You Are A Masterpiece

This Christian teen curriculum uses God's Word to help young girls establish and maintain a positive self-image and build a purposeful, successful life. "You Are A Masterpiece" will not only increase a girl's self-esteem, self-worth, and self-image, but will also assist her in making better life choices. The author hopes this creates a ripple effect, creating a new culture where young girls can value and love themselves based on godly standards. According to Dr. Meg Meeker, "our daughters might be smart and kind, and they might be great businesswomen and wonderful mothers, but unless they understand their purpose in life and see it as something bigger than themselves, they will not be internally happy." Our daughters will always be restless, unsatisfied, and unfulfilled until they find faith in God. God is the One who made us and has a plan for our lives, and that is the truth of our existence.

"You Are A Masterpiece" is designed to help girls unlearn ungodly, trendy societal standards so they can renew their minds with God's standards. Relearning God's truth will help young women hold themselves accountable to what the Bible says about their value and worth. This curriculum will help girls understand that they don't have to compromise their morals, compare themselves with others, or get their identity from social media experts. They will learn how to be the best version of themselves and embrace that they are unique, beautiful masterpieces. This teen curriculum focuses on providing young girls with a solid Christian foundation to discover who they are according to the Word of God by meditating and applying the scripture references to everyday situations. Along with scripture references, this book discusses self-esteem, self-worth, self-acceptance, self-love, self-respect, self-integrity, making and maintaining friendships, individuality, influence, depression, exercise, attitude, insecurity, responsibility, fear, faith, love, music, prayer, obedience, and peace. "You Are A Masterpiece" will also teach girls how to survive life's overwhelming external and internal factors, such as coping with school and home pressures, hormonal changes, puberty, and social woes. Young girls often don't know where to turn, so they turn to social media, TV, or friends for advice and guidance. During this age, a girl's feelings are validated by someone who loves them. As adults, we need to be very cautious whenever we approach them as they go through growth issues and concerns. Some of the problems and issues that they face will usually affect their relationships with family and friends and interfere with their schoolwork, extra-curricular activities, sleep, and self-image. This curriculum offers girls the opportunity to identify their personal struggles ahead of time and provide them with solutions on how to solve them. It will also open the door for heart-to-heart conversations that will provide a platform to discuss their problems and feelings with a trusted friend or adult. Their testimony will be a witness to others on how the Word of God can transform hearts and minds and renew their thinking. As adults trying to assist girls with daily pressures, we must come from a place of humility, empathy, vulnerability, and transparency. If we do not accept and meet young women in this delicate stage, we will miss an opportunity to influence and make an impact on their lives. Unfortunately, we may even lose them. They will seek attention, love, and acceptance from all the wrong people and places as they try to fit into the world. "Nobody's life is free from adversity and that's okay. You can't protect your children from hardship nor is it your job to keep them from ever feeling pain, disappointments, or struggle" (Dr. Charles Soply). Dr. Soply goes on to say that it is the parent's job to set their children up to be able to respond with strength and resilience. Parents should give their child an opportunity to at least try, even if they might struggle. This curriculum for girls will help equip and empower young girls to recognize their value and self-worth; establish a positive self-image; and create boundaries, standards, principles, and morals according to biblical standards. This curriculum will help girls recognize their God-given talents, gifts, and purpose in life. The author hopes young women will come to see themselves as a unique masterpiece, fearfully and wonderfully made by their Creator who continues to mold and shape them so they can be used for His Kingdom Work. God sees us not where we are, but where we could be. He is shaping us each day to become more like His son, Jesus Christ.

Ms. Ross received a foundation for her love of God's Word from Citizens of Zion Missionary Baptist Church, pastored by Dr. Bobby T. Newman Sr. and Charmaine Newman. She continued growing in the Word of God under the teachings of Pastors Bayless and Janet Conley at Cottonwood Church. Ms. Ross taught third grade at Bethany Christian Academy Elementary and Middle School for five years. Here, she acquired a love for working with students who had learning disabilities. She later worked at Norwalk La-Mirada Unified School District, where she taught middle and high school students in a mild-to-moderate special education setting for eighteen years. For two years, Ms. Ross worked as a Teacher on Special Assignment at the Norwalk La-Mirada Unified School District, where she developed and modified curriculums for special education students. Ms. Ross has attended and completed numerous educational workshops and seminars for personal and educational development.