Truth

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt

I still remember the first moment I put on my wedding dress. I instantly knew it was "the one." I felt like a princess. Isn't the goal of most young girls - to grow up, look like a princess and marry the prince? When I looked in the mirror that day, I felt beautiful. 

The world tells us our self worth is based on what we look like. The covers of magazines, the TV shows, even the commercials on the radio. I love to listen to the FISH but I always cringe as they run several commercials that tell you how quickly you can loose weight and "look great." We, as women, buy this hook, line and sinker. Because how we feel about ourselves is often a reflection of what we see in the mirror.

These two pictures were taken in 2001 and 2012. 11 years apart. 6 sizes difference. Six. When we returned from that trip in 2012, I saw that picture and thought "good grief - when was someone going to tell me how HUGE I am?" And instantly what had been a great trip (minus the stomach virus) turned negative in my mind. 

Psalm 139:14 says "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

There are NO conditions there. No, I am fearfully and wonderfully made IF I weigh this. No IF I am this size. No IF I'm having a good hair day. 

I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God has NO conditions upon his approval of me. 

"True self worth can only be found by examining who we are in Jesus Christ."

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

I would LOVE to be as healthy as I was in that Legoland picture. Poured into what was once my baggy too big jeans. Enjoying treats, not thinking about what I ate or where bathrooms were. I'd love to be as mentally healthy as I was there. No roots of months of health madness exist in that picture. 

BUT, I'm thankful for where I am today. I'm 2 sizes smaller than that first picture. I'm physically walking a path of healing. BUT spiritually - man, God is growing me. He's stretching me. He's teaching me. He's pushing me. 

I no longer desire to IMPRESS anyone with the way I look (which should be obvious by my affinity for pony tails, no make up and drawstring pants). Instead I hope to INFLUENCE others by the life I live. I hope people see Jesus when we talk. I hope people feel His love. I hope when you spend time with my children you see seeds I'm planting. 

Mama Warriors, it's so hot. We're pulling out swim suits and shorts and tank tops and all those clothes that make you think about those numbers on the scale or the size on the tag. I want you to be HEALTHY. I want you to take good care of His temple. BUT I want you to love yourself. When you look in the mirror, I want you to say "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Because it's truth. We have to speak truth, believe truth if we are going to raise children who choose the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit over the loud voice of the world.