Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Dear Body

Dear body…

I would like to start this letter by saying two things…I am sorry + you are beautiful.

You are an amazing creation that God designed specifically for me.  You have carried me through 38 years of playing + walking + moving + learning + thinking + creating + loving + living.

You have endured multiple displays of my clumsiness, bad luck, horrible aim, dumb-flat-feet-make-me-trip.  And by multiple I really mean uncountable…but yet, you kept going.  You didn’t throw your hands up in the air and say “that’s IT, this girl is unreal…how can she fall UP the steps and DOWN them?”.

Not to mention the countless surgeries over the past few years.  Through it all, you never gave in.  Not even in ICU where you were so. so. tired.  It’s because of you that this Mama can see her kids grow up.

After all that how do I repay you? I belittle you…I call you fat…I complain about my loose skin + belly pooch + neck fat + droopy eyelids + big booty.  I compare you to every.single.woman. that walks past me.  I talk worse to you than I ever would speak to anyone else.  Ever.

I am so sorry for that.  Extremely sorry for that.

I wish I would have appreciated what a perfect gift God gave me when He gave me you.  You’ve given me two perfect babies.  You’ve helped me walk endless miles with my mama shopping.  You’ve helped me survive!  I want to appreciate you for what you ARE not what I wish you WERE.  I want to appreciate my stretch marks for what they are, battle marks from having babies.  And yes, I might have extra weight but I’m alive!

I am so grateful for you and I vow I will try as hard as I can to change the ugly way I speak to you.  At least I hope to.  See, these habits, they are kinda hard for me to break.  But as you and I know all too well, I can do anything I set my mind to.

Hitler’s Cross {Book Review}

Hitler’s Cross
By Erwin W. Lutzer

About the book:

Six million Jews dead. The monstrosity of Adolph Hitler’s ‘Third Reich’ remains a stunning chapter in the pages of history. Although the power by which he hypnotized an entire nation is legendary, one question in particular begs an answer: Where was the church of Christ? Seduced by the satanic majesty of the Fuhrer, church leaders throughout Germany allowed the swastika a prominent place alongside the Christian cross in their sanctuaries. Nationalistic pride replaced the call of God to purity, and with few exceptions, the German church looked away while Adolph Hitler implemented the ‘Final Solution’ to his Jewish problem. How did this happen? 

In Hitler’s Cross, Erwin W. Lutzer examines the dangers of confusing “church and state,” how the German church lost its focus, the role of God in human tragedy, the parameters of Satan’s freedom, the faithfulness of God to His people who suffer for Him, and America’s hidden cross-her dangerous trends. Hitler’s Cross is the story of a nation whose church forgot its primary call and discovered its own failure after it was too late.

I have a boy and a husband that love history.  Like super duper love it.  And I knew they would SO love reading this book!

It’s always amazed me that Germany was so deceived by a mad man.  How could no one see his madness?  How did he speak so sweetly that his lies were believable?  How could such a large segment of the population be so deceived by such an unknown? I mean, hello, he was the Time Man of the Year in 1938.  That still leaves me shaking my head.  And where was the body of Christ? Why weren’t they protesting loudly? This book reveals the answers to those questions. 

Basically, the Church slowly allowed the philosophy of Hitler to enter into their local churches one speech at a time. Instead of going to the Word of God for truth, the Church listened to Hitler’s lies. They were enamored by a “new theology” that they enjoyed more than God’s Word. They were excited by Hitler’s promises to prosper, conquer, and succeed. They liked what they heard and they followed.
Is history repeating itself?  Have we learned from our past?  Is America following in Germany’s footsteps?  Does the Church allow national leaders to speak for the Body of Christ?  When there is clearly an injustice, does The Body protest the loudest?  Or do we conform, not wanting to offend anyone?  The parallels are eerily similar and very frightening.  

I was given this book by Moody Publishers for the purpose of this review.

Know Your Worth

Have you ever had a day that made you question your worth?  Or maybe you’re walking through a season that feels like that.  It might sound like nothing special…ordinary…won’t amount to anything…not good enough…not thin enough…not pretty enough, on and on.  It seems so many of us women struggle with feelings of worthlessness.


Why do we, as women, struggle so much with feeling worthless? Many times, we let the wrong factors define our worth.  We allow failed relationships, body image, abuse, choices and health to define us.  We allow feelings of being useless, ignored, ugly, overweight, unloved or forgotten.  Sadly, we repeatedly allow these factors to define us.  We allow our feelings to dictate our identity.

How do we change how we see ourselves? How can we redefine ourselves? How do we master confidence? And do it all with grace?

We need to get our worth as women through Christ. Not through our feelings, not through others opinions of us, not through situations and not through emotions. But through the hands that shaped us.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

What does Jesus think of us? What does He think our worth is? Well, he thought you and I were worth dying for! And if He thinks that much of us, why would we ever allow others to degrade the life He went through so much to save? He thinks we are worth far more than rubies! {Proverbs 31:10}

Today I want to speak directly to your heart. Believe it, sweet girls. Pretty please with cream and sugar on top. Accept that what Jesus says about you is genuine–that you a treasure, of great worth, a woman with infinite value.  No matter what anyone says.  No matter what you’ve done.  No matter your past.  No matter how you feel.

It’s true…