clothed in strength and dignity

as i look through the next 5 chapters from beth moore's book, "so long, insecurity", i find many highlighted passages. beth moore did an excellent job describing how women and men battle insecurity and she offered Biblical solutions to those issues. what a blessing to be reminded i'm not the only one who struggles! here are some of the passages that were significant to me.

- The One who created us in His own image and then bragged about His own handiwork extends such an ethic to us, but we have to be willing to redirect our preoccupations.

- We need to recognize when we're overloading ourselves on media hype and back off when we sense it tripping our insecurity switch. Let's learn how to put something down or turn something off when it's just too much or makes a lie too believable. We need to make sure we're deliberately exposing ourselves to materials that edify the human soul rather than erode it.

- We live our lives screaming, "somebody notice me!" And do you want to hear something interesting? That's exactly how God made us. That very need is built into our human hard drive to send us on a search for our Creator, who can assign us more significance than we can handle. He not only notices us, He never takes His eyes off us.

- In the radiance of His greatness, we are made great.

- Humility is a crucial component in true security.

- God thinks we are beautiful no matter what. He is enthralled with our beauty.

- Insecurity makes us settle. Insecurity makes us distracted. Insecurity robs our confidence in our rich inheritance from God. Insecurity makes us put our gifts on a shelf to gather demonic dust. Insecurity disturbs our sleep. Insecurity derails our life.

- We are not nearly as likely to react with the same level of insecurity when we remember how well covered we are by God.

- No matter how foolish insecurity has tried to make us feel, we have the right to dignity because God Himself gave it to us. If we really believed this truth, we wouldn't have to mask our insecurity with pride. If we knew who we were and what God has conferred upon us, what everybody else thought of us would grow less and less significant.

i hope those that read this find encouragement in knowing you're not alone in feelings of insecurity and that there is a way to be free from those feelings. in Christ alone do i find my significance and i hope you do too.

we are clothed in strength and dignity!

selah

one step at a time

i shared earlier that i finished reading beth moore's new book, "so long, insecurity". i think i have half of the book underlined because there is so much truth that hits home. i would be the first to admit my insecurities and trust me, there are many. thankfully by reading this book, i've been able to get a grasp on the things that have robbed me of my security and realize i am clothed in strength and dignity through Christ.

i would like to share some of the underlined passages from the first five chapters.

- Insecurity's best cover is perfectionism.

- The insecure person also harbors unrealistic expectations about love and relationships. These expectations, for themselves and for others, are often unconscious. The insecure person creates a situation in which being disappointed and hurt in relationships in almost inevitable. Ironically, although insecure people are easily and frequently hurt, they are usually unaware of how they are unwitting accomplices in creating their own misery.

- When we allow God's truth to eclipse every false positive and let out eyes spring open to the treasure we have, there in His glorious reflection we'll also see the treasure we are.

- We're not jealous of people in whom we see nothing admirable. In fact, it is the fear that they have something we don't that makes us most insecure.

- Let Him (God) tell you you're worth wanting, loving, even liking, pursuing, fighting for, and yes, beloved, keeping. Whatever you do, don't reject the only One wholly incapable of rejecting you.

- God can bring freedom and vision to your life because of those limitations that you would never have discovered without them. You can let your limitations make you either insecure or unstoppable.

- He (God) knows it's scary to be us.

WOW! that is one of the only expressions i could use when i read this book. next to some of the underlined passages i have notes. a lot of wow's, amen's and true's. we all can relate to this topic but through Christ we can have our security restored and the awesome thing is no one and nothing can take that from us!

selah

18 years. is that possible?

for a lot of people, today is just another day. another saturday to spend time with family, run errands, do laundry, lay around the house, or do yardwork. today, for me, is a day where i stop and remember a dear friend.

sheryl, unique, funny, witty, creative, loving, kind, beautiful, respectful, gracious...sheryl, a friend of the dearest kind, a faithful friend. she genuinely cared about others and her heart showed it.

when someone dies, people have a tendancy to say that they "lost" a loved one. sheryl is not lost. i know exactly where she is. she may be gone from this earth but she is now in heaven with her Creator. because of that hope, i look forward to the day where i will be reunited with sheryl once again.

until that day, i will continue to miss sheryl, think of her, love her, wonder what life would be like with her here, and i will continue to stop and remember every may 8th.

Don't be mad if I cry
It just hurts so bad, sometimes
'Cause everyday it's sinking in
And I have to say goodbye all over again

You know I bet it feels good
To have the weight of this world off your shoulders now
I'm dreaming of the day when I'm finally there with you

Save a place for me, save a place for me
I'll be there soon, I'll be there soon
Save a place for me, save some grace for me
I'll be there soon, I'll be there soon

I have asked the questions why
But I guess the answer is for another time
So instead I pray, with every tear
And be thankful for the time I had you here

I wanna live my life just like you did
Make the most of my time just like you did
And I want to make my home up in the sky just like you did
Oh, but until I get there...
Until I get there...

Save a place for me, save a place for me
I'll be there soon, I'll be there soon
Save a place for me, save some grace for me
I'll be there soon, I'll be there soon

-Matthew West, singer/songwriter, "Save A Place For Me"

how did my mom do it?

well it finally happened. my first experience being a mom and being sick. earlier in the week i encountered my little man being sick for the first time and that was rough but at least i was healthy! today i sit in my pajamas as my baby boy sleeps, wishing i could actually fall asleep and rest but for some reason i can't. go figure...so i sit here wondering how did my mom do it?

my mom had four children and i never can really recall her being sick and not being able to function. she always found a way to do what she needed to do for us and was able to exhibit grace even when under the weather.

the other memory that came to my mind was what it was like to be a sick little girl and having my mom care for me. i must say my mom was the best at care-taking. being sick at home usually meant some time spent on the couch in the family room. mom would make me a menu for my meals and i would check mark the items that sounded good to eat. of course since i was sick, usually the menu consisted of a scrambled egg and toast. if i didn't feel too sick, sometimes i even got butter on the toast! but this was such a special way for my mom to care for me when i was feeling poorly. not like i ever tried to fake being sick *wink wink* but those times spent at home have been treasured in my heart. i hope i can be the same kind of caring, devoted, gracious, loving, self-sacrificing mom as my wonderful mother was to me.

uh oh, little man is awake. time for this mother to muster all the strength she can get despite the illness plaguing her body.

happy mother's day! thank you, mom!

wave bye-bye to insecurity, my friends!

i just wrapped up reading beth moore's newest book, "so long, insecurity you've been a bad friend to us". what a great book!

i had never read anything by beth moore before but i read an excerpt in a magazine several months ago that her book was about to be released. since the topic hit a chord with me, i just knew i needed to get this book.

i've always struggled with insecurity...do i look ok? what about my weight? will i ever get married? does he really love me? does this new outfit make me look thinner? will i ever be secure? each of us struggles with finding our true security. and i learned that our insecurities stem from our fears.

beth moore took an honest look at her own life and delves into a touchy subject for some. for me, it's a subject i have always needed to conquer and after reading this book, i'm at least on the right track.

the truth is we will never find security in things we own, or have...we will never find security in our friends, family or our mate...we will never find security in our jobs or the amount of money we have or don't have. the only way for us to be secure is through Jesus Christ!

Jesus has promised to never leave us or forsake us...people on this earth come and go, marriages fail, friends de-friend but Jesus will never fail us. Jesus has promised to provide our every need...we may lose our job, fall on tough economic times and wonder how the bills will be paid, but Jesus provides.

we may think, "oh if i just had more money things would be better" or "if i was married i would be happier" or "if i lost 10 pounds i would feel more confident". all of those things are based on feelings and our feelings change through the circumstances we are in; however, we can have a constant...we can have security regardless or the circumstance through Christ. of course it might make things better if you had more money, but that doesn't bring security. it might make you feel better for a time if you lost 10 pounds, but the insecurity would rear it's ugly head in another area. we need to stop placing our trust/security in the things of this earth and the things that we "think" will bring security/happiness.

this book had so much to say that i'm going to take a couple of days to share some of the gems i found inside it. this post is just my heartfelt reaction after finishing the book. i hope you come back to read some of beth's thoughts from her personal journey.

selah

funnies

to quote uncle albert from mary poppins, "I love to laugh,(ha ha ha ha) loud and long and clear...the more I laugh, (ha ha ha ha) the more I fill with glee, and the more the glee, (hee hee hee hee) the more I'm a merrier me!"

sometimes it's good to take a break and laugh. these past few days i've been watching a lot of funny clips from youtube. here are a few i found funny. some are separate postings but make sure to check them out!


for some reason i can't get the links to work, so check out these websites when you can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaruNs_7okY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvVz-YtEpr8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb6EbzT_leI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOMqqI-kzHY

the power of prayer to change your marriage

so i've been reading a lot. i mean, a lot! i've never been a huge reader but lately i've had the time and the drive to read. a book i just finished was called "the power of prayer to change your marriage" by stormie omartian. i had heard of her "power of a praying..." series but never read any of them. this book just jumped out to me.

it was an excellent book and i think i have over half of it underlined! each chapter covered an different area that marriages can face. the topics included:

Communication
Anger, Rudeness, Abuse
Forgiveness
Depression/Negative Emotions
Children
Finances
Additions/Destructive Behaviors
Outside Influences
Hardness of Heart
Priorities
Divorce
Infidelity
Leaving Home
Needing a Miracle

each chapter was filled with incredible truth and jam packed with scripture to back up those truths. regardless of your marital status, it is a powerful book that can change your relationship...and the Lord knows, we all need to change!

here are some of the nuggets of wisdom i gleaned.

-it is not only about praying through struggles to find healing, restoration, and change. it is also about praying to prevent these struggles from ever developing into anything serious in the first place.

-getting married is just the very beginning of your relationship. being married frees you to feel secure enough to let your true self show-for better or for worse-so you can see where you need God's healing and transformation. staying married depends on you both being able to communicate with one another.

-forgiveness doesn't make the other person right; it makes you free.

-God has given you a way out of them (situations) through the power of prayer, praise, His Word, His presence, and His love. bask in all that until you are free. and don't lose hope. be confident of this, that "He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil 1:6) God won't give up on you, so don't give up on yourself or your spouse.

-any secret life of lust grieves the Holy Spirit. it makes a mockery out of a Savior who laid down His life so that we can escape sin and its consequences. it's as if He set you free in vain because you don't want what He died to give you. it offends God when His children choose to open up to that which separates them from Him.

-when you keep your marriage vows, God stands behind your marriage. that's why your prayers for the preservation and strengthening of your relationship have such power. they are already God's will before you even speak them. praying puts God's will into action. it means God's power will stand against any enemy you face-whether the enemy comes from the outside or it is actually one or both of you.

-because God is a God of miracles, He can bring back what has been lost or resurrect what has died. the greatest thing you can do while waiting for your miracle is to let the joy of the Lord rise in your heart.

WOW! some powerful statements there. it's a challenging book! definitely a read for those who are looking for God's best in their relationship.

selah