You Are Beautiful

No really. You are. You really, really are.



I mean it.

And my challenge, this week, is to stand in the mirror every morning and tell myself that I was made in God's perfect image and likeness and that He made me beautiful.

Do you have any challenges for yourself?

Extended Family

Marriage has many side effects. Weight gain. Sheet stealers. Better food then I would ever feed myself. Wedding gifts...

But one of the most fantastic side effects was gaining my new extended family, or my family-in-law. And this week, they are visiting us. We haven't seen any of them since the wedding about 7 months ago, so the fact that they all* made the trek up here is wonderful.

And while I can already tell you the little things which are driving me crazy (namely adding four people to my house, four loud people, when I really, really enjoy my quiet [maybe *this* is why famous people whose family units are comprised of 3 buy super large homes!]), having his brothers call me "sis" and joking with me make up for it.

*clarify: only his nuclear family, mom, dad, and two brothers.

In the Garden of Eden

I don't know how many of you who read this are religious/spiritual/searching/questioning/atheist/agnostic/whatever. I am spiritual, though. Not sure about all that other stuff, but that's for later.

Have you ever heard something that just sticks with you? I mean really sticks in your heart and you can't seem to shake it? Last Sunday, I had that experience. It's been a really long time since something spiritual has been stuck with me, so I've been thinking about it all week.

The sermon was about losing our innocence, in a non-sexualized way. It was about that moment that we realize that things just aren't what they seem. And that this moment can be when we're little kids or when we're adults in our 20's, 30's, 40's etc.

We made our way to the Garden of Eden as most Biblical discussions of innocence do. But here's where things were switched up on me. The pastor first stated that this story is not literal (I know, I know. woah. But you need to hear that before you hear the rest). He then posed the idea that God removed us from the Garden of Eden to bring us closer to Him.

Okay, okay. I need to repeat that.

What if God removed us from the Garden of Eden to bring us closer to Him.

Here's the rationale. When we were in the garden we didn't really have freewill. We loved God because that was all we knew. Outside of the garden though. Wow. Look at all of the options we have. So placing us here allows us to choose God or not.

That is just an intense thought process for me. What do you think?