Insecurity Check

I arrived early for a coffee date. My grande iced soy hazelnut latte was sitting next to me, little drops of condensation sliding down the side of the clear plastic cup. I chose the well worn orange chair in the corner facing the door so I could watch people come and go, it’s a hobby of mine.

A beautiful woman walked toward the coffee shop, tall and lean with a summer glow. Her dress fell perfectly against her slim frame, she was beautiful. Yet…I watched her hesitate as she approached the door and look down at herself; a quick check. That famous self-glance we do to see if anything is bulging or bunched. Even the most (outward) confident women will have times of insecurity. We are human, in case you forgot. We are insecure in our wardrobe choice or hair style, weight or body shape. We each have something, even if we don’t admit it out loud.

Why do we feel so insecure in the body God designed for us? Maybe it’s because of what we have been taught to view as beautiful. Who decided that 99 lb runway models were the image of beauty? Who says that full lips or wide-set almond shaped eyes are the “sexiest”?

The Word of God says in Psalm 139:14, “for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, MARVELOUS are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”

Many times insecurities stem from a moment in time we heard the words, “you’re fat!”, “you sure aren’t very pretty!”, “Wow! You’re so short!” or some other hurtful comment.

When I was younger I had a bad overbite. I don’t remember being self-conscience about it until I heard a family member making fun of my teeth. He called me “Bucky Beaver”. From that moment on, I stopped smiling, at least in public (unless it was absolutely unavoidable). People just thought I was an unhappy child but it was really a way of covering up my insecurity. In my teen years I endured “metal-mouth” to correct my “bucky beaver” status and lived many of my teen years with massive insecurity. I have since forgiven that person for his careless words and returned the power of his words to their place. Remember dear friend, words only have as much power as you give them.

Which words from your past are feeding your insecurities? I want you to stop and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the “human” words that you have been holding on to. The words you heard that now have you holding your head down or obsessing about calories, who spoke them? The words that changed the way you view your physical body; the spiritual temple of the living God, what were they?

It’s time to break the power source of your insecurities! THE WORD says that you were formed by the God of the Universe who loves you unconditionally and declares His work GOOD! When your heart overflows with His love, your outward shell reflects that beauty. If you focus on the physical image before your eyes, you will be deceived.

“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.” Proverbs 31:3

I have worked with many women (and men) in their quest to change their physical size. Teaching them to be the healthiest person they can be is my job, but when I am working with someone whose motives are not health, I know they will not have long-term success. Why? They are motivated by someone’s opinion of them. A spouse, friend, parent, sibling, or co-worker; someone told them they needed to lose weight or “firm-up”. We should pursue health so that we can serve our King without any physical limits, not so we can make someone jealous or have them “eat their own words”. Insecurities come by giving power to human control.

How do you describe yourself?

What is your radically honest view of you?

If you were to write it out, what words would you use? Why?

In the hands of our Creator a beautiful image is being molded. He is shaping us and changing us daily. That is why I use the phrase, “Please be patient while I change!” Our insecurities don't melt away because of one compliment or blog post. It is a daily battle for some, much easier for others. The point is to stay on the right path toward healing. Allow the God of heaven, who is enthralled with your beauty, to speak words of love to you.

“Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider: forget the comment (insert name) made and forget what (insert name) said, the KING, the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE, YOUR CREATOR, is enthralled with your beauty! Bow down to him, lay your insecurities at His feet, for He is your LORD, and HE is ALL THAT MATTERS!”

That is how the Holy Spirit spoke Psalm 45:10-11 to my heart. How is He speaking to your heart? Listen and allow Him to minister to your insecurities.

Healthy Skin

Healthy skin is NOT a mystery that only board certified dermatologist know the secret to. No matter what your blood-type, weight, or heredity you can achieve healthy skin. I’m talking about your complexion, mainly your face, which is your presentation to the world. As a naturopathic doctor, I often see patients with bad complexions. There are a few things I know without gathering any information from them.

1. They are dehydrated at a cellular level

2. Their liver is overloaded with toxins and needs support

3. They probably use chemical infused makeup

4. They have an overabundance of bacteria in their body

So, how about you? Do you suffer from frequent breakouts? Let me give you some quick tips to preventing those pesky breakouts and keep your skin glowing:

· Drink water! Most of us don’t realize that we are marginally dehydrated and our cells are suffering. If our cells are not able to absorb water, they die. We call this cellular dehydration. I use a homeopathic product called Rehydration to counter act this. Our skin sheds over one million dead cells every 40 minutes! The new skin cells depend on our cellular hydration.

· Support your liver! This is vital to healthy skin. Taking an herbal liver support is a good idea if you have a bad complexion. Milk Thistle is a wonderful herb along with Burdock root, Dandelion root and several others. If you can find an herbal combination for the liver even better. The liver is one of the main organs involved in detoxification. It is vital in our ability to process the toxins we come in contact with daily.

· Makeup! My favorite subject. If I wanted a job just for fun I would work in a makeup store. Make sure your makeup is pure. I rarely shop (in fact almost never) for makeup in the local pharmacy or retail store. Buying pure, quality makeup is worth the investment. Your skin is the largest organ of your body and absorbs EVERYTHING you put on it! There are several great makeup companies out there according to the size of your bank account.

Bare Escentuals- moderately priced (find an outlet store near you for great savings!)

Arbonne- pricier but good. However, you need to find a distributor or obtain a membership.

Dr. Haskkuas- EXPENSIVE but SO WONDERFUL! Maybe you could splurge on a few items. You can find it at most Whole Foods store or online.

· Control your bacteria! Did you know that acne is actually caused by the P. acnes bacteria? Guess what that bacteria feeds on? Oil! Oil caused from your chemical laden makeup that clogs your pores and plugs them up with oil making Mrs. P. Acnes to go bananas! Keeping a good handle on your body’s bacteria load will support your complexion and the bacteria responsible for it. I recommend taking a good quality probiotic and if necessary see a homeopath to check and see if you need additional support.

These are the four steps I follow for clear skin. What are your secrets?

*All information given in this post is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose or replace the care of your primary care physician or dermatologist.

A NOTE FROM JANA- I apologize for the layout of this post. Blogger was being "special" today and kept cutting off my words! Hopefully I can get this problem fixed soon!

Emotional Train Wreck

I am a beautiful child of God…..

I am a daughter of the King….

I am…

What is that? Another pimple? Oh brother….*sigh*

……And you walk away.

Have you ever been there? Trying to talk yourself into acceptance and all you end up seeing are the flaws? One day you feel confident emotionally and the next it’s a train wreck. One brush off by that beautiful co-worker or raised eyebrow from your best friend or sister and your brain starts working over time.

Let’s just be very honest, as women our emotions can run haywire…A LOT! We all know that when we ask our husband if that dress, skirt or pair of pants make us look fat, we are really saying, “My self-esteem is REALLY low right now so I need a compliment and DON’T SCREW THIS UP!”

According to one body image expert, 85-90 % of women dislike some part of their appearance. That is an incredible number of women! The study also stated that it wasn’t just weight, but everything from their hair, to their toes. You don’t feel so alone now, do you?

You’ve read the verse and it has probably been quoted to you.

“ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:14

Familiar, isn’t it? Do you believe it?

When was the last time you thanked God for the way your heart beats in perfect rhythm? How about the way your body lets you know when it’s time to empty out your bladder? I know it sounds trivial but when you feel the urge to urinate that means your kidneys have just filtered toxins from your body. *Of course there are some who feel the urge more often than others. In that case, make sure you are supporting healthy bladder function and keeping your pH balanced. Seek medical help if necessary.

Emotions are a massive part of our lives. Too often we allow them to control us. Have you ever fallen prey to an emotional breakdown? Many times I've shed tears at silly TV commercials or found myself weeping over a fictional story. I cry when I worship God and when someone I love cries. Women who can’t cry worry me. I usually find a small, hurting girl behind the dry eyes. We are emotional beings- I think everyone could agree with that. Life was meant to be felt. The joy, sadness, pain, and love were meant to be felt.

I have a quick 2 step process to help me stay on track emotionally. I call it the feel and release process.

Step 1: allow yourself to feel the emotion. Actually feel it. Be present in the moment. Think about why you are feeling that emotion. You're human and it's normal to have these emotions. Are you feeling sad because there is a pimple on your adult face? Are you frustrated with your hair because it doesn’t mold to your will? Are you anxious because the skirt you could zip up last month doesn't seem to slide so smoothly? Or is there a deeper issue? FEEL your emotion.

Step 2: Release the emotion. Don’t allow yourself to hang on to that negative emotion. If you’re starring in the mirror mentally degrading your skin, feel the emotion and then release it.

Studies have shown that our negativity can create tension, pain, and even disease in our body. LET IT GO! If you need to verbally speak it gone, do so. Many times I have found that when a thought or emotion is spoken, it can be changed, developed or annihilated!

I have often been caught talking to my mirrored image! *smile* Many times my self-conversation goes like this:

“Wow! Look at that! I’m 32 years old and I’m breaking out? *sigh* This is SO frustrating! (I pause to feel the emotion of frustration).

"Okay, I’m frustrated but my frustration will only bring stress. I choose to be thankful that my skin still thinks I’m 15! Frustration is not worth my time!”

I smile at my reflection and move away from the mirror.

What emotion are you clinging to?

Our Spiritual Mind

Truth #2- Part 2- My Spiritual Mind

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:5

Have you ever imagined what Eve looked like? I imagine she was the most beautiful woman on earth, partly because she was the ONLY woman on earth, but also because God created her for Adam to love. The Bible doesn’t describe her to us, maybe so we could use our imaginations a little. I think it would be safe to say that she was a dark-haired beauty. Imagine this beautiful woman, who was completely loved and secure in herself, how she let down the guard on her spiritual mind. It was easy for Satan to tempt her spirituality. This perfectly beautiful woman, with no hang-ups about her size, shape or features, she still wanted more. When Satan told her she could become like God (Gen. 3:5) she bit! Literally and figuratively she bit the lie.

Throughout life we come in contact with many different philosophies. Without our spiritual mind engaged we become a jumble of confusion and mixed beliefs. Have you ever been around someone who didn’t have any “real” belief system? They believed in taking a little from this religion and that religion to create the foundation they stand on. When our minds are left unprotected, we are not able to decipher between truth and lie.

“Your beliefs determine your behavior. Your behavior determines who you become.”

When it comes to our physical bodies, many times we believe the lie over truth, simply because we have no idea what is true. Television shows try to implant the idea that to qualify as a “super” model you need to be 5’9” and 115 lb. with a specific hip to shoulder ratio. We are mentally assaulted with messages that true peace can be found if we channel the god within us, or that truth is what we believe it to be, and there are no absolutes. Without the proper armor to guard our minds, we become a jumbled mess of beliefs that mean nothing in the end.

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

We know that God created each of us to His specifications. He designed us to be a specific size, weight, and height. It isn’t something that will always be found on a doctor’s chart or in the manipulation of a personal trainer. The Bible teaches us that we can have the mind of Christ, but we must first know Christ. In the mind of Christ there exists a world of absolute truths. There is no room for relative truth (something that is only true for you and not necessarily anyone else), or comparative truth (truth in comparison to something else). Without our spiritual mind guarded, we might begin to fall into the trap of exalting ourselves or a personal trainer’s philosophy, or a writer’s thoughts above those of Christ.

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” 2 Corinthians 10:5

Guarding our spiritual mind takes discipline to learn what truths God teaches. Several important truths to remember are:

· Jesus is the ONLY way, truth and life (John 14:6).

· I can do all thing THROUGH Christ (Phil. 4:13).

· I am confident that the good work that GOD has begun in me WILL BE perfected (Phil. 1:6).

Maybe it’s time to turn off the television, lay down the self-help book and pick up the Word. Do you view things that make you think less of yourself or your Creator? Don’t let Satan tempt you to bite!

Are you willing to mature your spiritual mind?

What messages do you need to eliminate from your daily life?

“So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” Ephesians 4:14

Honor God - Your Spiritual Temple

Truth #2- Part 1

I must honor God with my spiritual temple

“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name.” Hebrews 13:15

Have you ever felt fat?

Ugly?

Too tall or too short?

Maybe you noticed those dimples a little deeper (not the dimples on your face!) this morning.

It is physiologically impossible to gain 5lb of actual body weight over night. I know this to be true and I have spoken this truth to others many times. However, I could almost convince myself to pull out the tape measure and stand on the scale some mornings to prove that theory wrong. What makes us wake up some mornings and “feel” heavier?

Was it that artesian bread dream during the night? Or the quick stop at the donut shop the day before?

When the morning brings us feelings of an extra five pounds that is the prime time to honor God with our spiritual temple.

Stop, drop and pray!

Stop looking in the mirror at your physical body

Drop to your knees in humility before your Almighty Creator

Pray for your viewpoint to change so that you can submit your spirit to His will. Thank HIM for another day of life, no matter what your body looks like.

Give an offering of praise to Him, and give thanks to His name!

“Bring [your] thanks to God as a sacrifice,” Psalm 50:14

Honoring God with your spiritual temple will require a sacrifice of physical time. Words of affirmation with Scripture memory is one of the most effective ways to keep your spirit in tune with His.

A few of my favorites are:

~ I am chosen by God, holy, and dearly loved- “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” Col. 3:12

~ I am God’s workmanship- “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Eph 2:10

~ I am holy, and I share in God’s heavenly calling- “Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;” Heb. 2:11

Are you honoring God with your Spiritual temple?

What changes are you willing to make?

Copy these out onto index cards and keep them with you. When you are stopped at a red light- read and memorize them. When you are putting your makeup on, quote them out loud to yourself in the mirror.

Honor Him with your spiritual temple! Before we can be willing to make physical changes we must make spiritual changes first. Know and understand that we are created by HIM- Spiritual and Physical bodies alike.

~ Denotes quotes copied from Pricilla Shirer’s devotional CAN WE TALK? LifeWay Press 2008