Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

prized! {book review}

Prized!
Your Journey as His Daughter
By Noelle Toscano

about the book:

Prized! Your Journey as His Daughter, is a fresh and inspiring new perspective on how to live for and love God in a dark world. The teenage years bring some of the most difficult experiences that life has to offer. However, it can also be an amazing time of growing spiritually and making decisions to be proud of. Prized! Your Journey as His Daughter, is filled with relatable stories, helpful tips, and the truth of God’s Word that will offer inspiration as you navigate the wonderful world of dating, making and maintaining healthy friendships, learning to understand and relate to parents, dealing with superficiality, and realizing your full potential as God’s beloved Child. Glorify God. Enjoy Him forever. It starts now.

i have to say, i was skeptical that this would be an easy read for me.  it’s advice for teenage girls and i am far from that.  i thought this was going to be one of those books that i struggle through and have to force myself to read.  boy, was i wrong!  who would have ever guessed that i would find so many tidbits of info in it that i could absolutely relate to my life?

i have a favorite section in it that i want to share with you.  those of you that read my blog daily will absolutely understand why this section resonated with me.  the bottom line is this: God has made me who i am.  i grow.  i change.  i regress.  i trip up.  i do well.  i excel.  i fail.  others see it and may pass judgement.  they may love me or hate me.  however they feel about me, good or bad, does not dictate who i am.  i absolutely love love love that.  i love it so much that i read it a few times.

throughout this book, noelle takes the reader back to a memory of her childhood and her teenage years.  wanting to be noticed, important and the center of attention but at the same time wanting to hide in the corner.  she recounts her emotions so successfully that our own gut-wrenching emotional memories begin to surface.  this allows us to place ourselves in our children’s place once again, and gives us the opportunity to evaluate the condition of their lives and relationships.

i adored this book and would definitely recommend it to a woman of any age!  this book is definitely one that every parent needs to add to their collections for their daughters. i feel it’s a perfect book for any soon to be teenager to read. and i will be passing it along to my little miss to read.

i received this book free from the publisher through the BookCrash.com book review program, which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review.  the opinions i have expressed are my own.

out for now

~kisses

the hardest lesson i’ve learned

i am a people pleaser by nature.  i just want everyone to be happy with me and like me.  but, as i’ve recently learned, that is not possible.  you just can’t please everyone all of the time.
many of you know, i am a photographer.  as a photographer i naturally want to please all of my clients.  i want them to walk away from our session not only blown away by their pictures but i also want to gain them as a friend.  sadly, i’ve had to realize not everyone will absolutely love their pictures.  there are a few different reasons this can happen…either they weren’t familiar with my style before-hand, they hate how they look or (for weddings) a guest ruined their shots.  regardless of the reason, the rejection is still ouchie.  
i really feel God has called me to be a photographer and blessed me with a gift.  i can honestly say though, the rejection crushes a part of my spirit.  and in my weaker moments, i find myself giving in to satan’s lies about my work and about me as a person.  satan takes every opportunity he can to swoop in, knock me down and leave me feeling vulnerable.  
the Bible never tells us to please other people.  you can search through the Bible verse by verse, front to back, and you’ll never find those words in it.  but what you will find is instruction to please God.  He IS the most important element in our lives.  and when we live to please God, when we run a business to please Him, we may not be pleasing everyone around us.  God is reminding me that He didn’t call me to live a happy life, but a life that honors Him. and while I’m going to fail over and over again, my desire is to live the life He has called me to live.
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10

out for now
~kisses

a proverbs 31 woman

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; 
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 
Proverbs 31:30
of all the weeks we’ve been doing this study, this one has spoken the loudest to my heart. i will absolutely admit, i’ve struggled with a poor self-image most of my life. i’ve never thought i was thin enough, pretty enough or worthy enough. i would be ashamed if ya’all could heart the ugly self-talk that goes on inside my head. it’s not pretty. not at all. it’s something that God has revealed in my heart that i need to tend to.

fast forward to this weeks bible study.

this girl is a slow learner but i’m fairly sure this week God got His point across to me, loud and clear. how many of you just said a little silent hallelujah? i know, me too!

the kind of beauty i’ve stressed and worried about my entire life is external beauty. the one all of us women think about, whether we admit it or not. the kind the media throws in our face daily. the kind we all wish we had more of.

then there is inner beauty. the one no one can see. the one that is there if people would give us time to show it. the one that God see’s and appreciates. inward beauty holds much more value than outward beauty. and the beauty of our heart is so much more important.

so how can we balance outer and inner beauty?

i think modesty is really important.  you can convey beauty and femininity with conveying your sexuality. allow your appearance to reflect your pure and virtuous heart. know your worth and reflect it on the outside. your body is a gift from God, honor it as such.     

be beautiful with your attitude and speech.  your words are a mirror to your heart.  i’m sure you’ve been around an attractive person that instantly became unattractive by the ugly that came out of their mouth.  

still tend to your appearance.  i’m not suggesting that it become necessary to throw away my makeup forever and go through life looking less than presentable. ya’all, that is not going to happen! we do need to take care of our appearance and not let our self go. we need to still celebrate our womanhood and remind our husband what he has.  i’m sure the lovely Proverbs 31 lady certainly doesn’t wear sweats everyday with her hair in a bun.  she took pride in her body, heart and mind!  she truly was Gods kind of beautiful.

but most of all, this woman fears the Lord. a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. i think that fearing the Lord means i live my life for Him, with respect for Him, honoring Him and i want to please Him. it means living every day knowing He is there with you.

  

we are beautiful on the inside and outside when we acknowledge Christ’s deep and abiding love for us. love that doesn’t change with our accomplishments or appearance.  i keep reminding myself, He was the first one to call me beautiful.  not because of my appearance, but because of my heart.  for who i am.  for my soul.   He loves me in spite of my scars, booty, nose, bags under my eyes, discolored skin and droopy eyelids. His love is always, always, forever there…accepting us exactly for who we are.

let Him love on you, you’re the love of His heart!  you are His precious daughter, His lovely princess. His joy. the apple of His eye. He loves you to the moon and back. and He calls you beautiful!

out for now

~kisses