Hi friends,
I have been thinking a lot about what I should write about next, and I think that I figured it out. Most of you probably know that I identify more with the charismatic, Pentecostal/ Non-denominational faith. I just had a conversation with a friend about how a lot of different denominations focus on the rigidity of the Christian faith, and that can leave many people feeling kind of empty and more to desire.
For instance, they are going to focus on the fact that God is wrathful and just (which He VERY MUCH is), but they neglect to focus on the love of Christ at times. My church past is one that very much focuses on the fact that our God is a loving God and that He wants good things for your life. We acknowledge that yes, we are sinners, and we need to repent in order to be saved, but we also recognize that once we repent we are made new and the old has passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are made new creatures in Him, and it is through Him that we are loved and forgiven and made as white as snow.
My God is a just God, yes, but He is also a loving and merciful and grace-giving God. I am His daughter, and He is my Father in Heaven. There is nothing that I could do or say to change that. He loves me, because I am made in His image, not because of what I have done [or haven't]. He feels my hurt and my pain. He understands it. I am washed clean from all of my inequities as soon as I repent and ask for forgiveness, and He will never ever ever say "no" or "not this time." He is always waiting for me with open arms. If you come near to God, He will come near to you (James 4:8).
I also had a conversation the same night with a different friend about the focus of the different aspects of the Trinity. All there parts of the Trinity are important, but a lot of the time there will be a large focus on the Father and Son aspect, and not so much on the Holy Spirit aspect. I am an advocate of acknowledging the Holy Spirit on personal level. The Holy Spirit is one of the most intimate aspects of the Trinity. That is how we are able to communicate to the Father. It is within us, and if we allow it to, it will guide us. God will guide us. He will use the Holy Spirit to lead us.
One of my favorite things is a really really good, Holy Spirit filled worships time. Hand-raising, Spirit moving, Spirit speaking, prayerfully connected worship. Spontaneously wonderful worship (coming from someone who doesn't like spontaneity). I love when I can feel the Holy Spirit moving in a place.
All in all, I just want you to know that you are forgiven, Your sin is not the "unforgivable" sin. There isn't one. I want you know that you are made new in Christ, and that He loves you more than you could ever know. More than you can even imagine. You were made in His image, and that alone is something that we cannot ever comprehend fully. You look like you for a reason. Your natural bent towards things was instilled in you for a reason.
God desires a personal relationship with you. He wants to give you all that He has planned for your life. He wants you to live in a way that you are continually working towards knowing Him and His word more and more. He wants you to search out His desires for your life. He wants to lead you in the way that you should go.
He loves you and desires relationship with you.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Saturday, February 7, 2015
One size fits all... for socks, maybe.
Hi loves,
America seems to have the idea that women have to fit inside a certain mold to be considered beautiful or desired. The problem with that is that there is really only one mold, and there isn't any room for deviance in that. The next problem with this? That mold can only be filled by the photo-shop program on a computer. But is being Barbie-like even possible?
Women are constantly comparing themselves to what they see in the media, and with other women. When I was younger, I desperately wanted blue eyes because my mom had blue eyes and every one loved them. She always got compliments on how pretty her eyes were (she still does). I wanted to have the same color eyes as her so that I too would get those compliments. I was always thinking about ways to change my eye color, and I was constantly comparing myself to blue eyes. And then my little sister was born, and she gets the blue eyes. I wondered what was wrong with me. Why my green (kind of mixed with grey) eyes were seen as less by myself and society. I kept comparing, and even considered buying colored contacts. It wasn't until I started to embrace my eye color that people started complimenting me. I learned that it wasn't necessarily the color of my moms eyes that got the compliments, but the confidence in them. Now I love my eyes, they show what I am feeling, and they possess a mysteriousness about them being a mix of green and grey;I thrive on the question of, "what color are your eyes exactly?" I realized that my eye color was not less than my mom and sister with blue eyes, but just different. A uniqueness that set me apart. (:
The point is that we are always so busy comparing ourselves with others that we neglect our own uniqueness that sets us apart from others. What makes us fully ourselves and not just like our neighbor.
That question isn't as easy to answer as the previous, is it?
It may not be easy to answer, but it is important to answer. You should feel comfortable in your own skin-- you shouldn't have to feel insecure about how you are sitting and how it makes part of you look.
You are beautiful.
Read that line again, you are beautiful! You may not look like your best friend, or the co-worker that you envy. But, you look like you. And that makes you beautiful beyond compare. You are worth so much more than what you weigh, or what color eyes you have. You are not defined by the number on a scale-- you have fat, you are not fat. You have a fingernail, but you are not a fingernail. You are more than the number on the top of your math test. You are worth so much more than you can imagine. You were created in the image of God and He NEVER makes mistakes. You were made to be and look like only you.
Sending my love for the week!<3
If you know anything about me, you know that I hate winter. So, it is only a natural thing for me to be thinking about how many days there is until I will be at the beach with sand between my toes, the warm salty breeze hitting my skin, and salt water soaking into me (and probably getting sun burnt despite my efforts to stay protected. But at this moment I don't think that I would mind some sunburn). I have 162 days until I am at the beach. (July, please come faster!)
So back to the point here, I am not here to complain about how much I hate winter (if you listen closely in the next 24 hours I will probably say that I am cold at least once). I am here to discuss a much deeper topic: Americanized beauty, what I mean by this is how America determines what is considered attractive, pretty, "hot," beautiful, sexy, etc.
I was looking for a swimsuit cover for the boardwalk while I am at the beach, and what I was finding on Amazon were pieces that we hardly covering up anything, items that we transparent, and 'one size fits all' pieces. Honestly, why even buy a cover-up if it is see through or so tiny that your swimsuit is bigger? And one size fits all? PUH-LEEZE! Nothing can fit a size small and size large woman the same way. Nothing. (Okay, maybe socks...)
When you think of the ideal American woman, what comes to mind?
Blonde? Blue eyes? Size 2? Tall? Big boobs? Big butt? Small waist? Attentive mother, housekeeper, and successful career woman? How about a human Barbie doll?
What is [are] the thing[s] that you would change about your appearance if you were given the choice?I am sure that your list stretches just as long as mine-- my height, my shoe size, bra size, eye color, what my nose looks like, weight, the shape of my toenails, my thighs, my hair... I could keep on going, but I am sure that you want to find out where I am going with this, and I don't want to think about all the things I wish I could change!
America seems to have the idea that women have to fit inside a certain mold to be considered beautiful or desired. The problem with that is that there is really only one mold, and there isn't any room for deviance in that. The next problem with this? That mold can only be filled by the photo-shop program on a computer. But is being Barbie-like even possible?
Now I don't know about you, but I don't want those disproportionate dimensions, not to mention the feet that are always stuck in the heel position.
Women are constantly comparing themselves to what they see in the media, and with other women. When I was younger, I desperately wanted blue eyes because my mom had blue eyes and every one loved them. She always got compliments on how pretty her eyes were (she still does). I wanted to have the same color eyes as her so that I too would get those compliments. I was always thinking about ways to change my eye color, and I was constantly comparing myself to blue eyes. And then my little sister was born, and she gets the blue eyes. I wondered what was wrong with me. Why my green (kind of mixed with grey) eyes were seen as less by myself and society. I kept comparing, and even considered buying colored contacts. It wasn't until I started to embrace my eye color that people started complimenting me. I learned that it wasn't necessarily the color of my moms eyes that got the compliments, but the confidence in them. Now I love my eyes, they show what I am feeling, and they possess a mysteriousness about them being a mix of green and grey;I thrive on the question of, "what color are your eyes exactly?" I realized that my eye color was not less than my mom and sister with blue eyes, but just different. A uniqueness that set me apart. (:
The point is that we are always so busy comparing ourselves with others that we neglect our own uniqueness that sets us apart from others. What makes us fully ourselves and not just like our neighbor.
Now let me ask you another question, what is [are] your favorite part[s] about your appearance?
That question isn't as easy to answer as the previous, is it?
It may not be easy to answer, but it is important to answer. You should feel comfortable in your own skin-- you shouldn't have to feel insecure about how you are sitting and how it makes part of you look.
You are beautiful.
Read that line again, you are beautiful! You may not look like your best friend, or the co-worker that you envy. But, you look like you. And that makes you beautiful beyond compare. You are worth so much more than what you weigh, or what color eyes you have. You are not defined by the number on a scale-- you have fat, you are not fat. You have a fingernail, but you are not a fingernail. You are more than the number on the top of your math test. You are worth so much more than you can imagine. You were created in the image of God and He NEVER makes mistakes. You were made to be and look like only you.
Sending my love for the week!<3
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