maybe you have found something you think you can do. I happen to have some tips I think are accomplishable.

So here are my flexible, possible tips to help you live positively. Improving on your self maintenance, self care and mothering yourself are great ways to live a positive new year.

Let’s start out by establishing that self maintenance and self care are two totally different things. And both are important in living a positive new year. Self maintenance is taking care of your physical appearance. Self care is taking care of your spiritual and mental self.

Self maintenance

First up is your body. All of us at some point (even me, the girl who could be prancing around the school hallways chicken dancing in a large neon tutu screaming that monkeys are cute with a large eagle hat on my head and not care) can feel insecure about the way we look.

For some of us, this may be the way our legs or stomach look, and for others it may be our teeth or hair. For your legs, or stomach, you may want to get into shape by exercising or eating healthier, but, you are still beautiful the way you are, and please don’t change for anyone except your self.

Now, for teeth and hair, we could try strips to make them whiter (teeth, not hair, I’m not trying to make my hair white, nor do I need to be an old lady quite yet) or talk to the dentist.

For your hair, try going to a salon or maybe try a new hair style. However, only do this if you want to change it, but also only do so for you and you alone. Don’t do it for that perfect picture to share or because you don’t look perfect, because no one actually does. You change for you, and that is enough.

You may also want to try and take care of your self by keeping your skin nice or keeping clean. For your skin, this varies a lot. Honestly, everyone’s skin is different, just like their whole bodies. We are all unique, but just keep your skin clean and hydrated as much as possible. Maybe even take a nice, long bath and relax for a while. Have a mini spa day. But make sure you relax. This is where we cross to self care.

Self care

Self care is all about your mental and spiritual self. This means connecting with the Lord , staying happy and also staying healthy. Lets start with positivity!

The first thing I want you to do is bask in your thoughts. Don’t act upon them, just think. Whether your thoughts are negative (like maybe you’re annoyed with your weight), confused (like do you like that one boy in your math class) or happy (like you really love your eyes), think those thoughts.

Next, try an exercise where you address those thoughts and what you can (or can’t) do about them. Using the three examples above, I came up with a plan for each.

1. Weight insecurity: You could try to eat more veggies and do yoga everyday.

2. Do you like that one boy in your math class: Think about it and decide what you think. Maybe even talk to your family or friends about it.

3. You love your eyes: You could wear colors that make your eyes stand out, which you want.

The point is for every thought, do something about it!

Also, work in time for meditating, praying and just breathing. These are all important parts of self care. Ultimately, you must take time for yourself as you strive to live a positive new year.

Mothering your future self

Mothering yourself is important. Basically, you do something now to take care of your future self. Whether it is a few hours or a few decades, you will be thankful for your previous mothering and have the situation under control.

A good example would be if you are going out (I wish, #Pandemic) and you know you won’t want to wash your face when you get back. You could mother yourself by having everything you need out and ready on the counter. Doing that simple, quick task can make life easier for your future self to wash her face when she returns home.

Have a great week, lovelies, and stay strong in the Lord this new year!

Girls with Grace, a tween blog written by a tween girl, has new posts on Tuesdays two to four times a month. Find out more about Girls with Grace:

A blog for tween girls by a tween girl

For the past couple of months, my 11-year-old daughter, Lexi, and I have been talking about some writing projects we want to do together. One of the projects she’s been excited about is blogging. We decided 2021 is the year we kick off Girls with Grace!

Lexi is the mind and creativity behind Girls with Grace. In fact, she is the one who even came up with the name. For now, Girls with Grace will run new posts in a category all to itself on the Families with Grace blog. The posts will usually go live on Tuesdays.

Our plan is for her to have two to four new posts a month, because that seems manageable with her schoolwork and such she has going on.

To say that I’m proud of my kiddo is an understatement. She’s done some awesome things already in her 11 years. Working on Girls with Grace together has allowed me to get additional insight into her heart and mind that has been such a blessing. I know you’re going to be blessed by her heart and ministry as well!

Share Girls with Grace posts with the tween girls in your life and read them yourself. I let her take over today’s Families with Grace post to introduce her and let you hear what she has on her mind. This kiddo is wise beyond her years — and yes, I am totally partial!

Families with Grace: Why do you want to write a blog?

Lexi: I really enjoy writing and I enjoy God. I enjoy sharing. I enjoy blogs. I think it would be helpful.

I hope to help people who need it. I want to reach out to preteen and early teen girls. I want to help them in their walk with God by writing about it. There are lots of blogs saying to read your Bible and heres a schedule, but that feels like it’s too much. It doesn’t work well for everyone. I want to give practical tips for how to connect with God while still living your life.

FWG: What are some ways you’ve found to connect with God in the midst of schoolwork and friendships?

Lexi: I could talk forever about this! Every night when I can, if it’s not like 20-degrees or I’m not half asleep when I go up to my bedroom, I grab my Bible. Right now I’m reading Job. I didn’t go through the Bible in order. I found when I started doing that, some stories I already knew and some I wasn’t keen to re-read because I didn’t enjoy them very much.

I have a Bible where everything is split up into sections. I read one section a night for about five minutes. I meditate or pray. I get some fresh air and try to clear my mind and then go to bed. I’m finished with my homework and have no other distractions. I’m free and have time to just devote that time to God. It’s also incredibly quiet at night and easier to focus on the Bible and what I’m reading.

FWG: What advice so you have for other preteen girls who are working to find their place in the world and grow in their relationship with God?

Lexi: Don’t go searching for what your place is. It’s going to happen. You’re going to figure out what your place is with God. Go with what you think is right and what you think He would want you to do in your situation. You’re not going to just find your place in the world quickly and easily. You’ll find it eventually. It’s going to change, too. In different phases of life, your purpose can be different.

Naturally you will find what your supposed to be doing. Even if it seems like you figured it out to late, God knows when you need to know your purpose most because he knows what it going to happen the next day, and the next, and the next, and so on.

If you search for your purpose continuously, you aren’t going to have a nice childhood or great friendships. Live with and for god, but whilst you exist, you shouldn’t forget to live.

FWG: What is your favorite Bible verse? Why is that your favorite verse?

Lexi: I actually have a passage of verses that are my favorite.

“For no one is abandoned
    by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion
    because of the greatness of his unfailing love.
For he does not enjoy hurting people
    or causing them sorrow.”

Lamentations 3:31-33 (NLT)

I was looking through my Bible. There was a wall I had dedicated to Bible verses. I had a hole and needed to find a new verse to go there. These verses really stood out to me. I think it sums up a good amount of the Bible really well. It reminds us that the Lord is always with us and even if things seem bad, He still loves us. He is always with us and it’s not going to be bad forever. God doesn’t enjoy our pain. That isn’t what He wants. He wants us to be happy. But sometimes to be happy, we have to get hurt first.

One of my favorite quotes that goes right along with this is, “It’s OK to be a glow stick; sometimes we have to break before we shine.”

Another one of my favorites is HOPE: Hold On Pain Ends.

FWG: Share a little bit about your faith journey. When do you first remember being aware of God on a personal level and not just someone your parents or Sunday School teacher talked about?

Lexi: One of the first things I really remember when I felt like God was in my life was when I was 4 or 5 and felt like I needed to start a food pantry ministry at my church to help a local food pantry.

We had donated to food pantries a couple of times. I used my giving money of my allowance to buy some food. We decided to go to a food pantry that was out of a local church that we hadn’t been to before. We learned they gave away food once a month and were dedicated to doing so, even when they didn’t have a huge amount of food.

They didn’t have the word about it out very well. I’m not sure what it was about this church that really spoke to me, but I knew I needed to do something about these people that couldn’t get their food. I didn’t have anything, but I started talking to my mom. We decided to do something at church. We can’t run our own food pantry, but we started a food collection at our church. We had bins and made an announcement. The food pantry collection is still going on now about seven years later.

Fun Fact: When I told my mother about the food pantry, I started with ” I have an idea…” which is the same exact way Girls with Grace came to life!

FWG: What is your faith history?

Lexi: I can’t remember a time I didn’t go to church. I can’t remember a time I wasn’t learning about God. I don’t think I can say there was something that stuck out to me without teachers.

I’ve been ministered very well from a young age. Since before I could walk or talk, I’ve learned about Jesus. I’ve read a children’s Bible and knew half of the stories of the Bible by heart by the time I was in kindergarten.

FWG: What have you done so far in your life that you’re most proud of?

Lexi: Last school year, I did a food drive in my grade for the food pantry. We were able to bring in a lot of non-perishable items for the food pantry.

FWG: What are you looking forward to about working on Girls with Grace?

Lexi: Honestly, I’m just excited to write. I’m excited to take these things that I’ve learned — because I’ve learned a lot — and write them down. I’m happy to explain my lessons so that you can learn from somebody else. Some of them were great things and then some of them weren’t so great things. I’ve dealt with anxiety during school years. I’ve learned from both the good stuff and the bad.

FWG: Do you have anything else to add?

Lexi: I could talk for years on making people happy. It doesn’t always go well, but it’s something I try to do. I don’t need to make people. It’s not something you should spend all your time trying to do or else you’ll make yourself miserable in the process. I have tried anyway and I’ve learned from it.