Secondly, Junior Miss is the only program of its kind which rewards excellence in a variety of fields. Children and young adults are often rewarded for excellence in one area or another—scholastics, sports, theatre, music, art—but the philosophy of Junior Miss is to look for the most well-rounded young woman in all of those areas. That philosophy greatly appeals to me because it fits with mine & Trey’s parenting philosophy. It is not our goal to attempt to make our children a great dancer, baseball player, violinist, etc., at the exclusion of well-roundedness. Let’s be honest…only a fraction of children will earn a living in any of those areas. Most of them will be normal adults, doing normal jobs, with normal day to day responsibilities. Of course, as a Christian, I pray that we parent our children in a way which instills in them a desire to live out the Great Commission before seeking greatness in any other field.
Thirdly, Junior Miss rewards excellence in these young women with scholarship money. Even if you don’t win the local program, you can win category awards, Spirit of Jr Miss award, etc., which can often pay for books or more. If you do win the local program, you have the opportunity to go to various schools free…and then there are the additional funds which can be won at the state level. Junior Miss doesn’t waste money on crowns, sashes, tiaras, etc.
Lastly, Trey and I are not called to full-time ministerial staff positions. However, we know that God has gifted us in various areas and He expects us to utilize those gifts for His glory. As I debated about whether to get back involved in the Junior Miss program, I remembered that Christ-honoring volunteers are necessary in all areas of secular life. Otherwise, we are all just Christians in our Christian bubble…weird to the world and ineffective for the Kingdom. If I display integrity while running the Lee Co. Junior Miss Program, then Christ is honored as the other volunteers and participants see how a believer conducts herself. Thankfully, the current Board is composed of quite a few Christian women. So we have the opportunity to show Christ throughout the program.
So…why do I choose to be involved with Junior Miss? It’s a matter of being in the world and not of the world. Shining a light in the darkness as opposed to being a bunch of lights gathered together illuminating nothing. My desire is to be different while making a difference, not just to say that I’m different. Just because you play Christian music doesn’t mean you operate your business with integrity. Just because your restaurant has Bible verses on the wall doesn’t mean that you have the best food in town. Just because you have a fish on your car doesn’t mean that you aren’t cheating on your wife. Just because you are a Sunday school teacher doesn’t mean that you aren’t an embarrassment to Christ as you deal with your children’s teachers. I guess you get my point. Trey and I are choosing to walk in the world while keeping our eyes fixed on the cross and staying true to our goal of righteousness in Christ. May God be glorified in all that we do.
Oh, by the way, there will be winners in the Junior Miss Program. And there will be losers. But isn’t that part of life…the life that God has created for us? We aren’t all winners in the world’s eyes. Thanks be to God that He views us in light of Christ’s righteousness…the only glory in which we can ever truly boast. This is another reason why it is important for Godly women to be involved in the local programs…to offer support to these girls as they try and succeed or try and fail, but most importantly, just try.
