Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Insecurities: We all have them, so what do we do with them?

We all have insecurities...that's just part of life! What we do with those insecurities is a different story. The way I see it, there are two ways to handle our insecurities: we can live out of them or we can find freedom from them in Christ.

Living out of Insecurities

Insecurities present themselves in different ways for each of us. If we are insecure about friendships, we spend all our time trying to fit in with the people we want to be accepted by. When we are insecure in our ability to do something, we tend to go above and beyond what's required in an effort to prove ourselves to gain acceptance and approval. When we are insecure about our looks or personal appearances, we try to wear the right make-up, have the right hairstyle, dress like those we want to impress, or workout and diet tirelessly. When we are insecure about our singleness or relationships, we tend to become over eager in trying to make someone interested in us. When we try to arrange our lives to overcompensate for our own insecurities, we neglect God and we exhaust ourselves and those around us.

Freedom in Christ

When we bring our insecurities before God and allow Him to heal those insecurities, we find freedom. In Him, we are greatly loved and accepted. We are beautiful in His sight (Ps 45:11). He has called us His beloved (Song of Solomon). He is the greatest Friend we will ever have (Job 16:20-21). One of the greatest compliments I have received is being told that I'm the same no matter who I'm around and I'm not afraid to say what I think. That is one of the benefits that come when we take our insecurities to God. When we relinquish our insecurities to The Father, we are able to be ourselves without worrying about others around us because we are only concerned about Him and what He says about us. Beth Moore said, "Our callings can be at stake if we are not willing to allow Him to deal with our insecurities." Allowing Him to heal our insecurities frees us up to live the life He has called us to live. I don't know about you, but I don't want my insecurities to hold me back from what He has planned for me.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Valuable Lesson

I have just returned from a little trip to the beach. Since this was my first extended period of time in the sun for the season, I thought it best to be well equipped with sunscreen. I usually use SPF of 10 or less, but decided to bump it up to a 15 for this beach trip. I love the spray sunscreen because it is less of a mess and much easier to get those hard to reach places when there is no one there to rub the suntan lotion on your back! I finally had the perfect beach day, so off I go with my book, iPod, Blackberry, and sunscreen. I wasn't prepared for the massive wind that was present, but I really thought that I had done a good job of getting every part of exposed skin covered with sunscreen.

Not so much! They should put a warning label on those spray sunscreens...Don't use in windy conditions! I didn't realize until I was home and showered that there were different areas on my body that were varied between tan and lobster red! A nice splotchy look going on...oh, so attractive!

I learned a valuable lesson, though...wind and spray sunscreen don't play well together. Let this be a lesson to us all!

The Birds...2009 Edition

While at DisneyWorld this past week I was assaulted by a bird! I had just finished eating at a lovely little restaurant next to It's a Small World and was making my way to Peter Pan's Flight when I felt something cold and wet hit my cheek. I quickly put my finger to my cheek to wipe the wet spot away only to discover that a bird had just pooped on my face! I look up, to see my attacker flying away...as if he had done no harm. I was horrified and disgusted! However, my family thought this was the funniest thing ever! My sister came up with a little poem for the occasion, "Birdie, birdie in the sky...why you poo poo in my eye?!"

I must say that I wasn't really amused, but was completely shocked that this had happened to me! So what do I do? I post it on Facebook of course! My philosophy is: Better to tell on yourself than to allow others to tell on you! My status post sparked a ton of comments and laughter! My friend, Melissa, compared me to Ouisser from Steel Magnolias. Another friend, Lisa, informed me that it was good luck to be pooped on by a bird. Seriously?!?! If being pooped on by a bird is good luck, I sure don't want any bad luck! I must say, however, that I think it does greatly help the complexion.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Desperately seeking a bathing suit

I am desperately seeking the perfect bathing suit. Any woman will understand my situation. There are so many components to finding that perfect bathing suit color, fit, size...the list is endless! I am coming to the realization that no matter what size you are, searching for the perfect bathing suit is sure to deflate any illusions of grandeur that you may have had about your body! I'm so glad that the bathing suit industry finally caught on that we are not all the same size on top and bottom. However, that doesn't solve all the problems! I finally found a suit that I actually loved! I grabbed it off the rack, marched myself to the dressing room, and proceeded to try it on. Looking in the mirror, I felt my body image drop about 3 notches or more! In any ordinary outfit or piece of clothing, I'm content with my body. Put me in a bathing suit and it is a different story! I think this has got to be the case for all women. Seriously, is this some evil plot against women????