Fear Cannot Control Us

My heart aches for the families effected by the tragedy in CT. Innocent children and educators losing their lives. I haven't listened to the news/media since Friday...until this morning when I turned the radio on while I was driving to work. All of the fear that was projected out of my speakers made my stomach turn. When I had read the stories on Friay, all I could think about was I want to comfort them. My natural reaction to any sort of tragedy is embrace those who are hurting. It is a feeling (I can even categorize it as an urge) to wrap my arms around them and let them know that they are loved, they are special and that they will be okay. It's not one of those weird Sheldon moments were I would say "oh, there, there" but it's a deep desire to help those who are hurting. I had studied psychology for a while, thinking it was my calling in life to become a therapist/counselor at one point in my life. I couldn't handle it after working in a psych hospital for 5 years. All of the negativity consumed me. I had to get out of that line of work or it would destroy me. The talk now is on gun control, mental illness and safety. I personally think that we need to all be held accountable for our actions. Every person is different and every person will react differently to a variety of situations. My opinion is that Americans are over-prescribed medications to help control their beings. I know that there are some serious mental illnesses that need to be treated but I think a lot of doctors today are happy to prescribe anyone anything. The world has become so busy that parents are not giving their own children the attention they deserve. We must do this to be able to get that...why don't you slow down & listen to your child for a moment?! Invest your time into your child. Encourage them. Spend quality time with them and feed them spiritually. Actions speak louder than words! Most people want to see their child succeed but part of their success comes from the love and support of their parents. I want my son to go far in life and I will be on the sidelines cheering him on throughout his life. I know this specific blog bounced from one thing to another but I don't care. My heart is hurting. I am grieving for people I don't even know. I agree with the media that something must be done....but placing fear into those who are listening is not the way to do it.

She has worth....

It has been placed on my heart to write about the worth of a woman. I don't want this to sound like a rant or some sort of feminist rights kind of thing. But this will come straight from the heart. A good friend of mine came to me lately saying that an ex-flame basically called her fat & his voice is ringing in her ears saying "You're fat" over & over again. So what does she do? She runs. She exercises. She's more conscious of what she is eating. First of all, this woman is a beautiful woman of God. She is healthy, smart, funny and wonderful. She does not need to take that sort of abuse. Ultimately, she has to decide whether or not to listen to the lies that Satan is feeding her using someone she once loved to be the instigator in this situation. I pray for her every day to be able to overcome this pain. In my lifetime, I've dealt with plenty of self-esteem issues. I've felt all sorts of negative feelings over body image and feeling like I'm not worthy of the love of those around me. I remember when I was a teenager thinking "If I dress this way or if I acted that way, then he'd like me!" The lies of the enemy can be so controlling that it could really mess you up. Ladies, you were made by the hands of an awesome God. You are beautiful in His eyes and that is all that matters. You are captivating. We come in all shapes and sizes and we shouldn't compare ourselves to those around us. Beauty comes from within. Let the inner you truly shine. Don't EVER let your smile fade because of some negative feedback from someone who is most likely feeling bad about themselves. People project their inner yuckiness onto those whom they think are weaker than them. Laugh it off and move on. Pray for that person. It took me many years to push past the negative feelings I was feeling about myself. I got connected with some ladies that were going through similar "life lessons" that I was going through (my LifeGroup), I started making changes in my daily routine, I focused on things that were not about me and I started reading my bible & reading a devotional daily. Then those negative feelings just went away. I'm not saying that I don't have a bad day here & there. Those days do happen & they suck but when you know your worth, you know you can overcome any negativity. I know that if someone doesn't like me for who I really am, then they aren't worth having around. If someone wants to throw their anger & ugliness at me, I pray for them because I figure they are only throwing it out because it is eating them from the inside out. It is written in the Bible that we need to pray for our enemies. It can be difficult to do but we need to forgive them so that we can all have peace in our hearts. Pray for blessings.