Bikini's and Cellulite. They sure don't mix!

Ok ladies, how many times do we have to do this thing called swimming suit shopping?

I mean, don't get me wrong, I love having a cute swimsuit. It's just that I put off that whole shopping trip so that I don't have to experience the horrendous lights shining down on me, in that stark white dressing room, showing off my most secret "flaws". Or maybe they aren't so secret anymore now that I don't hide anything on here. Authenticity much?

Anyway, I've got a story for you. A few days ago a really good friend and I were on a hunt for some cute, comfy, FLATTERING swimming suits. We knew that we had put off this shopping trip long enough, and that it was time to head out and find one.

So here we are, more than enough adorable suits in hand, walking to the dressing room. Now, just a pre-cursor, my friend Char and I are more than loud. It's as though we forget there are other people in this world. I was in one dressing room, and she was in another down at the end of the room. Yet, as we were trying on suit after suit, we made sure to express everything going through our minds at the time.

"Oh Gosh, this thing does not look good."
"Why does it look so good on the hanger, then I put it on and it's like..."
"Since when do I have a small chest?"
"Really? It's as though cellulite has come out of NO WHERE?!"
"Oh, this one...this one is NASTY!"
"And my favorite of all, God, I'm still waiting to lose those 10 lbs!"

Well, once I felt defeated enough, I decided to head back out and pick out some more suits that just HAD to work.

And I ran into a friend!

And she said, "I thought that was you in the dressing room talking".....

:) Oops! That's about all I was thinking at the time. Someone else heard all of that? Heard all our vocal exposing of our flaws? SO LOUDLY?!

Crap....

Ya know, I can hear my Mom right now telling me that I've never been one to keep my thoughts to myself.

The funny thing is, my friend that hear our commentary on the suits said, "I was feelin the same thing!"

Why is it so hard to find a suit that makes us feel beautiful, but also comfortable?

I remember one conversation I had with my husband and he asked me if it was weird to wear a bikini being that it's basically the same as a bra and undies, except the fabric will hopefully not expose what REALLY needs to be hidden! My response was that it only feels weird if I have JUST eating the biggest hamburger and fries, or at the beginning of the summer when my skin hasn't seen anything close to the sun in months.

It's funny though. When you finally find the suit that you know works, you love it! And then you don't want to have to find another one! I do have one that I've had for a few years now that I love, but it's starting to show that I LOVE it. And it just might soon start showing a little too much, which I wouldn't love!

So how do we avoid this?

I have no idea! All I know is that you aren't the only one that stands in front of the mirror going, yikes, I look so much better at home!

And I guess this was just a moment of venting!

Anybody with me here??

Britt

So what is The Beautiful Truth?

Hey there!

If you are new to this site, or new to this ministry, I would love to connect you back to the blog describing what exactly The Beautiful Truth is and how it all began. So feel free to check it out here!

But just a quick overview of what this is:

It's a ministry that exists in order to bring God's truth back into the lives of young women. What's that truth? That each and every woman is absolutely beautiful just the way they are.

It's a website where young women and old can come and be reminded that they are not alone in the battle to feel beautiful.

It's a community of people desiring to bring healing to those struggling with self esteem issues.

It's an 8 week program that can take place in a church as a small group. Through out the 8 weeks, you will be breaking through six of the most obvious lies we as women face on a daily basis.
    6 Main Topics:
              Physical Beauty
              Food
              Sex
              Intelligence
              Comparing ourselves with other women
              Fitness

Each week we bring in a guest speaker that is an expert in each area, yet has also struggled with their own battle to feel beautiful.

I am under the Non-Profit Organization in the state of Washington called The Discovery Series so I have a network of people surrounding me and this new, wonderful thing called The Beautiful Truth.


God has already begun to do some incredible things through this ministry and here is one of the beautiful testimonies I have received so far:

When I went to The Beautiful Truth for the first time and Brittany shared her story and at the end she said "if any of you struggle with these things, i challenge you to read Psalm 139 everyday for 3 weeks-a month. I began to read it but not believing the words and I began to slip back into an eating disorder, I skipped meals and was trying to eat as little as possible and kept working out alot. But then something clicked and I was like "no" I can't be this girl again, so I actually admitted my problems and I flew home for the weekend. While there I continued to read Psalm 139 everyday, I came back to college and I had a renewed strength and knowledge that I could do this. I slowly began to believe the words in Psalm 139. I went to The Beautiful Truth and I was challenged every week. The one on fitness impacted me hugely because I realized I was not alone. I could relate to everything the speaker said and I knew that we both had the strength to make it through. I looked at her and thought she was gorgeous, and that made me think..I bet some people see me that way also. Throughout the semester, every time I got back from TBT I was happy and just got strength and wisdom for the week. It's funny again how God works because the one session that I wanted to go to the least was the one that changed me the most. It was "intelligence" and that guest speaker talked about lies we believe and how if we are ready to give them up and lay them at the cross, then just do it. I had been thinking about moving away from my past for quite a while and this was the perfect opportunity. I wrote down the lie of worthlessness that had consumed me for 6 yrs and I gave it to God at the cross. Then I picked up a verse about joy. Ever since that day I have a new freedom about me and I am filled with joy. As a reminder of how I gave God that lie, I put on a bracelet that says "give" everyday. When I put it on I say a prayer to God just saying that I give those lies and feelings to him and they will no longer control my life.

Isn't this just incredible? I can't wait to share even more with you!



It's such an awesome program so let me know if you ever want to bring it to your church!









         

Gungor - Beautiful Things

You know when you take a moment to look at a flower, and I mean really look at it?

Aren't they just beautiful?!

I was thinking about this last night. How we always look at flowers and see them as absolutely beautiful. When we come across a blemish, a broken petal or some type of spot, we still think that this flower is the most beautiful thing. Everything about it is precious, delicate, and just beautiful.

Have you ever thought about the reality that God feels the same way when he looks at us?

I know I know, some of you might be thinking--wow, how relevant.

IT IS!

That big guy upstairs actually CREATED us! And he sees those flaws and thinks they are incredibly beautiful. Why?

Because God makes BEAUTIFUL THINGS. He doesn't make mistakes! He makes us all beautiful, unique in our own ways. I read this out of a cute book called Unsqueezed, by Margot Starbuck last night and felt I had to share it with you ladies.

Pre-cursor. This has to do with our flaws, the things we think are imperfections, when really they just set us a part from the rest of humanity.

"For years I had watched these horrible makeover shows that make women look like people they're not, all under the clever guise of boosting their attractiveness. In that instant, though I finally understood why each face and each body had been created differently in the first place. I understood, intuitively, why God didn't decided to give each one of us identical matching trouble-free hair, cute perky noses, wide sparkly doe eyes, cut abs and cellulite-free thighs.

It's because HUMAN BEINGS ARE WORTH RECOGNIZING.

Because the individual who is knowable through each body is so entirely WORTH being seen, and heard, and known and loved, God went to all the trouble of making everyone of us different--billions of us, in fact--so that each one of us could be recognized by one another. Precisely because that IS a lot of trouble. I have to believe that God had a pretty good reason for doing that purposeful cumbersome thing."

Unsqueezed, by Margot Starbuck

How incredible is that?!

Just think about that one today. Think about those blemishes you see and replace those lies with the fact that God created you that way to set you apart from every other woman on this earth. To make you UNIQUE.

Still not convinced? Check out what two radical women are doing in LA. That's right, BEAUTY central in our minds.

http://www.loveyourflawz.com/

All Lies Are But Lies....

You know it's funny. You would think that as the leader of a ministry such as The Beautiful Truth, I would somehow be exempt from having to continue to struggle with my body image, because I'm the one trying to help all of you other women to feel beautiful. You would think it would get easier for me because I am continually talking about God's truth in our beauty. You would think that wouldn't you?

Well, you would also think there would come a point in time where I didn't have to remind you that this is exactly the opposite! As I think about the past blogs I have posted on here, the majority of them talk about how I GET IT. I know what it's like to struggle in my own skin.

Today isn't different. Nope.
But today I have some more hope.

The last few weeks have been more stressful than normal with the reality of graduating college hitting me in the face. I've been job hunting, and figuring out some other really important things, and this leads this "girl that struggles with anxiety" down a path that feels like a mental tornado.

My mind is filled with all sorts of stuff.
-What's for dinner tonight? Tomorrow? Friday? I mean, I want something nice to be here for my sweet hubby when he gets home from work.
-I wonder if ANYONE will call me back about my resume
-When will my work visa go through?
-Will it?
-Are we going to continue living in Canada?
-Or are we finally going to move back to the states?
-Am I losing those extra 7 pounds I want to get off?
-Or is that number on the scale counting in my muscle mass since I do alot of weight training?
-Am I ever going to fit into those beautiful hand-me-down Sevens and Citizens I got from my amazing sister in law?
-Do I keep them out to be an inspiration, or do I hide them so I don't obsess over them?
-So what's for dinner?
-Oh yes, I need to spend some time with God today.
-Laundry. Dishes. Vacuuming (which I love with my new vacuum:) Cleaning. Tidying. How am I going to function when we have children?
-I'm pry never going to be ready for kids!
-What's for dinner again?
-Oh yes. God! I need some time with God.
-Workout time! Veggies. Fruit. Nope, don't eat those cards.

Get the picture? Are you overwhelmed with my thinking here? Cuz I am! Actually, it's embarrassing to read how my thought process can go throughout the day. But it's pure honestly ladies. Or else I'm the only crazy one;)

So where on earth am I going with this today?

Even though I lead this ministry, I DO NOT get to pull the PASS card.
I struggle just as much as any of you do. I may not be in the place where I was when I was really battling an eating disorder, but the memory is oh so present.

Last week I spoke at a youth group Girl's Night and just loved it! Seeing all those beautiful faces listening intently about God's truth was such a gift to me. It's always great practice, but it's always such a reminder. I'm reminded of all that God has done in my life, in taking me from a place filled with lies and deception about my body, to a place where I saw how beautifully God had created me. So why do I still struggle?

I think it's so I never lose my humility. I think it's so that I am always reminded of how absolutely difficult it is to battle through things like this. I'm not just talking about serious eating disorders, and if that's where you are, PLEASE GET HELP. Right now, I'm talking about the daily struggle to just feel beautiful in your own skin. The struggle to KNOW that you are not supposed to look like the models in the magazines. Those women don't even look like that once airbrushing and photoshop does its job.

Sometimes I believe I still struggle with this because it keeps me running back to my Lord, falling on my knees remembering that HE CREATED ME. That HE LOVES ME. And that I CANNOT LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT HIM.

And goodness I PRAISE God for that!

So as I was journaling this morning, just laying down my thoughts and concerns to the Lord, I wrote down these words and believed I needed to share them with you.

ALL LIES ARE BUT LIES.

Yep. Plain and simple. Every lie that comes into your mind, is JUST A LIE. So IGNORE it. It has NO power over you, over me. It cannot change the way we think or feel about ourselves because it's NOT TRUE.

So next time you are scrolling through some friend of a friend's photo's on facebook and you wish you looked more like that girl with the blonde hair, or the girl with the "perfect stomach" claim that lie right there. It's a LIE ladies! You are beautiful just as you are! Maybe you need to eat a little healthier, or start exercising, but you are still BEAUTIFUL. And I can guarantee the girl with the "perfect stomach" wished her abs were more toned, or thinks she has too big of a booty. I've done my research ladies. I've had MANY conversations and have heard things like this come out of the mouths of those exact girls.

So those lies I may be believing or allowing to bring me down? Yep. UNTRUE. So why waste my time allowing them to ruin my day?!

K lady loves, it's time for me to end this loooooong blog.

You're beautiful you know that?!
Yep. SAY it.