Quit Coloring My Hair?

Recently I had a thought, if the Lord asked me to quit coloring my hair, would I do it? Now to those of us in our 20's that may seem like a small thing, but as you age, you start to really appreciate what science has contributed to the world of beauty! And in that moment, I paused and my next thought was "Lord, you wouldn't...." And then my prayer, "Please Lord don't ask me to do that."

And suddenly I saw myself before the Lord's throne, big and majestic; I was so small. The wind was blowing, a mighty rushing wind. I couldn't open my eyes much, the wind was so strong, my hair blowing, and the Lord parts me. Top to bottom. It resembled taking almost all color out of a photo when editing. From top to bottom, he started at my head, the synthetic color of my hair was stripped away back to my natural color. My face, all makeup gone. My jewelry gone. My clothes turned pale. Shoes were gone. And He spoke to my heart, "THIS is who you are. THIS is who I love."



Let's not put our identity in what makeup, hair styles, jewelry, and trendy clothing do for us. There is something extremely valuable underneath all of that, in fact, a masterpiece crafted by the hand of God. We need to be comfortable in our own skin. I made it a point today to wear no make up (see pic.) I just wanted to make sure that I was okay with plain 'ol me!

Anyone looks better with blemishes covered and shiny hair, but don't be afraid of who is under all of that. She is work of art. She is needed and wanted. She is enough just the way she is. And if you ever doubt your value and your worth to the Father, take a look at the cross. Compare yourself NOT to paint brushed magazine models and computerized digital images, compare yourself to God's view of what is valuable. Who was so valuable to the Lord that He would be willing sacrifice His only Son for? YOU.

It's a mental choice. When we are tempted to compare ourselves to others, real or unreal, and then begin to think negatively about ourselves, we begin to lose self-worth--we don't see as much value in ourselves anymore. In that moment, remember the cross; align your thoughts with Him and say, "No, I am worth a whole lot to God, because He chose to give up His Son and that sacrifice was enough."

Let's read Ephesians 2:10, Romans 8:32.

Bless you!
Amy

Marathon 101...Did I say 5 AM?

Sooooo! This morning, 5 AM came so fast. When my alarm went off, I thought, "what? It cannot be 5 AM already. What was I thinking last night? There is absolutely, positively, no way I am getting out of this bed and going exercise. That is ludicrous. Who does that? What motivates people to actually love to run? I don't think I can do this." Where was all my determination and drive?

To my self: Do you really think that you can run a half marathon? Have you given half of a thought as to what that is going to take? Think about your feet, the blisters and the sores? And think about all the time it will take to train.

Reply to self: No I haven't thought about what it will take to get there. I'm afraid if I do, then I won't even start. I do keep thinking of one thing...I think about crossing that finish line. I think about being in the best shape of my life. About living healthy and eating healthy. I think about how it will feel to have accomplished something I thought was impossible, something meant only for the elite. And to believe that with the Lord, I can do this.

Half Marathon 101...You want to do WHAT? #1

It's not logical....it's not practical....it's not sensible....it feels impossible....but something on the inside of me is excited. My friend told me tonight that she is training for a half-marathon. I thought to myself, "I would rather eat dirt than run for hours on end. How long is a half marathon anyway? I can't even climb a flight of stairs without feeling winded. I can't run to the mailbox and back without needing a walk in between." She went on to explain how amazing she feels after running. She said she started out running a mile and then worked up from there. I left school feeling inspired and began to think, what if I could run a half marathon?

So I did what any inspired wife would do and came home to tell my husband. I just sort of threw it out there...he definitely didn't see it coming...he just sort of sat there like a lump of oatmeal that's been out since morning. So, I said it again. And his response consisted of the perfect formulated words, so eloquently pieced together....it was articulated in such a way that when he was done, I knew I would cross the finish line. He said, "THAT IS THE STUPIDEST IDEA I HAVE EVER HEARD."

Perfect. Now that he is in, let's begin!