Men see appearance as number ONE insecurity in women.

"I wait quietly on God, my victory comes from Him." Psalm 62:1

Our culture rubs beauty in our face 24/7 through TV, radio, grocery stores, magazines, friends, EVERYTHING. It's no wonder so many have eating disorders, body image problems, insecurities and more!

In Beth Moore's book, "So Long Insecurities," she asks men "What is the most common way you notice insecurity in women?" Guess what the answer was!? 

The majority said that women are most insecure in the area of APPEARANCE! 

And girls are sooo obvious about their insecurities when it comes to appearance. Have you ever talked to someone and watched them look you up and down, checking out your outfit, hair, etc. I have seen it numerous times, and it's so funny because girls do it without even realizing it. And even guys realize that we do it!

Here's one of the guys responses when asked about woman's insecurities:

"Most obvious is when women are around other women they try to size each other up and look for reasons to not get along rather than to get along. They seem easily intimidated, whether by physical beauty, character status, or whatever makes them feel that the other woman has more going for her,and a barrier goes up" (Moore, 231).

Another thing I've noticed that girls do and, I've caught myself doing this as well, is when girls are in a group and one of the girls is getting complimented, the others (in the back of their minds) start to compare themselves and wonder why they aren't getting complimented as well. 

We should instead look at the girl getting the compliment and see her beautiful God given characteristics as a blessing, but also value ourselves the same. So we need to pray to STOP comparing ourselves and instead compare ourselves to Christ. 

We obviously will not be anything near His flawless perfection, but are called to be imitators of Christ to advance His kingdom and take as many people to heaven with us as possible. Beauty is temporary, but God given beauty, the joy that you see in someone when they are so in love with God, is eternal beauty. Let's all strive for eternal beauty!


"The Creator of heaven and earth assigned us dignity and immeasurable value, and only when we finally accept those inalienable truths will we discover authentic security" (Moore, 238).

So what are you waiting for??? 
Give it to God, and He will take care of the rest :)

As for a Maker's Diet update. 

This week has had its ups and downs, but I saw the power and self-control that God gave me when I fully relied on Him. When I prayed and read His word, it was easy. When I was distracted, that is when I found it to be difficult. 

Planning is key to this diet. Since campus is limited on foods that I can eat, I've definitely been trying new recipes and cooking more, which is good because I need to start learning how to cook more things! The only downside is it's time consuming.

Another thing I realized was I know exactly why American's have such a high obesity rate. It's because it's so hard to find non processed, organic foods, that aren't expensive! It's close to impossible sometimes! But I'm managing :)

I will admit that my weakness was and is almonds and almond butter. I need to pray and have more self-control when it comes to those two things because I'm using them as my 'snack' and to satisfy my cravings just a little too much. 

I also found out that JAVA city has Organic Indonesian Dragon coffee which is the only other thing I can drink besides water. Sooo I'm trying to acquire the taste of BLACK COFFEE (blahh) when I need a little pick me up for class. 

So 4 days down and 36 days to go!! 

<>< I Surrender
God give me strength these next 36 days/the rest of my life to eat in moderation, have self-control and NUMBER ONE get closer to you and find my value and beauty in you!

Day 1 of 40

"Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap what we harvest." Galatians 6:9
 
Today I began phase one. It went well, but I've discovered some 

Obstacles

-Buying organic is expensive!
-JMU's dining halls restrict what I can eat during phase 1
-I'm not the most creative cook...but it's forcing me to learn
-It's time consuming having to cook most of my meals
-Though I eat healthy, I still need to learn to stop when I'm full
-I have to cheat every Tuesday at lunch because I'm taking an Italian cooking class
-No more cappucino's :(
-Goat's milk/yogurt is NO WHERE to be found in Harrisonburg
-I had an avocado with salsa tonight and really MISSED my lime tortilla chips

Praises

-Every time I felt the urge to think about outward appearance, I prayed and gave it to God
-God is molding me and teaching me ALREADY
-My salmon was superb :)




I'm still anxious and ready to see what God has in store for me over the next 40 days. I pray for obedience, self control and faith that He will give me the strength to reach victory.


When we call, God hears us. Present your requests to God, with the right motives to glorify Him, and He will give you the desires of your heart.


<>< I Surrender

A Revelation from God

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth." Psalm 139: 13-15

I walked into Intevarsity's Woman's Conference, on February 19, 2011, knowing that our speaker, Janelle Rardon, would be speaking about "A Divine Invitation: Hearing God's call for your life." I thought, 'wow, this is perfect, especially since I'll be graduating in May.' I expected God to really show me my call for my life. Instead I learned that God's call is a "divine invitation to embrace the salvation of God." His calling is not our works; those are our gifts. It is amazing to know that God will use my gifts and talents to embrace His calling for my life, to embrace the salvation of God and do everything to glorify His name. Little did I know that God would give me a revelation...

Though I did learn about God's calling for my life, what I didn't expect was God to reveal an area in my life where I have been broken (more like shattered) for 9 years now. He showed me that I find value and confidence in my outward appearance more than I find value in the way God sees me. WOW. Let me just tell you this may seem simple, but I didn't realize the extent to which it holds me in bondage and restricts me from having the joy to be a light and follow Jesus Christ. 

There was a moment in the conference where we could pray silently, and there were people around the room that we could go to that would pray with us.  God just kept laying on my heart how much He wants me to find my value in Him, instead of culture's standards and others affirmations about me. During this time of prayer, I was brought to tears because of this revelation! I mean 9 years! And I'm just now seeing this...but God's perfect timing is truly amazing. A friend of mine, Helen Crane, prayed over me. Through my tears and her prayers, God showed me my brokenness and how I CANNOT DO IT WITHOUT HIM. The peace I felt after that prayer was indescribable. 

So yes, while the goals that I want out of the Maker's Diet are still true, it is now so so much more. Yesterday was a turning point in my life and now the healing begins. Not only do I want to honor God with my body, but I am ready for Him to heal me from my value in beauty and outward appearance. Now I can have the peace in knowing that I'm not on my own and God's strength and peace will surpass my thoughts and actions. Wow, how beautiful it is to know that Jesus Christ died for our sins and cares for and loves us so much. 

Draw near to Him. He can heal you from whatever brokenness you may be dealing with, no matter how strong of bondage it has on you and your life. We serve an amazing, gracious God.

<>< I Surrender
 

What is the Maker's Diet?

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 "Read This Book if...
1. You want to avoid disease and live as healthy as possible with abundant energy and improved physical appearance.
2. You are suffering from disease, feel hopeless, and doubt if you will ever get well, and all the specialists you have seen offer no answers." MD

I fall under category one, but the author of this book, Jordan Rubin, falls under category two. Here's his story...
 
The author's story* 

The Maker's Diet is a book written by Jordan Rubin who was inspired to write this book because at the age of 19 he became very sick.

In 1994, he was diagnosed with Crohn's colitis. Jordan's immune system began to fail, and He suffered from intestinal parasites, severe Candida, extreme anemia, food allergies, diabetes, excruciating abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, poor circulation, liver problems, chemical sensitivities, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, arthritis, insomnia, hair loss, prostate and bladder, infections, irregular heartbeat, eye inflammation, and chronic depression. 

You name it, it seems like Dr. Rubin had it. He became desperate after his weight dropped from 180 lbs to a low of 104 lbs at a height of 6'1''. Traveling to more than 7 countries, visiting over 70 health professions, and trying more than 300 supplements, nothing seemed to make him feel better.

In 1996, Jordan stopped using all supplements, stopped going to doctors and began an intense study of nutrition. His diet consisted of nothing but whole, living, enzyme and probiotic rich foods and Homeostatic Soil Organisms.

Within four months, Jordan's weight returned and his body began to heal itself. It has been six years since his recovery, and he has had no symptoms of the disease that almost killed him.

The Maker's Diet 

The maker's diet is a 40 day diet based on the Bible and is scientifically proven to improve the health of the entire body. It is designed to attack insulin, infection, and inflammation. Throughout the book, Jordan explains the diet of American culture and how it has veered away from the Bible. He explains every scientific detail of our body and describes the cleansing process. He talks about ways to get sick, advantages and disadvantages of various diets, and much much more. 

What happens during the 40 days of doing the Maker's Diet?

The diet is divided into three phases. 

Phase 1 is designed to stabilize insulin and blood sugar, reduce inflammation, reduce infection, enhance digestion, and help balance the hormones in your body. 

During this phase, it restricts disaccharide-rich carb foods such as grains, pastas, breads, sugar, potatoes, corn, beans and legumes.

Phase 2 A greater variety of foods are added to the diet, including fruit, nuts and seeds. During this phase, continued excess weight loss will occur. The health goal is not to achieve dramatic weight loss, but to continue to move toward the ideal weight while enjoying  great benefits of enhanced health.

Phase 3 is the maintenance phase of the diet. It is design to allow and encourage healthful eating of foods from each food group. In this phase, grain foods and foods higher in sugars and starches are added. At this phase, one will have managed to establish considerable self-control, making it much easier not to cheat.

The book says phase 1 is the hardest. So during this time, I hope to feel more energized, use God as my support system, lose weight and gain more self-control. I'll be starting Monday!

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised!" Proverbs 31:30

<>< I Surrender 


*(http://www.makers-diet.net/storybehindbook.htm)
*MD-Information taken from the Maker's Diet book, along with the majority of the information in this post.

My Journey



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"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight." 1 Peter 3:3,4

Vulnerability with others allows the brokeness of one person to impact and effect others. Through Jesus Christ, I pray for strength to overcome an insecurity of body image, help others, and achieve lasting victory through Him. I was inspired to make a blog because of my small group that I co-lead. We are studying a book by Beth Moore, called "So Long Insecurities." We talk about our insecurities and the healing process. And well one of my many insecurities that I struggle with is body image. Ever since high school my weight has gone up and down about 20 lbs. I can lose weight just as easily as I can gain weight. In high school I was oblivious to my weight. As I started a period of 'woman development,' I gained weight for two years and then I got my first real boyfriend and lost the weight to where I was the thinnest I had ever been. I didn't even realize my size because I was so consumed with having a boyfriend. Some started becoming worried that I was too skinny. It wasn't like I was trying to lose weight, it was just that my mind was consumed with a boyfriend, so I didn't ever think about eating. Right before college, my boyfriend and I broke up. Being an extremely social person I started college without a social niche and immediately fell into a minor depression. In addition, I was still struggling with the breakup of my boy friend. I tried to turn to God as best as I could, but I wasn't patient enough to let Him work in my life so I began to turn to other things. The first semester of college, I noticed that I started to gain weight and it was because I didn't really give much thought to what I was eating and didn't have something else to occupy my time. College consisted of lunch and dinner dates with friends. I started to become aware of what I was eating and started dieting. I started cutting back on everything, and all the deprivation of food caused me to go through spells where I would eat nothing and then eat a lot and then work out a lot and then diet. It was a vicious cycle. Gaining and losing the weight and then gaining even more weight because I did a diet that only lasted for two weeks and well you get the picture. Anyways, since my freshmen year I have had a constant struggle with the weight I've gained and lost, literally losing and gaining 15-20 lbs. I begged God to give me the desire to desire Him so much that my mind was on Him and not anything else. Well after 4 years, though God has really grown me spiritually and the situation has definitely gotten better, I continue to struggle with body image. This past January, I went to a Christian Passion conference and this is where God changed my life. I had been living a routine Christian life. It was dull and to me it was a list of do's and don'ts, but after this conference, I came back with a passion and fire for God so strong it left me glowing. He changed my life in so many ways and now is working in me to get rid of this insecurity I have, along with many other girls. I used to have a HUGE sweet tooth before the conference, but God completely took it away. AMAZING. I am already a fairly healthy eater because of the way I was raised, but I'm to the point where I want everything I do to COMPLETELY honor God, so that includes treating my body as a Holy Temple for Him. That's why I decided to do the Maker's Diet, which follows eating and drinking habits of the Bible. What I want out of this is to grow closer to God, desire Him and His life for me, treat my body as if it were His, be healthier, feel better, lose weight, and overcome an insecurity. Sounds like quite a lot, but I have faith that this is the beginning of a wonderful journey with Jesus Christ who has the power to heal anyone, both mentally, spiritually, and physically.

So this is where the title comes in, I SURRENDER-I surrender to my heavenly Father and give Him my life and want Him to transform my mind, thoughts and actions to imitate His. I can't do it alone, and only Christ will give me the strength and the will power.
This is my hope for you all- for you all to travel this journey with me and see my struggles and vulnerabilities and see how God brings Victory. It may take more time than just the Maker's Diet to see full victory, but I know for a fact God will do it. I will struggle and fall sometimes, but by God's grace alone he will uphold me with his hand. I hope that through my journey, you all will be able to see that it is possible through God to overcome any insecurity that you may have. It may even take you hitting rock bottom first before you turn  to Jesus. No matter how big or small your insecurity, know that Jesus Christ will rescue you. I'm praying for each and every one of you that reads this. Know that YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL and don't EVER let anyone tell you otherwise.

So what is the Maker's Diet?

God hand crafted every person. Every detail, every hair, you name it. He loves you and has called you to live a life that is pleasing and gloriflying to Him.

<>< I Surrender

Body Image-Victory through God

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Psalm 62:1-2 "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken."
 
Society has shaped our perception of what we see as beautiful, to the point where men and women are experiencing eating disorders, low self-esteem, numerous insecurities, and more. As a senior college woman, I have seen and experienced the way media effects men and women, especially their perceptions of what it looks like to be beautiful. Magazines, celebrities, and every day encounters with others continue to raise standards for beauty. According to Judy Lightstone, in her *article "Improving Body Image," she defines body image as "our perception, imagination, emotions, and physical sensations of and about our bodies. It is not static-but every changing; sensitive to changes in mood, environment, and physical experience. It is not based on fact. It is psychological in nature, and much more influenced by self-esteem than by actual physical attractiveness as judged by others. It is not inborn, but learned. This learning occurs in the family and among peers, but these only reinforce what is learned and expected culturally." Body image has been on the mind of each person at some point in their life. Some are affected more than others, but the point is, it is an ongoing struggle and battle to be thinner, buffer, healthier, etc.
What would it look like if you were able to overcome your insecurities and find victory through God the father? What if through prayer, reading His word, and eating and drinking according to the Bible you were able to see yourself the way God sees you? Well that's why I'm writing this blog-to experience victory through Jesus Christ.  Over the next 40 days, I will follow the Maker's Diet, written by Jordan Rubin, to grow closer to God and treat my body as a temple for Him. Before I begin, I want to share my story and explain what exactly is the Maker's Diet. Here goes!

God sees you as beautiful and has wonderful plans for you. Be expecting of Him, and He will change your life in AMAZING ways.


I Surrender
<>< I surrender my life, my body and my existence to follow you Lord.



 
*http://www.edreferral.com/body_image.htm