Sticks & Stones

Claire Black: This is True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. During this second season, we’re exploring God’s truth for us with our dads or father figures. Just what does the Bible say about boys? Let’s find out one drive at a time. 

Buckle up, you’re about to grow closer to each other and to Jesus. 

True girl, let’s admit it. We are constantly hearing unbiblical ideas, and one of the biggest lies some teenagers believe is this: “My life would be better if I had a boyfriend.” That puts them in a big hurry to chase after relationships they aren’t ready for. And unfortunately, a lot of girls think they need a boyfriend by the time they’re oh like maybe ten or eleven! Crazy right? 

Today, we’ll discover a rock-solid truth from the Bible. It will help us overcome the so-called need for a boyfriend. 

True Girl is hosted by Dannah Gresh. She and her husband Bob wrote a book called 8 Great Dates for Dads and Daughters. At the end of today’s episode, Bob will invite you and your dad to go on one of these dates. To get all the details on how to make the most of that time, get a copy of 8 Great Dates for Dads and Daughters.

Let’s get moving for season 2 episode 4, titled “Sticks and Stones.” Here’s your cohost of True Girl, Staci Rudolph. 

Staci Rudolph: Hey, hey, where do stones sleep?

Dannah Gresh: Umm . . . I don’t know?

Staci: In bedrocks!

Dannah: Okay. 

Staci: Dannah, I’m saying because today’s a rockin’ day. 

Dannah: Oh boy. Here come the puns from Staci. 

Staci: Hey, hey, now don’t take me and my jokes for granite.

Dannah: Did you just say granite? Ha, ha, ha. Staci, seriously, what’s with all the rock jokes today?

Staci: Yeah, you know my jokes don’t just come from nowhere. Let’s get into today’s power verse, and you’ll see where my jokes come from, okay?

Today’s power verse is Psalm chapter 62, verses 5–6. They say, 

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. 

Dannah: Oh, okay I see why you had rocks on your mind.

Staci: Yeah. Today’s power verse written by King David declares that God alone is our rock. I need to remember that. 

Dannah: I think we all do. 

Staci: Dannah, let’s investigate this whole rock situation. When I think of God, I don’t always think of a rock right away. 

Dannah: Yeah, but rocks are strong, not easily breakable. Did you know that houses back when the Bible was written were actually built on a rock? In fact, let’s go on a little detour. 

Staci: Set your GPS for . . . Piazza della Rotonda, Rome Italy. 

Dannah: We’re about to drive right past a building that’s the fascination of philosophers and historians around the world. It’s so much so that it’s become a big deal of a monument in Rome. Now, when we drive by, the first thing you’ll notice is a monumental, monument-al, anyway that was my joke, Staci. 

There’s a huge portico. Today, you might just say “porch” for short. It’s held up by sixteen Corinthian columns. Each of them is thirty-nine feet tall and five feet wide. 

Staci: But hey, slow down, because the turn is coming up “monumentarily.” When we get there, be sure to notice that the top of the building is a dome. You know, one of those big circular ceilings. But it’s not just any dome. Measuring 142 feet high and wide, it’s the largest unreinforced dome of its kind. 

That’s 4,535 tons of concrete. In other words, or numbers I guess, that’s over nine million solid pounds with nothing but engineering magnificence holding it up. 

Dannah: Oh, don’t miss it. Left right here, a right here, and there you go—there she is. The oldest building in the world that is still used today is the Pantheon. It was built over 2,000 years ago. Here’s a cool fact: it was the first Roman temple where many gods were worshipped. Then it became a Christian church, dedicated to the worship of Jesus, and Jesus alone. 

Why is it there? Because it was built on a rock. 

Staci: There’s some power to that pebble. 

Dannah: Sure is. 

Staci: If a rock here on this earth can hold up that long, imagine how long God can hold us up. He’s our foundation to be built upon, to stand on, a rock that is never shaken. 

Oh, you can reprogram your GPS for wherever you were heading. Was it the grocery store? Church? I sure hope it was the beach, honestly. 

Dannah: Okay, but back to the subject of Jesus being our rock. For the record, that can be hard to believe sometimes. Like when you don’t feel very secure about your life.

Staci: Or yourself.

Dannah: Exactly. Here’s the thing, we don’t know why David wrote Psalm 62. We don’t have any clues about what was going on in his life, but we can sort of see that he was choosing to be patient and to have faith. Because before he wrote that “He alone is my rock and fortress where I will not be shaken,” he wrote this, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.” 

You know what I think? I think was reminding himself that God was his foundation. He was waiting quietly for God to unfold his life, even though it was hard. 

Staci: And waiting quietly is not an easy task, but letting God be the rock and foundation for your life is the only thing that lasts. You can wait quietly and patiently for God to unfold your life. You can trust Him. 

Dannah: Or not. Let’s be honest, some girls don’t. Instead of seeing the lasting power of Jesus as their rock, they have a hard time seeing past things that this world values, like: who their friends are, where they live, or the kind of clothes they have. There are a lot of things that can make you forget that Jesus is the only sure foundation for your life. 

But let’s just talk about one of the things that girls get distracted by . . . boys. When Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth and I wrote a book for teenage girls called Lies Young Women Believe, I asked church-going girls ages 13–17 if they felt good about their life. Now, listen to this, 68% of them, that’s the majority, said they would feel better about their life if they had a boyfriend. 

Those girls were believing the lie that they needed a boyfriend to be happy, and that is a dangerous lie to believe.

Staci: Yes, because it can make you forget that Jesus is your rock. And that’s something that we don’t ever want you to forget. Listen, boys are interesting, and there is nothing wrong with noticing them. But when you start to believe that you need a boyfriend, that’s the beginning of forgetting who really can make your life better . . . Jesus. 

Dannah: Yup. Jesus really does make your life better. Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew 7:24–27, 

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 

Isn’t that a good reminder? And it’s a good reminder to read our Bibles and know what Jesus teaches, because that is the foundation for a good life. He is our rock.

Staci: Yeah, but if you keep reading, Jesus said that if you don’t listen to His teaching, it’s like building your house on sand. In your life, you’re going to come in contact with people who try and tell you that you’re only good enough if you have the right stuff, or hang out with the right people, or go to the right places, or have a boyfriend. The list just goes on and on. And those people are inviting you to build on sand, my friend. You do not want to build your life on that. 

Okay, one last thing as we invite Bob in to share our father/daughter challenge for this week, you know we promise to always shoot straight with you. Building your life on Jesus is not easy. Sometimes you can feel really left out. 

Bob Gresh: Hey, can I speak to that Staci?

Staci: Have at it.

Bob: Did you ever hear this growing up? “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” 

Dannah: Yeah, I’ve heard that one. 

Bob: Well, the reality is that sticks and stones can break our bones, but words can also hurt. They do hurt, and they often hurt worse than sticks and stones. 

When people say things that make us feel left out or not enough, those words can feel really really bad. 

Dannah: Yeah. That’s right. I’ve known that, and we live in a broken world filled with broken people, and not everyone is going to affirm your decision to build your life on the rock of Jesus Christ. 

Bob: You know, as I’m hearing this, as a dad I want to know if my daughters were told something or something was said to them or my wife that would really hurt them, or create a lie in them that they would be listening to rather than the foundation of Jesus. 

So, today my invitation to you, true girl, is to really really talk to your dad. Tell him what’s in your heart, and this is not easy. This is like real close-up stuff that may not be comfortable. You might not want to tell your dad some things, but he can help.

Dannah: What kind of things would she tell her dad? Like maybe if somebody’s made fun of her for making a decision to follow Jesus, or take a stand for truth?

Bob: You know, it doesn’t have to be just that. It can be something personal about the way you look or act or feel—something that you’ve said or something about the way you look or dress. 

Dannah: Yeah. 

Bob: It could be anything like that, too.

Dannah: Something that really hurts.

Bob: Yes.

Dannah: Another thing you might want to talk to your dad about is if somebody’s inviting you to do something secretive to build your life on sinking sand—on fashion or beauty or boys or friendship. None of those things are bad in and of themselves, but they can’t be the foundation, Jesus has to be the foundation. 

When anything is happening in our lives that draws us away from that, we need to tell our mom or our dad.

Bob: Yeah. So, today my invitation to you, true girl, is to really, really talk to your dad. Tell him what’s in your heart. Take time to do this. Here’s your daddy/daughter challenge, get on your hiking gear, because you are going for a walk or a hike. 

Dannah: So, what’s supposed to happen on this hike?

Bob: Now, this isn’t your average stroll through the neighborhood. This is a treasure hunt for rocks. Before you leave, go get a bag to collect your rocks to put in your backpack, and pack a picnic. That’s always a good thing. 

Staci: There’s never a bad time for picnic food. 

Bob: Could not agree more. As you’re walking, you’re going to find some rocks to help you remember that Jesus is what, Staci?

Staci: The rock you need to build your life on. 

Bob: And hey, before I let you go, Staci, your humor is a true rival to dad jokes. You’re not even a dad. 

Mind if I tell one?

Staci: Go for it.

Dannah: Yup. 

Bob: What do you call a rock that never goes to school?

Staci: Tell me.

Bob: A skipping stone.

Dannah: Hey guys, listen to this one: what happens when you keep reading geology jokes in your free time? You know that you’ve really hit rock bottom.

Claire: Get your hiking boots on and pack that picnic basket to really reinforce what you’ve heard today. Bob and Dannah Gresh invited dads and daughters to take a hike and find some rocks. Most importantly, they gave us the assignment to talk about the Rock that we can build our life upon. 

To make this really in-depth dad/daughter connection, get a copy of the book, 8 Great Dates for Dads and Daughters by Bob and Dannah Gresh. You’ll find detailed instructions to select seven different kinds of rocks. Each rock has a Bible verse to remember some important thing about building your life upon Jesus Christ. 

You can get a copy of the book 8 Great Dates for Dads and Daughters by visiting MyTrueGirl.com. You will also find lots of tools to help you grow closer to your mom and most importantly Jesus. 

Next time, we’re going to talk about treasure and treasure hunts. 

True Girl is produced in partnership with Revive Our Hearts calling women of all ages to build their lives upon the Rock of Jesus Christ.

All Scripture is taken from the NLT. 

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