After Midnight - by Jenna Lucado

Don’t you just hate it when your parents say the same thing over and over and over? Every time you hear those words again, you may roll your eyes and shake your head, irritated and exasperated by their all-knowing remarks.

At our house, one of those frequently repeated lines was my mom’s infamous remark, “Nothing good happens after midnight.”

Every time I heard it, my lips tightened and I thought what a ridiculous statement it was. What difference does it make what time it is?

I schemed to get around my parents’ curfew rule any way I knew how so that I could experience those after-midnight hours with my friends. It was exciting to be out so late. Some of the best parties didn’t start until 11 p.m., and even then, my friends and I wanted to dramatize our entrance by showing up as late as we could.

I never thought Mom’s nagging words would ever prove true until I started noticing something eerie. As the night goes on, everything gets darker. Sure, physically, the night blackens and your vision weakens, but have you ever noticed that mentally, your thoughts darken and spiritually, your morals loosen? Alcohol seems less dangerous; a boyfriend’s pressures seem more justified. Inhibitions leave . . .

It wasn’t until after midnight that I meddled with alcohol. It wasn’t until after midnight that we trashed the front lawns of ex-boyfriends. It wasn’t until after midnight that I noticed myself acting like someone I was not. I avoided my parents more. But as Mom’s words kept echoing through my head, I felt ashamed of my new nighttime identity.

Eventually I confessed what I had done. As a result, privileges were lost, and repayment was arranged. But through it all, Dad told me the same thing over and over again: “Jenna,” he said, “there is nothing you can do that will make us love you any more or any less.”

Funny. That’s the same thing our Father in heaven says over and over. And I don’t know about you, but I never, ever get tired of hearing those words.

The Real You by Natalie Grant

Your self-image is not this ethereal, theoretical thing that is hard to get your hands around. It is who and what you picture yourself to be. How you feel about you. Do you base how you feel about yourself on the expectations of others? On whether you have the right clothes, live in the right neighborhood, belong with the popular people? If so, your self-image isn’t a true reflection of who you really are. Every girl has a vision of who she is. Who do you think you are?

True self-worth is not based on what you feel about yourself or even on what others think about you. True self-esteem can only be based on how God sees you. You are only who God says you are.

And God says you are wonderful.

Excerpted with permission from The Real Me: Being the Girl God Sees by Natalie Grant, copyright © 2005 by Natalie Grant. Published by W Publishing Group, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved