Flawed and Beautiful.

Insecurity is something that runs so rampant in our day and age. Us women are bombarded with images of the "perfect woman" and encouraged to strive to be just like her. You know what I'm talking about, sister. She is tall, skinny, large busted but not too big, perfect skin, perfect teeth, no wrinkles or blemishes, she is flawless. But, is there such thing as flawless, having an airbrushed look? Absolutely not.

If God wanted all of us to look like the image we are held to, wouldn't He have made us all the same? But He didn't. God loves unique things, hence, why He created each one of us different from each other. Some of us are tall, some are short, some average. Some have brown hair, some blonde, some red. Some have blue eyes, some green, some brown. Some of us have bigger bones than the other. We have different skin types and tones. We are all different. But, is that bad? I believe it is a good thing.

Beauty is defined as "Excellent in its kind." Did that hit you like it hit me? When you realize that you are beautiful exactly as you are, you know that you are excellent, wonderful.

Psalm 139:14 says, "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." You, lovely sister, are the sum of fear and wonder. Creation stands in awe of your beauty. You are the crown of creation. You reflect what is beautiful. You, being made in the very image of God, cannot deny that you are beautiful as He is beauty.

You can hear it from the people around you on a regular basis, but when someone says, "You are beautiful", can you not only accept their compliment but also really believe it? If you can't, sister, you must begin to see yourself through the eyes of the One who made you. He sees you as His precious, beautiful daughter. He sees you as perfect. He shaped you and created every detail of your body, personality and heart exactly as you are for a reason. He knows what He is doing.

In the creation story, whenever God finished creating something, the Bible says that He would look at what He had made and saw that it was good. Sister, when He created you just exactly how He wanted, He looked at you and He saw that you were and are very good. What He has made is good, it is great, it is lovely. You are good.

Lovely one, I challenge you to go stand in front of a mirror and look at the good that God has made. Say to yourself, "I am beautiful." Say it until finally you believe it in your heart. Let God whisper in your ear, "You are beautiful, my beloved." Don't let your worth be defined by the world, by words that have been spoken, by thoughts you have had. Rather, let your worth be defined in the fact that God has called you good. Learn that beauty is found in imperfection, it proves you're real and not some made up image created by media.

You are altogether lovely, sisters.

All about Jesus. There is nothing else.

Amiga del Alma :)

I want to introduce you to one of the most incredible people I know, Aly. She is my best friend, but she has grown to be so much more than that, she is my sister. Like we say in spanish, she is my 'amiga del alma'.

I met Aly about 3 and a half years ago, and she has had such an impact on my life. Over the years I have learned from her what it means to walk in constant communion, intimacy and love with Jesus. I have learned to hear the voice of God and turn to Him for all of my questions, needs and desires. She is a warrior, I cannot tell you how many times her prayers have gotten me through the dry and harsh seasons of life. God has connected our hearts and made us close as sisters. She is someone who you can always count on, faithful. She lives a life of purity, love, and strives for a life defined by holiness. She is the definition of beauty, and the beauty of God radiated from her smile, her life and all that she does and is. She is an extension of the love of God to everyone around her. Each time I see her, I am seeing Jesus inside of her. She is fun, and one of those people you just enjoy being around. I can sit with her in complete silence and nothing needs to be said. She is strong. She faces life with vigor, passion, and valor. Even in her low points, brokenness, and pain, she stays strong because she depends on God to give her strength.

Aly was and is an answer to my prayers. A month or so before I met Aly, I asked God to send me a friend who could be my sister. A month later I met Aly, and was so drawn to her spirit and the life inside of her. I just had to know her, so I asked if she would let me be in her small group. :) we spent countless hours talking and learning about God, praying for each other, studying the Word, and doing life together. She went from being my accountability leader, to my friend, and now my sister. I thank God for allowing me to be a part of her life, it is such a blessing.

Aly, I pray that your life be filled to overflowing with the love and blessings of our King. That your heart would be protected within His. That as you walk out this journey of life, you would encounter God more deeply and sweetly each day. That you would always keep the light you have and never let go of the hope you have found in Christ. That in your marriage, and when you become a mother that God would continue to use you to give life to this world and you would be covered with His blessing. Sisters forever, even when were on opposite sides of the world.

You are a diamond. I love you so much.

Innocence

I stumbled upon this tree filled with balloons with lovely messages written on them in a park in Birmingham. :) I quite loved it and took a few minutes to capture the simple beauty. My niece took a moment to wonder at what she was seeing, and I got a great picture showing the wonder of childhood awe and innocence. Thought I would share part of this experience with you:

Sisters. Forever.

This is my sister, Mel. Not only is she my sister, she is one of my best friends. There are really no words to express how very much I love this beautiful woman. Even though there is the greatest age difference between us (about 16 years), I consider her to be the closest to me.

Allow me to tell you why she is so wonderful. Melanie is selfless. She cares more about other people than she does herself. She sacrifices her own comfort and desires to serve others. She is an incredible mother to five beautiful and extraordinary kids, and a faithful and pure wife to her husband. She is beautiful. The beauty of God radiates from her life. Everything she does and who she is is a reflection of the beauty of God. The love of Christ bursts from her life like a brilliant light. From her smile, her laugh, her words, her actions, the way she carries herself; the love of God is so present and visible. She can light up a room with her brilliant personality. She is a woman of wisdom. She loves the Word of God and digs deeper to get to know His heart even deeper than she already does. She lives a lifestyle of worship. Her life is a song to the King. She is funny, few people can make me laugh like Mel. I love to laugh with her, and even sometimes at her. ;) She is confident and knows who she is in Christ. She knows her worth and friends, that is incredible. She is a model of what it means to follow Christ. She is positive and upbeat. She hates negativity and complaining and no matter what her circumstances she is always looking at the bright side. She is pure and strives to live a life of holiness. She serves. She knows how to speak life to dead places. She has strong faith. She has a sweet, sweet spirit; but at the same time feisty.

She is my friend, but most importantly, she is my sister. Forever.

I love you Melanie.

Vacation :)

I just spent a lovely two weeks visiting my brother in Alabama and my sister in Florida. :) here are some of my favorite shots:

I

Coffee Talks.

One of my favorite things about winter is sitting down to a lovely cup of coffee, or hot chocolate, and sharing soul and life giving conversations with my sisters and friends. There is just something about the warmth of coffee that warms your soul.

So, I want to sit down with you, reader, and share my heart over a cup of coffee. Go make yourself a cup, turn on your favorite coffeehouse tunes (I'm listening to Jon Foreman),then continue to read. I am making myself a hot cup, as my hands are frozen from the -10 degree cold plaguing my city.

How are you, my friend? Don't answer this question as you would on a daily basis. I want you to really think and do some digging and then answer to yourself, how are you? How is your soul? How is your heart? Are you living or just meerly surviving?

I believe that so many times we forget to really consider how we are doing, on the inside. We have gotten so good at pretending that everything is okay, that life is all rainbows and puppy dogs, and ignoring what is aching, stirring, or burdened on your heart. Are you hurting? Are you frustrated? Are you apathetic? Are you tired? Are you at peace? Are you happy? What is going on inside of your heart and mind...think about it.

Be honest with yourself. I have had to face the reality of my brokenness time and time again, and you know what? Its okay. It is okay to not be okay. It is okay to be broken. It is okay to admit your weakness. If you need to cry, go ahead and cry, let the tears fall until there is nothing left. Tears are healing for the soul. Weakness is strength.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me...for when I am weak, then I am strong."

Allow me to share with you a little bit of the weaknesses and wounds I have faced in my shory 20 years. My father left my family when I was 7 years old, and died of cancer 5 years ago. I have had to deal with the issuse and fears of rejection and abandonment ever since. I used to be self-abusive, bulimic, and extremely depressed. I have realized that most of my live has been spent lived in fear...fear of rejection, fear of not being liked, fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of being powerless, just constant fear. These things have scarred my heart.

I have admitted to myself that my condition is not okay. But it does not end there, I have opened my heart and life to Someone who has become my everything and healed my wounds. He has washed me in His blood, His love, and given me hope and life. There is no wound deep enough for healing, no fear strong enough for peace, no chian strong enough to break; Jesus can make you whole. He has made me whole. He took my brokeness and He made me whole. I am not afraid to admit when my heart needs help, cause I know that I can lean on the strength of my Father.

I invite you to take a look at what had wounded your heart. Cry. Talk to a friend. Talk to God, even if you have never done that in the past, He hears you and wants to hear what is on your heart. Journal. One of my favorite ways to get everything I'm feeling processed is by dumping it all out onto paper until there is nothing left to write. And finally, open your heart to the healing process that Jesus paid the price to give you. You have value. You are loved.

My friend, I have enjoyed this chat over coffee. Now go and find out how you really are, and I will do the same. Don't just merely survive, learn how to live.

Kasey.