Why American Heritage Girls Support Life

Exactly one year ago, AHG launched its Respect Life Patch, affirming its support of all life and the importance of caring for all God’s children.  Since then, the Patch has sold quicker than any other badge or patch in AHG’s nearly twenty- year history.  The sales tell the story, AHG supports life and so does its members.

As a Christ centered ministry, AHG loves the things Christ loves.  He loved His Father who gave Him life. He loved the sick, the poor, the disabled, the deformed, the mentally ill, the demon possessed, the disfigured, the elderly, the newborn, the prostitute, the tax collector and those that followed and believed in His divinity.  He taught His disciples to do the same.  His message of love for all continues today as His followers, through the power of the Holy Spirit, toil to love His children despite their sin.

God, the Creator, gives each of us life.  According to Holy Scripture, God loved us so, that He even made us in His own image. The prophet Jeremiah affirms God’s love affair with us before our conception: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  

Faith in Christ requires a Faith in God, the Father who gave Jesus life.  Faith in God requires respect for His sovereignty and His righteousness.   

January 22, 1973, the United States Supreme Court approved the ability for women to have the right to stop the work of the Creator, a work that women did not begin, according to Scripture.   Many AHG Families across the country will hold this day as a “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of the Unborn”.  In addition to the precious, innocent unborn lives, let us not forget to pray for the protection of those who live with chronic illness, the disabled, the elderly, and all of those who have been marginalized by society.

When AHG announced the Respect Life Patch, most applauded the initiative.  Others (most from outside the AHG family and mainly media) shared messages of disgust citing AHG’s “political” bent.  To me, standing for life is not a political issue but rather a God-issue.  All life is valuable to Him.  And if we, as a ministry, purport to love Him and follow Him, life must be valuable to us as well.   

And we need to teach our daughters this most important lesson. 

Until Next Time,

Patti

Through Many Trials - by AHG Patriot Sarah Peterson

Dear Friends,

AHG Girl Blogger, Sarah Peterson tackles the subject of the usefulness of Trials in sharpening our walk with Christ.  With wisdom beyond her years, Sarah shares her thoughts and I pray you will share this important message with a special girl in your life!

Trials. Not a fun word. Not something we like going through. and sometimes we don't expect them.

This last weekend we were at Faith Baptist Bible College for their annual high school basketball tournament. I was very excited. Last year our team went down and won the whole thing! We lost four of our starters last year, so I knew that this year at the tournament would be harder.

But I didn't think it would be this hard.

The first three games were pool play to determine our ranking for the fourth game on Saturday. We lost all three pool play games. On Saturday we would play for seventh out of eight teams.

Talk about a trial.

I don't like trials. Never have. Thing is, I learned so much this basketball tournament. Not only about basketball, but also about myself, my attitude, my character and my walk with God. Trials do help us learn. Funny...God uses trials to teach us things that we may not have learned otherwise. Would I have looked at my attitude if we had won every game? Probably not, because my attitude would have been great. But instead I had to learn to love the other players on and off the court when they killed us. I had to keep my head up high for the younger girls when I really just wanted to go into the locker room and pout. I had to honor God with my thoughts when I honestly was feeling defeated. Saturday night I got home and I was tired. Mentally and emotionally. But looking back a few days later, I think that we had the best tournament yet. Yes we got crushed, but we bonded as a team. We lost together. We learned together. We encouraged each other together.

God uses trials. Why?

1) they push us out of our comfort zone. I wasn't comfortable losing. Honestly I wasn't used to it. The past few years we have only lost about six games. But losing made me think that winning isn't everything. Character is. If we won but had a horrible attitude, we might as well have lost. Wins and medals will fade, but who you are as a person never will.

2) they reveal what we need to work on. Not only did I learn tons of things that I need to work on in basketball (better passes, hustling more, having patience, etc.) but also about myself off the court. I get in to the habit of having an attitude of defeat. I feel like I have to be perfect and when I'm not I feel defeated. I learned that I can't have that attitude. If you're in a hole and life throws dirt your way, shake it off, stomp it down and step up.

3) they show us that we need to turn to God. When life is going good I get into the habit of forgetting God. I get content. Comfortable. God has to sometimes throw a trial into our lives to remind us who is truly in control. Lesson from that? Don't wait for a trial to put God first. Make Him a priority when things are going great as well as horrible.

Trials aren't fun. But you know what? If we let God have His way and if we are teachable, we come out better than before. That tournament changed me as a person and as a basketball player. So are trials bad?

No.

Not if you let them change you into more of an image of Christ. God doesn't bring trials in our lives to knock us down, but so that through Him we can learn to rise up better than before.

Well said Sarah!

Until Next Time,

Patti

 
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds 

                                                                                                                               James 1: 1-3