This blog comes from deep within my heart. Not for the purpose of shaming anyone or to put them down. I just want to address this because it's the "new" tone being pushed amongst today's women. It's what we are teaching our daughters & what we ourselves are participating in on a daily basis most times without second thought of how destructive a cycle it may be. At some point in the your life, if you are like me, you have thought something negative about yourself. Maybe it's thoughts about your self image, abilities, or worth. Perhaps the thought you could be sexier, have better clothes, or the newest goodies from Sephora. Frankly, I have a wish list that keeps growing because I don't have the time nor the finances to purchase my wants without going into major debt.(We have 4 boys to raise!) The truth is I'm a wife, a mother, a full time nurse, and heavily involved in women's ministry. I think too much about what I look like, dress like, and often times measure myself up to the fit chick standing next to me in the grocery isle(being fit isn't bad, me measuring myself up to her then feeling like a failure is). I let my mind drift & wonder to places God never intended for it to go. The bible is clear about what God says about us being "fearfully & wonderfully made" it also goes on to say that our soul knows it full well. So what I want to remind us all is that we are enough & deep within us lay our God-given DNA that marks us as His creation. God sets the standard & I for one want to rise up to meet His not the thousand around me commanding my attention. We set ourselves up for failure & feelings of inadequacy every time we try to conform to becoming copies of the women in magazines or the beauties in Hollywood. Because guess what? No one can meet them all completely without losing a part of who they really are. Be strong. Be You. Be smart. Be wise. But please do it for His glory. Don't be apart for one more second of the self-destructive decisions being pushed by money hungry companies who will exploit innocent women in the name of "beauty".
When we live in a constant state of want, it forces our minds away from what really matters. When I focus solely on how I look or what I want I am looking at myself and that my friends is selfish. I'm guilty. Guilty of wanting then sabotaging myself with thoughts of failure. That seems to be the exact opposite of what the Bible teaches us. We are up to our eyeballs in self absorption. An amazing truth at the end of the day is that your worth does NOT come from a set of six pack abs, a Louis Vuitton purse, or a beamer in your driveway. You are more than the shallow things this world has manipulatively disguised as desirable. I'm sick to death of "wanting". I want to be so busy giving to others that I have no time to want. I'm not saying getting new things, working out, or shopping is all together bad but when it is the drive & focus of the majority of our lives, it begins to serve as a distraction. Beauty is fleeting ladies. We have limited years that what we look like is valuable according to the world's standards. You want to know what I desire? I long for God to know me by name. I cling to promises like this one in 1 Corinthians 8:3 and I long to lead women in this pursuit first & foremost before anything else in their lives.
I want it to be clear what it means to be His. To be known by God. We must be willing to put priorities in our life. It's vital to keep God first. To follow Him in our journey as a wife, a mother, a friend, and a employee. To be keenly aware of how we present ourselves to the lost & dying world. To be held accountable for the way we dress, behave, and speak.
"But flee from these things, you (wo)man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness."~1 Timothy 6:11
You may feel that this is overboard but I'm here to prove to you it's the sure path to a life of peace & soaring high above our circumstances. We aren't perfect but that's no excuse to not follow what He's given us in the scriptures as a pathway for life. Do you know how much He loves you? How much He longs to be intimately acquainted with you & to fulfill all of your needs. The hole that remains in your life will be open until it is filled with Him. I can promise you there is no real, lasting satisfaction apart from Him. He desperately wants to show you how wonderful He truly is. I believe ultimately He wants His daughters back. He wants to claim you back from the adulteress world that serves to only make you more unhappy & miserable. There isn't an amount of attention from men from your sexiness, or beauty that could give you value & love the way God can. He is the author of love. He created you. He knows what makes you tick & what will fill you to overflow. He knows things about you that you don't even know about yourself yet! Come back to your first Love. To the One who longs to spend a little time with you & has nothing but your best in mind. It's a narrow road, few will follow. But it leads to life...a decision you won't soon regret!
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