Beautiful Treasures (Mug-spiration Monday)

Two weekends ago, Wes and Jess (our friends from the mountains) came to visit us in Charlotte. Since moving to Charlotte a year ago (a whole flippin' year!!!!) we haven't gotten to see them more than a handful of times... and that's dumb. #BooHiss

So needless to say, having them in town was refreshing and needed.

We spent a lot of time showing them around Charlotte and meeting up with a mutual friend who goes to grad school in the area. It was such a fun weekend, but one of the best parts was having Jess take our pictures.

Beautiful

Jess got a new camera for her birthday and brought it on their trip so that she could get some pictures of me and Taylor, some headshots for the blog, etc. I was a little worried we wouldn't get one's that I liked for the blog, simply because I hate how I look in pictures since gaining weight.

But I was so happy when I saw the results! Jess took some amazing pictures and I felt beautiful. Here are a few:

Everyone is Beautiful

It's easy to get caught up in the world's standard of beauty: to like people better when they are attractive, to think of thin people as a "higher class" than heavy people, and to see physical imperfections as dividers. I do it, and I'm willing to bet you do too to some degree.

But we know that's not right. We know that our physical appearance does not determine our worth, or the the truth about our inward beauty. God see's us as His beautiful creations. Sure, our flaws are there, but the beauty is there too- inside and out!

A Little Bit Different

This is technically still "Mug-spiration Monday", but I'd like to encourage you all to take this Monday's encouragement a little further. I challenge you to post a selfie on Instagram today using the hashtag "#thebeautifultreasures". Let everyone know that you are beautiful despite whatever imperfections you may have.

Make the world a little bit better today by encouraging others to see themselves as the lovely people they are.

Ready? Go!

That Time I Didn't Care What Others Thought

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I finally made it to the beach! Can I get a "woot woot!"?

This trip was so needed. I appreciated the time to unwind, but I mostly just wanted to see my friends and lay on that beautiful beach all day. I wanted the salt air and sea, and I wanted to smell tanning oil and sunscreen all day. Honestly, I was desperate for water, sunshine, and some of my favorite people. Praise the Lord I got all three of those for a glorious four days!

I Usually Care

As much as I'd like to be able to say otherwise, I am a very self-conscious person. I always have been. But since I'm extremely overweight now, I also worry about being your "typical fat girl". You know the ones: they are the girls that people cringe at when they see them in a bathing suit. They are the ones that even the most good-hearted people judge and criticize. I feel like that girl fairly often, but I feel it even more at the beach.

But something really awesome happened on this trip.

The first day I was there, I spent the first few hours of beach time by myself before my friend met up with me. There were fairly deep tidal pools right beside my beach chair, so I decided to get in the pools. I took selfies in the pools, floated in them, and straight-up laid down in those suckers. If I am being honest, I probably looked like a beached whale (seriously). But to my surprise, I didn't care! Sure, I was still self-conscious, and it gnawed at me a little, but not enough to make me stop.

I stayed in the tidal pools as long as I wanted and I did my own thing. I didn't care (very much) if people thought I looked silly, fat, or stupid. I was relaxing, having fun, and enjoying my vacation.

Progress

Friend, that day, I impressed myself a little. I had allowed myself not to care what others thought. Even though I was still worried and self-conscious, the fact that I pushed through and continued doing what I was doing was proof enough that I didn't really care what others thought. If I did, I would have stopped, cowered up to my chair, and tried to make myself small.

In that moment, I didn't do that.

And we really don't have to do that, you know. We don't have to try to hide in order to cover up our imperfections. We are beautiful regardless of what we look like. I hate my weight and am trying to lose it, but I am still beautiful right now.

And so are you!

It's Totally Ok

Whether you are over-weight, feel like a beanpole with no curves, hate your skin, or have a high, squeaky voice, you are beautiful. You don't have to care so much what others think.

It's ok to lay in a tidal pool even if you feel like a beached-whale.

It's ok to wear a dress that was made for curvy people. If you like it, wear it.

It's ok to go make-up free- even if you have bad acne.

It's ok to speak up, make conversation, and sing loud, even if your voice is higher (or lower) than most.

These things may be "imperfections", but you, wonderful lady, are beautiful. You don't have to hide away because someone might think negatively of you.

I could have missed out on a very fun piece of my beach trip. I could have decided to let what others might think affect the way I enjoyed my day. But I didn't. I had a wonderful time and I don't regret it.

And that was the time I didn't care what others thought.

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The Problem is Not Black and White

By the time this post goes live, I'll probably be one of 20 zillion bloggers who have chimed in about all that has been going on with police brutality and all that has followed. As bloggers, we sit behind our computer screens and write about things that we only see at surface level. Most of us are not experts, and can only see what the media lets us see. So before I dive into this topic, I'd like to say that I am only human. I have ideas, standards, and beliefs. I wouldn't believe what I believe if I didn't think it was true. But just because I type up some words about a very difficult subject, doesn't mean I have it all figured out.
I simply want to offer some food for thought.

Police Brutality and #Blacklivesmatter

I am so sorry to all the families who have lost someone dear because of police brutality. I wish I could tell you that everything will be ok- but your worlds are turned upside-down forever. I know that.

I'd like to say that you absolutely do matter. Black lives do matter. And yes, all lives matter. Those are both very true statements, and I believe them both with all my heart.

You do not deserve to be treated poorly because of the color of your skin. And when this happens, it disgusts me. I am so sorry!

But I do think that #blacklivesmatter is actually doing you injustice. When someone says "Black lives matter", it places you in a separate category, which only serves to re-segregate you. Equality comes when we don't see color. It comes when we stop putting ourselves in separate categories. You have fought for so long not to be segregated, but now a simple phrase is actually serving to re-segregate you in a sense.

The travesties going on right now are very much racial. And that is a terrible, disgusting thing. But I am not convinced that doing more talks about "those blacks" or "those whites" is doing anyone any good. Should we acknowledge racism? Absolutely. But some people are way past acknowledging it- they are cultivating a war of the races.

There are thousands of people- black and white alike- that are on your side when it comes to police brutality. We want to support you and help you.

Evil

The fact of the matter is, evil people are going to do evil things. Prejudice is evil. The shooting of men who don't deserve it is evil. It's evil whether it was done by a white cop, a black cop, a terrorist, etc. Just like the shooting in Orlando was evil. And equally evil was the attack of cops- especially since they had nothing to do with the other incidents.

Assuming all white cops are corrupt is just as evil as assuming all black people are criminals capable of violence.

But honestly, we can expect evil from a world filled with sadness, despair, and anger. We cannot change what other people do. We cannot protest the evil out of the world. We cannot shoot evil out of the world. We can't even get rid of evil through acts of kindness.

The Answer

I bet you weren't expecting that last one. Chances are, you might even be a little bit mad that I said that. But it's true.

No matter how many "good deeds" or "kind acts" you perform, you aren't going to change the world. Sure, you're doing more good than harm, but you still can't fix it.

The problem is not (and never will be) corrupt cops or violent "blacks". The problem is not racist whites OR racist blacks. The problem is not gay or straight, transgender bathrooms or "bigoted Christians". The problem is not Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump. The problem isn't an issue or cause. The problem is a lack of Jesus.

Jesus is always the answer, but most people never get that. Even people who claim to be Christians have no idea what that means. And I'm not just talking about the "flaming liberals" who want more gun control. I'm also not just talking about the "conservative bigots" who want the freedom to refuse a wedding cake to a homosexual couple.

I'm talking about about the little old lady who's been in church her whole life, but has no concept of her own sin. I'm talking about the 30-year-old man who donates his time to all the good causes and social justice organizations he can find, yet has no interest in what God's word says about his own life. If we are not for God- truly, deeply for Him- then we are against Him (Matthew 12:30).

Jesus is the only way for our salvation. And that is the crux of the whole thing. But Jesus is more than just our "ticket" to Heaven. He also instructs us on how to handle evil and injustice in the world:

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

(Romans 12:14-19)

Make the Choice

Again, you cannot control what someone else does. And even your feeble acts of kindness cannot change the world. But- and that's a big but- with God, you can make a world of difference.

You see, kindness done for the sake of kindness is futile. But kindness and love shown for the sake of Christ, and out of our gratitude to Christ is everything.
The world needs to see us bringing forth love. The world needs to see us loving black people, loving cops, loving homosexuals, loving drug-addicts, prostitutes, and yes, even Hilary, Bernie, Trump, and Obama. They need to see kindness towards everyone, a lack of hateful speech, and a consistency in the way we live our lives.

They need to see followers of Christ who don't take sides, but show love to all. They also need to see followers of Christ who know how to stand firm on God's word without acting like idiots towards those who oppose them.

If we commit to living like this, many of us will find ourselves ostracized, even by fellow Christians. There are plenty of Christians who think it's their job to change the world through their "loud" Facebook posts. Others who think it's their job to rid the world of "closed-minded", conservative Christians who "take the Bible too literally". And others will take it upon themselves to bible thump "the gay" out of the homosexuals they know. Those sound like great ministry tools, huh? *insert slow eye-roll*

You can be as loud as you want, as articulate as you want, and as rude as you want, but that isn't going to change the world. What will change the world is Jesus. What will change the world is people seeing love shown by the followers of Jesus.

So we can either keep failing with our methods for "bring peace", or we can do it God's way. Take your pick.

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