Love Trusts

Claire Black: This is True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us, one drive at a time!

Buckle up! We’re about to turn carpool into a treasured time in God’s Word!

True girl, did you know that your mom could be one of the best friends you’ll ever have? Now, it’s not her job to be your friend, but we are learning that true friendship is based on love. And in episode number one of season four, we learned that we’re supposed to pursue love with others the same way that Jesus pursued us with His love. And that means that we see a need and move towards it to meet it. Well, who do you know that does that for you better than your mom? 

Okay, sure, I hear some of you saying, “My dad!” him, too!

As we continue to learn seven secrets to true friendship based on 1 Corinthians 13, I invite you to apply today’s lesson to your relationship with your parents!

True Girl is hosted by Dannah Gresh, author of Talking with Your Daughter about Best Friends and Mean Girls. Let’s get moving for season 4, episode 5 titled “Love Trusts.” Here’s Dannah. 

Dannah Gresh: Well, hello, true girl. Dannah and Staci here. 

Staci Rudolph: Hey, hey.

Dannah: It’s time to open up 1 Corinthians 13 to learn another secret about true friendship. I want to start by saying that I still remember the day I met one of the sweetest friends I’d ever know.

Staci: Umm, wait! You were a baby? 

Dannah: No, Staci! I’d just had one. My first baby girl! I remember looking at her and thinking, “I just gave birth to one of my best friends.” I literally thought that. 

I imagined all the things we would do together: all the secrets we’d share, all the dreams we’d live out together, the vacations, the shopping trips. There’s just something about the mother/daughter relationship right from the very beginning. 

Staci: Yes, I am super close to my mom! She’s my best friend.

Dannah: And yet, the mother/daughter relationship is one of the most complex relationships you’ll ever have, too! It’s not all lullabies and tea parties. Sometimes, there’s some major conflict.

(Music from the movie Rocky)

Staci: Dannah, what’s that song?

Dannah: It’s the theme song for the movie Rocky.

Staci: Who!?

Dannah: Rocky. He was a fighter, a boxer. I guess you’re not old enough!

Nevermind. I was trying to make a point. Mom/daughter relationships come with conflict. It’s part of the package. 

Staci: Yeah. I get it. That’s when it can be hard to remember that she’s one of the best friends you’ll ever have.

So, if you’ve ever had conflict with your mom, well, two things:

1) You’re not alone. 

2) You need today’s power verse!

Dannah: Let’s get right to it, Staci. Of course, the power verse is from 1 Corinthians 13 which I’m working on memorizing as part of our season-long challenge. I hope you’re working on it, too, true girl. 

Can I remind you that this chapter of the Bible describes the kind of love that Jesus has for us. As we experience this kind of love, we learn to express love in the same way to other people.

Let me see if I can recite today’s power verse for you. First Corinthians 13:7 says, “[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Staci: If that sounds familiar, it’s because you heard it in the last episode. Today we’ll focus in on these words—love trusts!

Do you trust your mom?

Dannah: We’ve got an amazing story to share coming up soon, but first, let’s do a little digging into this Bible verse. Trust. What’s that mean? 

Staci: I’ve got something here from dictionary.com, Dannah. “Trust: is to believe in the reliability of someone or something.”

So, if I, for example, trust this microphone, I don’t have to get all up in its grill and loud-talk when I use it. I just chill and talk regular, because I believe it is reliable and will do the work of taking my voice to my true girl out there.

Dannah: Exactly. So in the mother/daughter love relationship, you believe in the ability of your mom to do what you need her to do.

Staci: Like put dinner on the table each night!

Dannah: Or, help remind you to do your homework before you watch Netflix.

Staci: Or, plan an awesome birthday for you each year.

Dannah: Or, teach you to make your bed and keep your room clean.

Staci: Dannah! You sound like a mom!

Dannah: I am a mom! Sometimes the things that make us reliable as moms are also the things that make us experience conflict. And this is where trusting your parents gets a little hairy.

Staci: Hairy?

Dannah: Hairy. As in like animals in the jungle.

Staci: I feel the story comin’ on!

Dannah: There once was a vast African Bush where a giant lion was known to prowl looking for lunch. 

But this great lion was getting old, and it was said that he was getting bored of hunting. Though he was still quite good. He could catch not only the smallest of kudu, but also water bucks, Wildebeests, zebra, giraffe, water buffalo, and even the very quick-witted hyena. 

One hyena heard of his boredom and went to him. He suggests a way for him to never hunt again. The lion liked Hyena's plan and agreed that he indeed would never hunt again.

Rumors of this went in every direction, even to the little tiny kudos family. One day the father kudo was sitting with his daughter, Adana.

“Father, father, did you hear?” said kudu Adana one day, “the lion is never going to hunt again. We can roam through the Bush free last!” 

The father quickly said, “The lion must still eat. And though he is never going to hunt again. He will still eat. Of this you can be sure. You must never go into the Bush alone. Do you hear me child?” 

But the very next day kudu Adana wandered off. She saw some delicious looking, tall grass growing near a pool of cool water, and she just couldn't resist it. 

As she dipped her tender mouth into the water to drink, she heard a strange growling behind her. She looked to see a hyena licking his lips. 

“Hello, little one. I see you are alone,” said Hyena. “You look just like what the lion ordered today. He asked for a tiny snack of kudu.” 

“But the lion isn't hunting any longer!” protested Adana. 

“True,” said Hyena. “I'm hunting for him. We came to an agreement.” 

“An agreement?” said Adana. 

“Yes. An agreement. I hunt for him, and he doesn't hunt me. The only condition is that I must bring him his feast without blemish. But right now, I must say you are looking quite delicious. Now, what could I eat that Lion would not notice?” 

That was the last thing that Adana heard. The hyena was nibbling on her ears and licking them clean before she knew what had happened. 

When the hyena brought Adana to the lion, the lion was immediately unhappy. 

“This young one has no ears,” roared the lion. 

“I hadn’t noticed,” said the hyena, sounding shocked. “I'm sure she was like that when I found her.” 

Lion roared in anger, “Bring me this kudu’s father at once,” he demanded. 

Before long father kudu arrived. “Is this your daughter?” asked Lion. 

Father kudu looked down at his sweet Adana sitting helplessly in front of Lion. Tears welled up in father kudu’s heart, but he didn't let them slip out. 

With all the strength he could manage he answered Lion. “No, this is not my child. If it were my child, she would have had ears to hear me.” 

Staci: That’s a pretty sad story. But it makes a good point. One way we demonstrate that we trust our mom . . . or our dad . . . is by obeying them. 

Dannah: Exactly! Their job is to protect you, so they put limits on where you go and what you see and listen to. 

Staci: And their job is to train you. That’s why they give you chores and other things to take care of at home.

True girl, when you obey your parents, you prove that you trust them. 

Today, your True Girl challenge is to spend some time talking to your mom—and maybe your dad—about trust.

Dannah: Here’s a good question to start with, “Mom, do I have ears to hear?”

Claire: Wow! I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a little bit of conviction. It’s not always easy to obey but I can see that it does demonstrate that I trust my mom. 

Maybe you feel convicted, too. That’s a good thing! Just talk to your mom about it. 

If you want some help having this conversation, check out mom/daughter date #5 in Dannah Gresh’s Talking with Your Daughter about Best Friends and Mean Girls. You’ll find a page that you can cut out to create a box of questions. This special tool helps you both talk about loving each other by demonstrating trust. Get your copy at MyTrueGirl.com.

I hope you’ll be back next time. And I hope you’ll bring a brother or a sister, because we’re going to talk about sibling rivalry and the next of the seven secrets to true friendship: love hopes!

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness.

“Gonna Fly Now (Theme from “Rocky”).” Bill Conti. Rocky (Original Motion Picture Score) ℗ 2015 United Artists Corporation.

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