The Wise Woman Builds Her House

This week’s installment of the TeenPact blog comes from Tierney Bosnyak (FL). Tierney attended Endeavor 2016 on September 19 – 24 on Lake Oconee in Georgia.

Monday, September 19, was a day of firsts. First alumni event, first time flying alone, and, yes, unfortunately, first time taking the wrong suitcase from the baggage claim. When the discovery of my accidental ownership of the suitcase was made, I felt absolutely deflated. I began to worry about what I would wear and how I would look in the coming week, falling into that easy discontent I’d struggled with so long.

The next morning as I sat on the dock looking out over the beautiful lake Oconee, I read the bonjour card, and one of the verses that stood out to me was Proverbs 14:1. It said, “The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.” Immediately I felt God speaking to me, in the cool of the morning. I didn’t want to be the woman who tore things down by being negative and dissatisfied. I wanted to be the woman who was wise, who built up her house, by building up the people around her. “God,” I prayed. “Help me to be outward-focused this week, uplifting and encouraging others.”

“‘God,’ I prayed. ‘Help me to be outward-focused this week.’”

Wednesday, one of the main points we talked about was contentment. My heart was enriched by the loving and challenging talks by the staff. One of the truths that really hit me was if my “worth is dependent on those around me, I can’t genuinely be content.” I couldn’t believe it–something I had struggled with particularly was now being addressed! That’s one of the things I love about God. He doesn’t just give us a list of rules and then abandon us to figure it out. Rather, He is with us the entire way, providing opportunities and people to help us grow.

“I arrived with literally nothing but left with a gracious heart and over fifty sisters.”

My Endeavor experience may have begun badly, but to be able to see Christ’s love in the eyes of the girls around me, to hear how God was working in each one’s life and to rest in the knowledge that nothing separates us from God’s love no matter who we are or what we look like, made the week one of the best of my life. I arrived with literally nothing but left with a gracious heart and over fifty sisters. A suitcase full of clothes will only last several years (or months depending on how responsible you are), but the things I learned at Endeavor and the friendships I made, those will last well beyond this life.