The summer before ninth grade, I was still soaring from having made the B-team cheerleading squad. This was a very big deal. It meant we got to wear our uniforms to school and decorate the football player’s lockers on game day.
(This is me in 1991, ninth grade. This will be happening a lot, my sharing of ridiculous high school photos. I’m sorry. But also? You’re welcome.)
Somehow, I was voted captain of the squad, a fact I loved for all of eleven minutes. That’s about how long it took for me to realize that being captain was a big responsibility.
To me, being captain meant I was supposed to know everything. So when we had to come up with a dance to perform at camp that summer, instead of asking for help from one of the other cheerleaders, I made up the dance myself. I found my favorite dance remix version of “Everybody Dance Now,” popped the tape into my red boom box, and worked late into the night.
As it turns out, being able to dance is very different from actually making up a dance.
I cannot begin to tell you how little I knew about choreographing a dance. But I was captain! I felt responsible. I falsely believed that since I was in a role of leadership, I was automatically supposed to know things.
To ask for help would be admitting weakness, perhaps causing someone to think I wasn’t qualified to be captain, which to me at the time was the worst thing imaginable. So instead, I hid my lack of knowledge, put on my mask of strength, believed the voice of the Heroine in my mind, and forged ahead.
The next day at practice, I taught that ridiculous dance to my squad. They learned the whole thing, bless their spunky little hearts.
For a short time, I thought perhaps I had pulled it off, had uncovered my savant choreographing talent. But then we performed it in front of the varsity cheerleaders, the girls who looked like movie stars.
They watched as we “danced,” and after telling me that my coolest moves were illegal in cheerleading, they did the worst possible thing they could have done in that moment.
They laughed.
And not the ha-ha-that-was-cute-but-let-us-help-you sort of laugh that you can join in on and pretend maybe you were kidding anyway.
No, this was the lip-biting, pretending-to-cough, won’t-make-eye-contact, whispering sort of laugh–the kind where you get dizzy-hot and wordlessly pray for death or a sinkhole or an invisibility cloak.
That was the last time I made up a dance on my own. It was also one of those defining moments, the kind that begins to shape you, for better or worse. You could say I was brave to try something outside of my comfort zone, and maybe I was. Mainly, though, I was acting out of fear to postpone exposure for as long as possible.
I began to learn to ask for help after that. I also had to learn that hiding my weakness is often worse than sharing it ever would have been, even in something as small as making up a cheerleading dance in the ninth grade.
Can you think of a time when hiding your weakness turned out to be worse than admitting it?
(This post was adapted from chapter 6 of my new book for teens, Graceful. The chapter is called The Heroine. Learn more about the book.)
To celebrate the release of the book, my sweet friend Maggie is generously offering one reader a $50 credit to her shop, Gussy Sews. (I use my two Gussy’s everyday and absolutely love them.) And of course, there will be a signed book included. Enter for the high school girl in your life?
Updated: Joanne Viola – Winner of the Gussy Gift Certificate and the signed book. You should have an email with the details.
I’m just embarrassed right along side you! Thank God we grow up and learn!
Rachel´s last [type] ..12 Weeks (or 1/3 done!)
would love to give the book to my neice who is struggling right now ~ what a perfect gift . thanks Emily
Can’t wait to read the book! Going to take the print out thing from yesterday to the church bookshop.
Oh – this post pains my heart a bit. I recall being the captain of the gymnastics team in 11th grade. There were several instances that reminded me that I might not be the best captain of that team!
wow, how often do we do that, try to cover up our weaknesses rather than just drawing on the strengths of others where we fall short. love the post & would love to win the book & gussy’s shop credit.
Would love to pass this on to a high school girl I know. (Of course, the Gussy stays with me!)
Sarah M
Sarah M´s last [type] ..Visual Monday: Knitting
Thanks for this opportunity!
I loved Grace for the Good Girl and I would love to read Graceful too. As a Youth Ministet’s wife, I am highly involved in the youth group, especially with the teen girls. I’d love to go through this book with them.
Chelsey´s last [type] ..A lot of words but I’m not sure how much sense.
I’m a Senior in HS and I struggle with this…trying to be the heroine. Maybe its my love of books and the fact that I’ve always wanted to be a hero in a great story. Or maybe its just my pride. But even when I’m hurting, when I’m struggling and failing, the hardest thing for me to do is to admit it.
Thank you for this post…it encouraged me in a hundred ways
I only started learning to be honest & admit shortcoming in my late 20′s; hope the next generation doesn’t wait so long!
I bought a copy already for a young girl I love, but would love another!
I’d love to have your book for my 16 year old daughter–and Gussy Sews…what a treat that would be! Count me in! Thanks!
dawn´s last [type] ..Mary’s Story revisited, Part Three.
The lessons we learn and keep trying to learn throughout life. Wish I could say moments like these ended as a teen for me….
How lovely. Congrats on the new book!
Reeve´s last [type] ..#coobsfamilyvaca12
G4TGG was and remains to be life changing for me. the entire time i was reading it, i was thinking, i wish someone had given me this book 20 years ago. and you did it again. i am so excited to share Graceful with the young women in my life. thank you for being vulnerable yet again and allowing God to reach others through your words and experiences.
emily j´s last [type] ..cafe boa … … [eats]
I’m planning to buy the Graceful book for my oldest daughter. I have three, ages 12, 9, and 8. In this fallen world, I find it so important to teach my girls to be the salt and light, but at the same time I don’t want to place too much pressure on them to be “the good girls” and feel like they can’t have a bad day. I think this book will be perfect for them. I love “Gussy Sews” and have admired her things for quite some time. I would love to win a gift certificate!
Angie Lindley´s last [type] ..Updating…
This was a great post…so very true!
It took me until my mid 20′s when I fell off my own pedestal and realized I could no longer fool myself, even if I had been successfully appearing like I had it all together and do it all. I actually had to develop some serious health issues before I gave up trying, though. One of daughters is nearly 11 and I look forward to reading this book with her in the future. I think I need to send one to my niece who just started high school too!
Spring´s last [type] ..Food for my soul…
I’ve had many moments just like the one you described! Thankfully, at least it builds character, right?!
I checked out the Gussy website and the bags and headbands are SO adorable. I’m pregnant with my first child right now and I think it might be a girl!! If so, I’d love to get something for her 
Blessings,
Estey
I’d just plain really like to win this…
Oh, I can think of many of those…..I’ll even admit it took one or two too many before I learned from it!
Karen´s last [type] ..Sunflowers
The older I become, the MORE I need to ask for help and admit weakness…
Sure would have been nice to know that in my teen years:)
Hi Emily!
I am so excited to read you new book! I am a recent grad of high school, just in my first few years of college, but I know the lessons in it will still ring true where I am in my life now. I also hope to pass it on to my younger sister who is just in 6th grade now, but in just a few years will be a high-schooler, and will have to deal with all that comes with that!
In response to your question, I was trying to think of a time I had a similar experience in front of friends or at my school, and while I think I was alright at asking for help from friends and teachers, the one category I rarely asked for help from was my parents. All throughout high school, I wanted to prove to them, or show them, that they had raised a self-reliant daughter, who was capable and able, and to make them feel like “successful” parents. If I was ever doing a project or cooking something, and they asked if I needed help, I always turned them down, just to reinforce my point. Now looking back at it, I see how silly it was, because that is a big part of parenting–teaching your child and helping them through all stages of life. Now that I am in college, I see how much I do need them, and ask them for help all the time, even though they are a state away!
I would love to be able to give this book to my niece. But can I keep the Gussy’s for me??
of course!
I wish I could think of just ONE time when admitting my weakness would have saved the day! The day I fell off the horse because I didn’t know how to jump her properly? The day I lost 89 pages of my master’s thesis because I didn’t know how to combine files and save them on a disk (back in the days of WordStar and 5.25 floppy disks–yeah, a LOOONNNGGGG time ago!) Oh, my!
By the way, I see on your cheerleading uniform that you went to Irmo? Irmo, as in Irmo, SC! I grew up and went to Chapin High School, and I still live nearby! So glad to see a neighbor!
ahhh! Yes, I went to Irmo! But then in 10th grade I went to Dutch Fork the first year it opened. So fun!
Heroines and cheerleading? That sounds familiar. It was second grade, and myself and another girl led all the “uncool” girls be a part of our counter-cheering team. Our cheers were taken from “Family Matters,” and one kickball player told us we sounded stupid. Did we stop? No. We had a mission to show that everyone should be allowed to cheer, not just the pretty girls who were in the teacher’s favor.
We were challenged to a cheering competition, to be judged by the teacher (the school’s cheerleading coach). We never accepted. Why? We weren’t there to show that one was better than the other. We would have lost. No, we were there to be heroines who stood up for the underdogs. So while my story is a bit different, it shows how we take these moments in stride and can use them for good and for learning experiences.
I have a little sister in high school who could use this book. Thanks for the opportunity!
I am so looking forward to going through Graceful with my daughter who just turned 14 (yesterday) and just started high school. She has been a good girl in the making but, by the grace of God, is overcoming (as I learned about my own good girl tenancies and surrender them and teach her to do the same with my words and actions). So, thank you for sharing your story!
Kristin´s last [type] ..When Everything Changes Nothing Has Changed
Oh my gosh, I’m cringing on your behalf. High school memories define us in the best and worst ways. High school pictures, on the other hand…
HopefulLeigh´s last [type] ..Reveling in the Now
I would love to win! Thank you for this giveaway, Emily and Gussy Sews!!
i’m not sure i can pinpoint a similar situation… but i recall lying about something out of fear… telling that someone else was responsible (for saying the silliest dumb i-think-she-likes-so-and-so- thing.) and then our friendship kind of evaporated, even though she was on board with the mis-truth. a regret, for sure…
dawn´s last [type] ..then sings my soul
I would really loveto win your book!!!! And gussy sews credit
my husband is a youth pastor and on Sunday nights we do a bible study for the teens before church…I would love to go through this book with my teen girls!!!
I would love a copy of the book along with a Gussy!
You are absolutely darling!
Diane Bailey´s last [type] ..How to Realize God’s Provision
SO many instances I could share.
Probably the quickest story to share is when my husband was deployed. I was sitting in the grass of our side yard attempting to “adjust” the lawn mower height. Every time I thought I had it “fixed” I would start mowing and a wheel would roll off. AWESOME. But you know, I kept trying – stubbornly doing the same wrong thing over and over. Finally our Great God whispered, “Daughter there is a fine line between being independent and being an idiot. You’ve crossed it. Ask for some help.”
I’m pretty sure a friend’s husband tried in vain to fix what I had wrecked and my husband ending up having to send me a link to purchase a new lawn mower. Gah!
So strangely funny. Your choreography-gone-wrong story is very familiar to me. I haven’t ventured back to that memory for quite some time so thank you (I think). Like you, I had no idea what I was doing but there was that small glimmer of hope that my mask would maintain my cover. I might be able to pull this thing off and then I could look at the impressed spectators with my chest all puffed out. My story ended, not with teenage laughs, but being kindly fired from the job. There was no longer enough time before the performance to coach me to success. I had waited too long to ask for help and I was no longer needed. And when a good girl no longer feels needed, the world might as well come to an end. Ten years later, as I recover and mature and experience freedom, I love that I can echo your line in my heart, “And then Jesus.”
Currently reading Grace for the Good Girl and would love to read this too! I have a friend who is struggling and would benefit from this book as well.
) And Gussy makes such beautiful things!
I was beyond blessed by “Grace for the Good Girl”, and I’m very excited about “Graceful”! Grace, not rules or impossible expectations, is just what our sweet high school girls need. I trust this book will be an encouragement to them…and maybe steer them away from a lot of the mistakes I made as I was growing up (trying to stay right with God rather than truly resting in His grace). Thank you, Emily, for writing both of these books!
This like always speaks so deep in my heart. Thank you.
oh my. i never had to make up a dance, but i can totally relate to feeling this. i played hockey all growing up and once we got a girls team, it was a whole new drama filled world! trying to lead on my own without help was always a recipe for disaster & tears.
I read Grace for the Good Girl and would love to have Graceful for my daughter. She’s 11, and she is definitely a good girl in the making already.
Thank you for your first book and for this version written especially for teens. I have already passed the flyer on to 3 of our female youth leaders who work directly with my 16 year old daughter and other girls at our church! Your experiences and insights are so appropriate for where girls are today in this fast paced time when they are so pressured. I wish I had this book when I was a teen.
Blessings!
Pam Hunt
My problem will be choosing *which* of my precious teenage students to share it with! (I’ll probably have to buy more than one copy!) Thanks for sharing!
Umm, like not wanting to admit you really can’t carry a tune. . .
Love the picture! This post conjures up memories of choreographing my high school show choir. Same deal – I was put in charge, therefore I assumed I should know more than I did. I love your point of how hiding our weaknesses can be worse than revealing them.
Becky K´s last [type] ..Kindergarten Is Not a Big Green Ugly Monster
Hmmm…. Hard to narrow it down to just one instance
Great post. My daughters would enjoy this book I think.
Lisa Hall-Wilson´s last [type] ..The Pain of Staying The Same
I’d love to give Graceful to my cousin, especially after reading Grace for the Good Girl myself
I would love to go through this book together with a youth girl- we both would benefit!
Loved your first “Grace” book and it looks like this one will be equally insightful. Thank-you!
I’m a senior In high school this fall. I think this would be a really good book for me, I’m really looking forward to reading it!!!
So looking forward to your book Emily! There is a story like this in all of us. Thank you for having the courage to share!
Ashley Urke | Domestic Fashionista´s last [type] ..DIY Photo Booth
I was co-captain of my B-team squad as a freshman. I wish I would’ve admitted I couldn’t do those jumps off the trampoline during school assemblies. Mine was, let’s say, creative.
Love the photo and my school colors were gold and black too.
Shelly Miller´s last [type] ..When Someone Believes In You, More Than You Believe In Yourself
I just graduated from high school, but I would love your book! Not only for myself but also for my little sister.
i’m working on reading your first book & would love to have your second waiting & ready when i’m done
& a little gussy to go with it is just icing on the cake!
lindsey b.´s last [type] ..insta-mood board!
oh.my.word. I probably would have transferred schools the very next day! That is a huge event to a Freshman.
BTW, I had a cheerleading dance to that same song!
Meg´s last [type] ..Grandma Polly’s House, 2012
I, too was a freshman cheerleader in 1991 so I can really identify with your embarrassment!! I appreciate your transparency…. It is so refreshing!
Just as applicable to me, now, at 30, as it would have been to me when I was in ninth grade. Good words.
Shanna´s last [type] ..here, right now
Aren’t we glad that we do grow up – eventually
Would love the book for a teen in my life. Thanks for the opportunity!
So excited to hear about this book. So wish I would have had it as a teenager. Even as an adult I still struggle with trying to be everything to everybody and not disappoint. It’s a terrible place to be, but as I get older, I am learning to let go and only focus on the good that God wants of me.
Oh, our youthful minds doth betray us. I remember dancing on different teams from the age of 6 to freshmen year of college. I didn’t realize until a few years ago that dancing was never my deam but rather my mom’s dream. I never wanted to fess up inthe midst of it that while my costumes were cute that I would have rather played soccer has surmised into one of my life’s biggest regrets. Yes, I still can bust a move but I do have other greater strengths in life you know!
Emily!! Thanks so much for sharing such embarrassing and awkward moments in your life. I learn so much from reading what you write as I can relate to you and understand so many of the thought processes you have about these situations.
I am so thankful you had to courage to write these books and be used in this way by God.
So thank you for being willing to share! (Especially willing to share such an awesome giveaway!)
Much Love,
L
allglorious-within.blogspot.com
Oh, girl, I feel your pain. My horribly awkward freshman year of high school was at a school seventeen times bigger than my eighth grade school. I cannot even remember all the embarrassing moments I endured.
If I win, I have several high schoolers in mind for the book, but the Gussy bags would be ALL MINE.
I use my little bag every single day and would love to add to my Gussy collection!
Heathahlee´s last [type] ..Pin Peeves
Oh my. Yes, we have all been in the embarrassingly awkward moment wishing for the invisibility cloak. Oh, just thinking about it now brings a blush. The book looks great!!
Please don’t enter me in the contest….since I live across the ocean. Just wanted to say hello and congrats to you!!!
Oh gosh! Wonder what it is inside of us that makes us want to PROVE ourselves constantly…fear, pride, human nature….the older I get the more I desperately cling to His grace and REALIZE just how much I need it! Love this story and insight…can’t wait to read Graceful!
Lindsey van Niekerk´s last [type] ..Project 365 :: Days 239-245
I love Gussy sews! But can’t I keep the book for me
Trisha Rush´s last [type] ..When Fear Gives Way
Not wanting to be the “clingy” girlfriend, I did not maintain my long-distance relationship as I now know I should have…if we skipped a phone call here or there while I was away at work (and in a terrible reception area), I smiled and shrugged and said, “Hey, that’s ok, that’s life. I’m fine.” This mask fooled even me, and I was proud of how needless and strong and dependable I was…until I wasn’t. I’m not sure everyone here is going to want to hear this one…but I very very quickly spiraled downhill one night and found myself, Me, Madam Upright, the Light in the Darkness, unfaithful. It is only by the grace of God that that relationship came through the rocks and rapids that followed, and I learned, in what might be the hardest way possible, that I am indeed a human woman and my human relationships Must be fed if I want them to live. Being considered “clingy” (by me or anyone else) is not the worst possible outcome…I’ve learned (and I’m still learning) this humility by fire.
Heidi´s last [type] ..How to Work
Emily,
Thank you for your heart for our teenage girls. I struggled a lot with my faith in high school. I loved Grace for the Good Girl and am so excited to read Graceful with my girls.
While in high school, my mother decided she couldn’t afford for me to take driver’s ed. In addition, a driver’s license was not something she thought I needed, and refused to allow me to learn how to drive. In college however, I could no longer say “my mother won’t let me… and it became… I don’t have a license.” It implied I used to have one, but just didn’t have a current one. I didn’t have to share that I simply didn’t know how to drive. Finally, when I started dating my now husband, he simply made it no big deal and promptly taught me how to drive and took me to get my license. Years of anguish- for naught…
Vicky´s last [type] ..Bowed down by Grace…
I think in MS/HS I was too afraid to try anything to ever branch out or embarass myself. As I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten a little more brave but try and stay safe.
I’m excited to read this book as a parent of 3 kids (2 are teenagers) as well as I help with the middle school youth group.
Indefinitely tried to hide my overall weakness upon entering motherhood. I felt no “motherly natural instincts” as everyone said I would. I wasn’t just full of joy and changed forever. I was so lost and so…sleepy.Finally, talking about it almost a year later, I found that I was not alone. And I felt freedom to just be me and also a mom, not to be. sime ideal of a mom.
Ps love this blog and can’t wait to read the book!
You speak such truth! I am thinking my middle school daughter may not be too young to read Graceful?
I love the old photo and the story!
Oh my…my entire junior high experience was made up of experiences like this. I was so completely uncomfortable in my own skin but I pretended as long as possible…and, let me tell you, I made a mess of friendships because of that. I’m still learning (as a 28 year old adult and mom of three) that the best way to make and keep friends is to let them see the broken pieces of me – because the ones who stick around and love me despite and because of my mess are the best kind of friends.
Stephanie Hanes´s last [type] ..A Letter To My Niece
I am very passionate about girls ministry. Since we moved to a new state, I’ve been praying for God to put even one high school girl in my life here. I loved Grace for the Good Girl and would love to walk through this book with a group of high school good girls. And I love Gussy Sews!
I love your Highschool pic! I’m pretty sure I have a few drill team ones that are just as, um, good.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
I see so much of myself in your post which makes me so thankful that you shared that story! I am in my third year of college and starting this summer I understood for the first time how important it is to be honest with yourself about your weaknesses. I have spent my whole life trying to be the heroine to no avail, and I need to be reminded daily that I do not have to be. Also, I would love to give a copy of Graceful to my younger sister in high school to hopefully get her thinking this way as early as possible
I need to learn these lessons even now. Thank you for two wonderful books!
What a beautiful lesson. Thank you for sharing.
I would love to give the book to a high school girl at church and keep the gussy for myself!
I’ve been wanting a gussy something! And…I’ve been anticipating the new book.
Well, look at Maggie doing a giveaway all the way from California. AND while she’s “homeless”!
I have the perfect girl to send this book to.
Thanks Emily and Maggie!
(of course a Gussy bag would be a huge bonus)
Kristin S´s last [type] ..WIWW #92
I can’t think of one particular time, but knowing full well that it has happened on numerous accounts (who knew I have so many weaknesses?!) I know that not sharing or admitting a weakness makes me worse off.
I am willing to bet that everyone has had one of those “moments” when our ‘I’ve got this, I can do it!” becomes….’Oh my gosh, I am SO embarrassed’. I would love to send your book to my granddaughter. You see, she had one of these moments last year. It started with Hodgkins lymphoma (ok, sweetie you’ve got this, you can do it) and became an ( oh my gosh, people are looking at me – I am so embarrassed)! Recently it’s ‘you got this girl, you beat cancer’ – hair growing back, 14-year old hormones ! But that’s OK because we have had two follow up CTs and blood work with an ALL CLEAR!! There is, for her still, that little nagging embarrassment – not ready to start 8th grade as ‘that girl who had cancer last year’ even though her classmates and her school were awesome. She is an avid reader, something she has gotten better at during her down time. She is enrolled in online school and stays at home. Yes, we have all had our moments. I thank God for His mercy!
Oh my goodness! I can absolutely relate to this experience! I wish I could say I have learned to be transparent and honest about my lack of skills/knowledge/experience when I am in a leadership position but alas, my default is to give in to the clutch in my stomach, try to hide my face draining of color and cover up my mistake fast. The only difference now is a quiet voice through the clamor that says I don’t have to listen to the panicked noise. In that pocket of quiet, I can start to see how unreasonable my personal expectations are and appreciate that task x may be more fun if I got some help or at least advice on it.
Just reading that story made my face turn red. Oh how well I remember the awkwardness. : ) I’m so glad we don’t have to go back to high school. But having a tween daughter who’s heading in that direction makes me feel like I’m going to relive some of it a bit. I’ve noticed that even the smallest glitches, like not getting her band instrument out of the van quickly enough in pick-up line, are potentially catastrophic {in her mind, of course.} : )
Love the pic. Reminds me of the 7th grade track picture I put on my blog once, complete with navy blue Keds. For track!
Scooper´s last [type] ..When You’d Rather Find the Jar of Nutella Than Clean Your House
So excited to read the new book and share it with my younger sister!
I’d love to win. I have a sweet 17 year old I’ve had the privilege of pouring into since she became a teen. This book would be perfect for her!!!
I came in from reading Graceful out on my front step and had to tell you how excited I am to share this with my teenage daughter & her friends. I’ve been in tears and I’m only on page 22. I started reading it for the girl I was back then, but the one I still really am inside, loves it too. Oh how I wish I had read words like this – truth like this – then. Emily – you are a remarkably gifted writer and I thank you for recognizing your gifts and choosing to use them to bless others. I see much freedom coming for many girls because of what you shared.
Mela Kamin´s last [type] ..My Gus is 8
Ohhhhhh, asking for help. Yup, still working on that one. That lesson hit home the hardest when I was recovering from my second c-section in less than a year: a 3 week old boy in my arms and an almost 13 month old girl at my feet. There would have been NO functioning if I’d tried to be the heroine! Would love a copy of this to pass on to one of “my” high school girls when we study this book in the spring!
What a wonderful giveaway! I would love to have that book to give to my high school aged daughter! And then of course I would use the credit in the shop!
I was asked to help with something at church. Turned out it wasn’t exactly a gifting of mean nor was it something I enjoyed but I was asked to help and so I did. Ugh I needed plenty of help and ended up feeling weary and irritated whenever I had to help with it. So thankful I’ve been able to release it without any hard feelings anywhere!
Emily´s last [type] ..5 Minute Friday: Change
My daughter has been homeschooled all of her life, and she started Grade 9 in the school system.
Apart from my own highschool career, I have never felt more vulnerable!
Wow!! I’d love to win something from Gussy!! That picture of you in nineth grade is downright adorable! I so commend your guts and bravery, all the while being afraid of being exposed!! I think I shrunk away in fear from any times I may have risked exposure. Even if failure was the result, I still think the better of you for trying, and you learned something – a huge something, that gave you more compassion for others and smarts for the future. Thanks for sharing; it helps others, including me today!!
Wow!! I’d love to win something from Gussy!! That picture of you in nineth grade is downright adorable! I so commend your guts and bravery, all the while being afraid of being exposed!! I think I shrunk away in fear from any times I may have risked exposure. Even if failure was the result, I still think the better of you for trying, and you learned something – a huge something, that gave you more compassion for others and smarts for the future. Thanks for sharing; it helps others, including me today!! – The “future” I refer to BTW is the wonderful success it has lead to in your life – your 2 wonderful books that will help so many!!
Thanks for your vulnerability, Emily. I am a “recovering” good girl
, being slowly transformed by the grace of God in my life. I’m so thankful for both of your books as I can relate on so many levels. God is so good and faithful.
Sounds like such a wonderful book!
Is that Irmo, SC??
yup.
I love you! Thank you for being vulnerable.
Oh, my… I can relate so well! Several years ago I was asked to read a missionary update, and looking through it, I saw some names of locations that I didn’t recognize… well, instead of asking beforehand for pronunciation, I decided I could probably wing it. Boy, was I wrong! I mutilated the pronunciation, people began laughing, and I was so embarrassed! I learned two lessons that day… 1) ask for help, don’t try to “be the heroine”, as you put it, and 2) a new word for my vocabulary.
I am 19, and learned so much from “Grace for the Good Girl”, now I am looking forward to reading “Graceful”, even though I am not the target audience for the book. I have to say, hands down, that “Grace for the Good Girl” and “One Thousand Gifts” are absolutely the best books I have read in my entire life (outside of the Bible, of course!). Thank you for pouring out your heart, Emily– it has been an amazing blessing to me!
Such a fun giveaway! I just visited Gussy Sews…and fell in love. I’d love to win a copy of your book as well, to save for my little girls when they get a bit older and to lend to someone else for now.
Elizabeth´s last [type] ..I Am Angry
I would absolutely love to win. And, for the record, you look like you were an awesome cheerleader and, being a book nerd, I would’ve thought you were all that and a bag of Sun Chips regardless. Thanks for your willingness to be vulnerable; it is Needed in this world.
Heather´s last [type] ..Confessions, Starting Over, and Why I Sometimes Hate Writing
This will be a wonderful resource for the youth girls in our lives at church. And thanks for the giveaway!
I loved reading Grace for the Good Girl and I would love to read Graceful too!
Ouch:( Those hurts do hang around, as much as we’d like to forget! I hurt for you, and all the fears that come with the teen years. I’m so thankful to be an older girl;) now, and surrounded by girls who laugh with my goofy moves, not at them!
thank you for the generous giveaway, and congratulations on your new book!
Love this. Haven’t thought about this struggle-time of life in a long time. Thanks for sharing pieces of this book! I know God will use it mightily for His Kingdom!
Congratulations on your new book!!
CONFIDENCE CHALLENGED and desperately trying to hide it, that was me during most of my teen years. Until I made the drill team and then there was something I could do well that my peers valued.
Never-the-less, getting “there” and continuing to develop confidence while being “there” remained an ongoing process of self growth.
I have 5 preteen and teenage nieces; FIVE of them! I would LOVE, LOVE to begin gathering 5 copies of “Graceful” for them! (*…*)
Lisa´s last [type] ..Go to the House of the Lord
Great post as usual!
And thanks to Maggie for sponsoring an awesome giveaway!
Bethany´s last [type] ..{Clemson Tiger Nails}
Love the ninth grade photograph.
Excited about reading your book…
I’ve never been good at asking for help. Through little moments in my life, some marked by tragedy, I have been taught humilty and the comfort and peace that asking for help can actually bring. It’s a tough lesson but asking for help has freed me from hiding behind the mask of perfectionism I put over myself. I’m a do-it-yourselfer at heart!
Love the idea of sharing this book with a high school gal I know!
Jennifer´s last [type] ..Helping Kids Cope with Storms
I’m 15 and a sophomore in high school…I would love to win a copy of Graceful! Of course, if I don’t, I’ll definitely be buying a copy this weekend, anyway.
I read Grace for the Good Girl in March and it was absolutely awesome, and I know Graceful is going to be every bit as amazing, if not more! You’re the best, Emily.
What a great giveaway! Love your blog posts and books!
Wow. Thank you so much for sharing this. I am in the middle of reading “Grace for the Good Girl” for the second time. I have been watching your progress with “Graceful” and wondering if I should go ahead and order a copy for my daughter. She’s 6.
But I am already seeing those “good girl” tendencies in her and it scares me. This post really resonated with me because she gets so frustrated doing her homework because she will not ask for help. (Wonder where she gets that from). After your post today I am definitely going to order that book and probably read it a few times myself before sharing it with her in a few years. I find that I still do my best to hide my weaknesses – even from God as silly as that sounds.
I have never heard of Gussy Sews! Super cool!
Would love to have the book for my daughter. Thanks. Cheryl.
Thank you for this, Emily. I would love a copy of the book. I’m so enjoying the grown-up girl version. Such gift you share with your readers by revealing your own vulnerability. Few things more vulnerable than admitting how much you didn’t know and allowing others to see the embarassment you suffered as a result. Somehow, too, you caused me, a former unprepared-to-choreograph cheerleading captain to laugh in recognition. I used to lock my weakness and ugliness away, hoping no one would ever realize how little I thought of myself. What freedom in revealing those places as places in need of Light and Hope, places that allow us to actually connect — one human to another.
Ashley´s last [type] ..To Hope
Just had to say .. Love the pic
Danise Jurado´s last [type] ..Hope for a Full Life – Bible Study Notes
Oh the old high school cheer leading pictures, I’m not sure I’d ever share mine
Thanks for sharing your story though. P.S. The graceful video is so perfect and inspiring.