So Long Insecurity...

This book continues to blow my mind each time I open it up. It has been the inspiration for several of my blogs and opened my eyes even more to the grace God has for us. I have one chapter left until I am finished and I'm not sure I'm ready for it to be over. I would never be able to summarize the words of the chapter I just finished well enough for you to get the picture I did so I'm going to just quote straight out of the book...

"When you feel that familiar panic begin to rise in your heart like a river coursing its banks and your soul begins to roll with another round of 'What will I do if...?' what would happen if you were willing to hear the voice of God whisper these inaudible words?
Child, you are asking the wrong question. Here's the one that would assuage your fears: What will God do if...? Here's a smattering of answers to that mighty good question.
I, the Maker of heaven and earth, will:

Perfect everything that concerns you (Psalm 138:8)
Work all things together for your good (Romans 8:28)
Contend with those who contend with you (2 Chronicles 20:15)
Fight this battle for you(2 Chronicles 20:15)
Equip you with divine power (2 Corinthians 10:4)
Delight to show you mercy (Micah 7:18)
Meet all your needs according to My glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19)
Give you grace that is perfectly sufficient (2 Corinthians 4:19)
Be your power in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Do immeasurably more than all you could ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within you (Ephesians 3:20)

For Our Sisters, Nieces and Future Daughters...

I am mad. I am just about to finish up Beth Moore's latest book, So Long Insecurity. It is by far one of the best books I have read in a while. The book covers what insecurity is and how we as women and even men have gotten to the point of self-loathing and always trying to change ourselves to match the recent cover of Vogue. Recently the images of the latest Miss USA 2010 promotional pictures have gotten me even more fired up. Don't get me wrong. I'm not bashing pageants or fashion magazines or anything of the sort. I like a good issue of vogue just as much as the next girl. I'm bashing the image they have taken on and the message they are sending to all of the "normal" women out here. This years pageant promotional pictures feature the women posing in lingerie, fishnets and heels. We ask ourselves why we are seeing girls that our little sisters look up to wearing more and more "sexy" attire and why they average age for eating disorders gets lower and lower each year. HELLO AMERICA! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP! Our world has such a skewed vision of the body is and what it stands for. It has made it seem that life is about being sexually desired. Its so much bigger than that! What is it going to take to get the world just as angry and fired up about the messages that are floating around for little boys and girls to see? And its not just on the internet. For Pete's sake you can't even take your family to the mall without skyscraper size images of women in their undies plastered everywhere. No wonder we are such an insecure group of people! So what are we going to do about it? In So Long, Insecurity Beth makes it very clear that it starts with you and with me. As individuals we have to figure out how to be secure in a very insecure, image filled world. Being secure doesn't just happen over night. Its a battle that we will face every single day our feet hit the floor. But maybe if we can find the strength to stand with our head raised high, proud of who our Creator has made us then maybe, just maybe others will begin to stand with us and put an end to this epidemic. Don't get me wrong I am no more secure than the girl who walks around all day with her eyes and her feet and her arms crossed over her tummy trying to hide the fat that's not really there but I will stand in the fact that I am clothed with strength and dignity and will slowly rise out of the slime and muck of insecurity.