Last week was a great one for me! I had the opportunity to speak to the women at CAPA, (Christian Association for Prisoner Aftercare), and at the Young Women's Conference in Southfield Michigan. Though these groups are fundamentally different, the topic of my messages was similar: in order to succeed in life you must find your creative dreams and develop the attitude of a queen.

Women who have been imprisoned are a lot like young children. In fact they will admit to you that they often feel immature and stuck in childhood or their teenage years. My challenge was to help them harness the hopes, dreams, and enthusiasm of youth and use it as an impetus to move forward in life.

I was also challenged to encourage a group of young ladies on the threshhold of womanhood to develop the humility to put others first. Not an easy task. These are children from generation I-don't-even-know-I-lost-count. I know that they relate to rap stars and singers I wouldn't have been allowed to listen to when I was growing up. They are exposed to way more at a far earlier age than my generation of baby boomers ever was. And yet it was my duty to impart some wisdom they could take forward into their adult lives. The following is some of what the Lord gave me to share with them:

"Affirmation- The attitude of a queen comes from an inward heart that is surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ. Inner beauty comes from vitality, sparkle, radiance, charm, and confidence. Vitality is energy in action. Sparkle is seen in a ready and quick smile. Radiance is an inner glow that comes from good health. Charm shows itself in good manners and putting others first. Confidence shows in one's ability to express oneself effectively and to do things well." I went on to describe how the attributes of self-esteem such as self- acceptance, personal style, and creative expression, all contribute to the outward beauty that the world sees. In order to be truly beautiful and regal, we have to have our inner selves together. We have to be ready to share ourselves with the world.

As I talked and role played with the young ladies a wonderful thing began to happen. They began to talk to me about their hopes and dreams. They wondered how I was when I was their age (shy) and what I wanted to be when I grew up (a writer). They began to relate to me as a person and allowed me access into their lives. I began to see the beauty of hope for the future in them. I understood how imporatnt it was for the other speakers and me to be there on that day. Some of the young ladies had lost their mothers. We got the awesome chance to be mother surrogates. I get emotional just thinking how God used me for His purposes.  I felt truly blessed to represent married women on that day. 

In the coming weeks I will speak to several more groups. My goal is to impart a message of hope to them all. I also feel it's important to stress  that beauty and brains are not mutually exclusive. You can have it all and that's the beauty of hope!