Loving Myself

I have been going through a journey of self-discovery recently which was started as I was working my way through the book "The Love Dare" (which is really great by the way). While working through that book I realized that I was still struggling with insecurities and fears that I've carried with me since childhood and I decided I'd had enough! With the encouragement of some wonderful sisters in Christ I reached out for help, and am walking through this journey with the help of another wonderful sister and my awesome husband. The journey has not been an easy one, but I know it is something that i need to do right now...God has shown me finally that IT'S TIME!

Without divulging all of my inner secrets (which I hesitate to do on the world wide web), I did want to share one of the beautiful truths that God has been trying to work into my life...that I am beautiful and treasured by Him and that He is PLEASED with me. Growing up in the Christian church there are so many paradoxes that we need to grapple with and one of the most difficult for me is the fact that, although I screw up royally and am desperately in need of a Saviour, that I am also wholly and completely adored by Him...exactly the way that I am. There is a danger in overlooking my need for a Saviour, but it should never be at odds with the truth that I need to believe that He loves me and He IS pleased!


God has blessed me with so many incredible things in my life: wonderful parents and siblings who care about me and I love dearly; three incredibly wonderful children who challenge me and can bring out my very best and my very worst, and an incredible husband who is completely devoted to me. After some of the hurts that I've experienced in my life I've tended to find it difficult to feel secure in my relationships and have always carried a sense of insecurity and fear that I will be abandoned. God is slowly teaching me (because I'm an extremely slow learner) that I don't need to carry this fear because He has always been and will always be right there beside me and that no other earthly relationship (no matter how wonderful) can ever satisfy me the way that only He can...so what do I ever have to fear??? Not a thing!

God is so sweet. He is the perfect Father, the most faithful Friend and the Lover of my soul... what an incomprehensible truth!! That the Creator of the universe that we all live in cares about having a personal relationship with me! This truth makes me feel as beautiful as I felt in these pictures that my friend Darlene took :) I can know without a trace of doubt that when He looks at me, He sees only beauty...not what the world (and I...my most difficult critic) see...the 30 something year old woman who struggles with bad hair days and acne AND wrinkles ;) When He looks at me He chooses to look at me as His perfect child, forgiven by the sacrifice He, Himself made for me. How could there ever be a more wonderful Christmas gift than the God of the universe choosing to come to this beautiful yet corrupt earth as a baby born in a barn!


He loves YOU with that very same love!

Mel