Don’t Settle for “Beef Jerky”! (My Advice About Boys)
posted on June 13, 2012 at 5:25 am
What is something that almost every teenage girl today has in common? BOYS! And all the drama that comes along with them. What makes us act this way? You know, the constant attention-seeking mode we’re in whenever our “crush” is around?
Well, it started way back when God made Eve for Adam. And since then, we’ve been hooked on the whole guy phenomenon. What I don’t really get is why girls our age are obsessed with “going out” with someone, even if that someone is not the special someone God has planned for them.
It takes a little while for a boy or guy to become a man. Look at it this way: Imagine that you are shopping. You know you are supposed to be paid next week, but you really wanted to go today. You now see two pairs of sandals: One is just okay and the other pair is BEAUTIFUL! But you would have to wait until next week to buy the beautiful pair because you don’t have quite enough today, so instead of waiting, you settle for the cheap, poorly crafted sandals. They quickly fall apart only a few days after you buy them! A waste of money… right? Indeed!
What would have happened if you would have waited? The beautiful, well-made sandals would be yours, and worth the wait! Get what I’m saying? As Chris Wheeler says, “Wait for steak! Don’t settle for beef jerky!” And I think that’s what we’re doing now. Settling. And that’s definitely NOT what we’re supposed to be doing. Because guess what…we’re princesses! Daughters of the most high King!!! And we should settle for nothing less than our princes!
Too many girls are settling for “the beef jerky” in life instead of waiting for “the steak.” Why? For fear that they won’t be viewed as cool unless someone is next to them holding their hand? Sister, Jesus is already doing that! He’ll be next to you far longer than any “beef jerky” will!
But all your friends have boyfriends! Your friends may be settling! Help them to see the difference! I know that different families have different views about dating, but I encourage you and your parents to look into “intentional dating” or “courtship.” Yes, I know it sounds old fashioned, but I assure it will be worth it! Won’t you feel great when you get the beautiful pair of sandals and the steak without wasting any time or “money”?
That’s what I’m going to do. Wait. And I encourage you to do the same! But until your steak comes along, I encourage you to be patient and form many friendships! WAIT FOR STEAK!
Written By Amaris Smith
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I love your article! It is so true.
Amen!!! I totally agree!! That’s exactly what I’m doing!!
i totally agree! that is so hard not to do; settle for beef jerky. but it’s also really difficult to have patience for our perfect “steak.”
thanks for writting this!
‘What is something that almost every teenage girl today has in common? BOYS! ‘
No.. I am a lesbian.
It makes me sad that people think all christian girls are straight.
Please don’t take this the wrong way, but honestly, all Christian girls SHOULD be straight.
The Bible speaks against homosexuality on numerous occasions (don’t have any verses memorized right now, but if you’d like I can find them for you). You may feel like you should be with other girls, but I promise you that that is not the path that God has for you. Sometimes what feels right isn’t always right.
Trust me; I’ve never told anyone this before, but at one point I thought I was a lesbian. I thought I would never find any boys that I could be in a relationship with. I hardly ever called a guy cute, and much more often called a girl pretty (I still do, but I’m not attracted to girls anymore). There was a girl at my church… she’s my best friend, and I would never tell her this, but at one point I thought I had a crush on her. However, I knew it was wrong and I prayed that God would help me stop feeling this way. And he did. I know now that I CANNOT be a lesbian, and I don’t feel attracted to them anymore; even the girl that I thought I had a crush on.
What I just said probably sounds kinda stupid, and I may not understand the true feelings of lesbians, but I can still tell you that homosexuality is not the way to go.
I’ll be praying for you.
<3
I have to disagree. I think that the thing that is MOST important to God is LOVE and He doesn’t care who that love is directed towards.
Thanks for sharing this Shayna! I absolutely agree with you. God makes it very clear in the Bible that homosexuality is a sin like any other. And like with any other sin, certain people are just more likely to be tempted by it than others. For example, certain people are tempted to do drugs than others. For alot of people, drugs are a real struggle, but for me, it never has been.
I think that every single person has one particular sin that they are susceptible to.
And I’m not saying this because I’ve never struggled with something like that before…in fact, I have.
I used to be what you would consider a bisexual. I liked boys, but the problem was that I liked girls too. But the thing was that, I knew that my desires were wrong…it was just that I wasn’t quite sure what to do. It wasn’t until a I told a good friend of mine, and she helped me realize, that this is not the way I was born, this was not something that was okay to do, but this was what Satan was tempting me with. I guess when I realized that…everything just sort of fell together. Sometimes I still felt tempted, but when I was able to recognize what it was, I guess I was able to deal with it.
Leviticus 20:13 – “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Only god is the one to judge.
The bible was passed down through numerous kings. some things could be fake, some people just won’t listen to other sides of arguments.
I like girls, that won’t change. If the bible says it’s wrong, so be it. I am beginning to be embarrassed to be called a christian, the bible portrays a lot of hate, whether people like it or not. Hate is not the way to go. I believe in evolution, I don’t believe in Noah’s ark (physically impossible, science.)
But I do still feel that Jesus is real, and there is a god.
Nobody can decide my religion for me.
I will date girls, I will sin, like every other person.
God is the only one who can judge me. The bible cannot judge me, god can.
He loves me no matter what, I was born this way. If you think it is a choice, I advise you to look up research on homosexuality.
I love the 1 Corinthians verse, because of this: Long story short, I have heard homosexuality not be considered a sin by a Christian because of the whole animal sacrifice thing and how we don’t do that anymore, so therefore it’s OK to be homosexual. But what I thought about that statement is that homosexuality is a sin because: A) God calls us to be fundamentalists, meaning to believe the ENTIRE Bible is true, B) Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, and C) 1 Corinthians is in the NEW TESTAMENT, and to me the NEW testament guarantees in a way that this is a Law.
I am not here to say “be mean to gay people because homosexuality is a sin!” I am here to say that we are called to say “homosexuality is a sin” BUT we also have to treat those who like the same sex with the same respect as we would someone who’s “straight” because Jesus associated himself with all sorts of “sinners”.
That’s why she said almost not all….believe it or not most girls are straight NOT lesbian.
I’m sorry! I did NOT mean to offend you, but I DID say ALMOST every girl. Thanks for taking time to read it and letting me know what you think!
Always,
Amaris
Please rest assured that what I said, I said with love, not judgment.
Very well-written. Totally agree!
I have a question: what if I know a guy that I’ve known for YEARS and we both know we like each other (and if we were allowed to date we definately would be) and I’ve asked him about Jesus and he claims he knows him, but for some reason refuses to go to church with me? “I just don’t want to go to church until I’m older and on my own. It’s just awkward.” It would be very hard for him to have a “finding Jesus” moment when he’s that much older, in my opinion. I for sure want my future partner to be an all-in, live for Christ Christian, so do I just give up on this boy? Take him out of the running as my “Prince”?
A lot of girls think no guy would want to date them if they tell them they’ve never had a boyfriend, but that’s not true. Guys don’t want a girl with tons of baggage. Anytime I tell a guy I’ve never had a boyfriend he’s surprised (in a good way) and usually has more respect for me especially after hearing my reason. Wait and you’ll be way happier than the girls that are always dating/looking for any random boy to go out with.
Yes! this is great I thought I was the only one who was waiting since all of my other friends have had boyfriends except for me. but by reading this, I know that God has someone special planned for me
thanks amaris!
Ooohhh, I LIKE this!!
Wonderful article, Amaris! Most girls, at one time or another, have felt the desire to have a boyfriend NOW (I know I’ve definitely been there!) But you’re right, it is so much better to wait and to pray about all relationships– especially when it comes to possible suitors! The example about the pair of sandals and waiting for the better pair was awesome! Thank you so much for sharing this article, you did a really nice job (:
I totally agree!
It feels really, really good to be held by someone though…And sometimes that’s what i want, so bad..
Then let God hold you! You may not be able to feel Hi, but I promise you, if you trust on Him He will be there!
I loved reading this, thank you. It is so supportive in a time where I’m faced with the same struggle of waiting for my “steak”. Today’s culture is so obsessed with having a special someone…I was at Claire’s the other day with my friend, a store that’s supposed to be more targeted for younger girls, and what did I see? Necklaces and bracelets that read “Taken”, “Single”, and “I <3 My Boyfriend". I know how it feels to want a boyfriend at a time when it seems like everyone does. But I am happy that I haven't wasted my time with anyone who wasn't worth it. This is helpful for reminding me of that. Thanks.
This is a great article!! I’m way too young to date (I’m only fourteen…) but this is great advice for me as I enter high school next year and begin to get older. I’m going to WAIT!! I want the sandals AND the steak!! They both sound awesome.
Thanks for the great article!! 
Just six months ago, I questioned whether I was normal. After all, here I am, 17 and and never had a bf. I knew better than to compromise my standards, though. Because I waited, I have my first date tonight with one of the most respectful young men I’ve ever meant. Great article!
That is so cool and encouraging! You will never regret waiting for the best courtsman! I hope you have a great night!
Thanks so much! And we did have a wonderful time.
I love the beef jerky and steak comparison. XD
Thanks for writing such a wonderful article, Amaris! You are talented!
I agree with what you are saying. But sometimes “beef jerky” can look a lot like “steak.”
In a letter I was once encouraged to “wait patiently and intently for the one strong enough for me.” that is now my plan.
That is great advice! Thanks for taking time to read this!
Always,
Amaris
This is so true, I am almost certain that I found my steak <3 100% Christian, He encourages me in my walk with Christ and we are making Jesus the foundation in our relationship. He really is more than I could of ever hoped to have, and I really want him to be the one. I was listening to a sermon by Chuck Swindoll i believe (or David Jeremiah) idr but it was about Christian Marriage and he said that there is no such thing as a soul mate. that if there was someone out there that could meet every desire of our hearts then God wouldnt allow us to find him because He wants to be the one to meet every desire of our hearts. that ofcourse there is no such thing as perfect marriage, even with a christian marriage but having a successful, loving christian marriage was basically with two believers making the decision to be together and living the word, applying it with each other daily. So basically it has a lot to do with making a smart decision. Think thoroughly about it, pray about it cause as Christians we should be courting/serious dating. we shouldnt conform to the way of the world and the whole boyfriend/girlfriend should be a relationship in preparation for marriage, so it's not something that should be taken lightly. I'm 19 I've dated, been in foolish relationships, etc and though it thought me a lot, I could of done without it. I made the decision to make Jesus my boyfriend until I found the right person. it's all an act of faith. Not settling for anything less than what God has for you and I must say God gave me more than I could of ever hoped for. <3
God has nothing but the best for you. Stay strong my sisters, resist the temptation. waiting is so worth it. i am more than happy and more than encouraged to keep serving my Lord and Savior.
I agree 100 percent!
I’m a vegetarian lol, no real steak for me, but i would love some metaphor steak! I am a teen who has a boyfriend, and think i have found my steak <3. Some might say that is impossible at my age (14), but you dont know me, or my boyfriend. I've known him and been good friends with him since first grade He is the sweetest, kindest boy ever! He supports me, stands up for me, always tells me how beautiful i am and tells me i dont need makeup (which is the main reason i dont wear it that much anymore), he is always there for me, God is still the center of both of our lives even though we are together and he is a strong christian, just like me! I believe he is my steak, my future husband, and that if it's meant to be, you can find him when you are a teenager.
LOVE the terminology in this article!
amen!!