Week 1 "what is Beauty"

Rules: 
You can not include anything regarding body shape, weight, size ect.. Some where on the page you must include the worlds "You are beautifully and wonderfully made" This is Gods promise to us.. He thinks highly of every single one of us.. and that is something I want you to always remember! 


ok.. What is beauty?  
To be quite honest this is a really hard topic for me to answer... I have always struggled with this idea.. "am I beautiful?" I think a lot of people, especially girls struggle with this concept because of the way the world portrays the word "beauty". With how often it is shoved in our faces we tend to forget the "true" meaning of this word... They way God really intended us to see ourselves.. Here is my thoughts and feelings.. 


"I am beautifully and wonderfully made" 


What makes me beautiful? 


I have a pretty smile
a beautiful heart
loving spirit
silly laugh
pretty brown curly hair
an encouraging personality
I give great hugs (i LOVE hugs)
i love everyone.. 
I want to help everyone I can get my hands on
I am to nice for my own good..
I can play musical instruments
I speak from my heart..


With the help of friends and family this is the list I have come up with... There are more, but this is the shorter version.. All of these are characteristics about myself that makes me a beautiful person.. I actually think that it is kind of sad that it took me all week and assistance from others to find things in myself that makes me a "beautiful person". But that is why I am doing this.. To find out things that I didn't know before.. Looks like its working! :) 


Now lets look at Gods perspective on Beauty... Here are some verses to keep in mind the next time you try to say "your not beautiful".. No matter how you feel about yourself you are beautiful in Gods eyes and that is the only thing that matters!

Psalm 139:14

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

What it means: You are created in the image of God, and God doesn't make junk! Like a snowflake, every person is unique. No two are the same. God sees you as a masterpiece; and when you look in the mirror, He wants you to "know that full well." Try this beauty tip: Every morning when you look in the mirror, say Psalm 139:14 and smile. You might even tape the verse on your mirror as a reminder!

1 Samuel 16:7

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 man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

What it means: The world focuses on what people look like on the outside. God focuses on what people look like on the inside. Do you put more time and effort into being pretty on the outside or the inside? As you get older, you will meet Christian girls who spend more time trying to find the perfect outfit, get the perfect tan, find the perfect lip gloss, and have the perfect body. While there's nothing wrong with wanting to look pretty, we need to make sure it's in balance. God would rather see us work on becoming drop-dead gorgeous on the inside. You know, the kind of girl who talks to Him on a regular basis (prayer) and reads her Bible.

Proverbs 31:3

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

What it means: Beauty fades with age, so if you are more concerned with your outer appearance, you will be unhappy when the wrinkles come and the number on the scale goes up. In fact, did you know that your body may show the beginning signs of aging as early as age twenty? That is why God wants us to "fear" Him. That doesn't mean to be afraid of Him but rather to be in awe of Him and all that He has done. Let me put it to you this way. If you stand two girls next to each other and one is Miss Teen USA whose beauty is limited to physical beauty, and the other young lady is a more average-looking girl who loves the Lord more than anything, she is the more beautiful girl in the eyes of God.

1 Peter 3:3-4

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

What it means: This does not mean it's wrong to braid your hair or wear nice clothes and jewelry. The verse was written to warn women not to follow the customs of some of the Egyptian women who, during that time period, spent hours and hours working on their hair, makeup, and finding the perfect outfit. God would rather see women work on becoming beautiful on the inside — the kind of beauty that lasts forever.

1 Timothy 4:8

Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.

What it means: Exercising and staying in shape is a good thing, but God expects us to stay in shape spiritually by reading our Bibles, praying, and going to church on a regular basis. In other words, there will be plenty of people who put their time and effort into staying in shape but who are out of shape spiritually. If they don't know Jesus Christ, their perfect bodies won't get them through the gates of heaven.

Just a few ideas on how to look at yourself in a different way!! Instead of analyzing yourself every time you look in the mire.. try telling yourself that "you are beautifully and wonderfully made" Remind yourself that you are "Beautiful" in Gods eyes no matter what.. That is the only thing that matters because that is the real truth!

Stay tuned in for next weeks journal entry!:) 

"YOU are Beautiful!!" :-)

Encouragement Journal

What is encouragement?? I have had a really rough time in the last couple of years trying to keep myself encouraged.. Don't get me wrong I mean I know how to encourage people.. just not always myself.. So I decided to start an encouragement journal! ha! that'll show you Mr sad face!! :P

So. . this journal will be filled with lovely messages of joy and happiness so that every time I look at it, Ill be encouraged and remember how beautiful my life really is... despite all of my trials and sad days... Some times I get so consumed with the hard times that I forget that there really are good things going on in my life as well.. Thus the point of my journal..

As you all know.. "WE" are all human and we are all struggling with something... negative thoughts, bad attitudes, self harm, depression, self esteem, loneliness, stress, fear... The list can go on and on.. But my point is, we are all needing encouragement for we are only "human" and NOT perfect! Anyone interested in participating in this with me are more then welcome to jump on in at any time!

Assignment:
Every Monday ill introduce a new topic to journal.. You can do any type of journal..  a photo journal, written journal (on paper or blog) or really whatever else you can think of, will be fine as long as you address the topic that is assigned! This is to help you dig deeper inside and help you find who you are and how you really feel! Not every week will be a hard serious topic but expect to be challenged! If anyone has a topic in mind please feel free to through it out there! I am open for idea!

Today is the start of the second week. Here are the first 2 weeks entry's

Week 1 Journal entry topic (last weeks entry): "what is beauty?"
Week 2 Journal entry topic (this week) "what is your favorite memory growing up?"

My hope for this is the help you grow in yourself and to help you discover how beautiful your life really is.. My hope is that when you are feeling "down in the dumps" so to say.. that you will have something to turn to that will encourage you despite how horrible you feel! Good luck and Have fun!! :D

"You are Beautifully and Wonderfully made!"

At The Foot Of The Cross

At The Foot Of The Cross

By Taylor McDonald

Here I come, standing in your presence

Were victory was won,

By death you rose again

I stand at the foot of the cross.

I come offering nothing

Nothing but my faults and failures

Nothing but insecurities and mindless things

Nothing that could possibly matter.

But each time you take me back

Each time you show me you care

Trading these worthless things

For treasure and gold

A crown that shows that I am yours.

Standing at the foot of the cross

I’m made whole

Though it was my sin that placed you there

You still care.

I give everything back to you

Placing it in your hands

For without you I am nothing.

At the foot of the cross I go

Holding nothing back,

Letting things go!

The Journey

Who knows where life will take you. The road is long, but in the end, the journey is the destination." -Coach Whitey Durham

When you look at this picture how does it make you feel??

• When I look at this picture It makes me feel that although the road may be long, some times empty and un predicting, the reword in the end is worth the hardships and trials. If we would stop looking at our feel or just ahead of us we would always remember that everything we go through in life has a purpose and the reword is greater then the journey there. In this picture look at how beautiful the end of the bridge leads you to. There are lots of people, water and fun! Just because the road your on seems long, doesn't mean that the reword is never coming. Keep looking up and never forget that there is something far more greater for your life then the situations your presently in! You are loved by so many, especially by God and He has a plan for your life! 

Please feel free to comment and let me know what feeling this picture places in your mind. There are no right or wrong answers so feel free to dig deep and really think about how you truly feel. Most importantly don't forget to have fun and be creative! 

Have a great day!:)

Life

Have you ever felt like life appears to hard to handle? Some times I feel that way, but God promises us that He is always there to help us. What we can't do He can! Never loose hope!:)

Are you living in the shadows of the world?

The Daughter of a King

Sitting at my computer pretty much every minute of every day wasting my time on mindless things such as fb or youtube looking up the newest hits of the talented teens and young adults, who are trying to be found. But today my mind takes me to a different place, a different reality in a sense. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately... (no comment!) About God and his many wonders and me as one of his precious creations and what's his purpose for me a his daughter.. The daughter of the king! The daughter of the one who created everything, who told light it could shine. But what does God ask us as his creation to be, or become, how to act, how to live our lives accordingly. This year has been a huge test of my faith and these questions I have brought to the surface of my mind, thoughts I once thought of as a "why wasn't my time with them" kind of thoughts. But none the less there they were brought to my mind many times through out this past year. My faith has grown, my trust in God the father and his will for my life has left me feeling contempt at the moment. I still struggle with understanding what God wants of me... but maybe that is something i'll always struggle with, something we all will struggle with. But every day I am learning what true trust entails and how to give all of mine to God. I am afraid I may never fully understand the whole meaning of it but maybe i'll get closer rather then farther.:)