About Me

Hey there!

It's coming down to the last few days of the countdown before Christmas (it's always astounding how quickly it creeps up on us, isn't it?) Instead of counting down the days until I get to see what Santa brought me this year, I am counting down how many days I have left to finish buying/making gifts. Time is rapidly slipping through my fingers, and I have far too many projects going at once. Isn't adult life fun? Actually, I love finding and making gifts for people, it's more the stress of getting everything done in time that's not so much fun! :) 

Anyway, I thought a fun "gift" for my readers would be to tell you a little bit about myself. I am going to take some questions from an "about me" survey (remember those cheesy myspace surveys?? lol) I found as well as some I came up with myself. I will answer honestly, I promise. :) Forgive me for those who already know most or all of the answers-haha. 

So, here are a few things about me that you may or may not know. :)

The Basics.
Full Name: Anna Christine Doupe (maiden name is McMillan)
Age: 23
Eye Color: light blue, though some argue that they are gray sometimes?
Hair Color: Blondie
Siblings: 4 Brothers (Wes-27, John-21, Seth-17, Luke-13)
Righty or Lefty: Righty
Heritage: Part Irish, part English and German I believe?

Favorites.
Color: Mint green... And many shades of blue.
Number: 3
Flowers: Roses, Dahlias, ranunculus, baby's breath
Foods: Cottage cheese, thai food, Italian (PASTA and breads. yum) and homemade burgers (made by my hubby).
Junk Food: I try not to like it...but I do crave MCD's chicken nuggets from time to time...
Drink: Shirley temples (for fancy occasions), Pina coladas (very infrequently), all kinds of TEA, Dr. Pepper, lemonade...lately I love ice water with lemon.
Ice cream flavor: mint chip
Restaurant: Probably the irish/italian place in Illinois where J.D. and I went on our first date ;) Forgot the name. Otherwise, I like Panera, Trattoria Uliveto (in Santa Maria) and the Thai Hut (cutest little old asian lady works there).
Items of clothing: Shoes (especially cute boots), dresses, and cozy sweaters.
Animal: Kitties-big and small :)

Musicians: Phil Wickham, Norah Jones, Jack Johnson, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Coldplay, Alison Krauss, Matt Kearney, Switchfoot, Tenth Avenue North, Brandon Heath, Owl City, The Civil Wars, Mumford & Sons, etc....so many.

Type of Music: classical, celtic, worship, mellow, jazz, swing/big band and some country (since my husband loves it so much...it's starting to rub off)
Songs: "Love Never Fails" by Brendan Heath-the song I walked down the aisle to. "Better Together" by Jack Johnson, "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones, "Divine Romance" by Phil Wickham, "Fly Me to the Moon", by Frank Sinatra, "Vanilla Twilight" by Owl City, "Simple Love", Alison Krauss, etc. etc.

Movies: Pride & Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility (pretty much anything Jane Austen) Sweet Home Alabama, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Princess Bride, Freedom Writers, Thumbelina (childhood fav), Life is Beautiful, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Casablanca, A Walk to Remember, The Terminal, A White Christmas, Elf...and tons of old classics.

TV Shows: The Office, Downton Abbey, Star Trek (I've only seen the original and Next Gen so far), Lost, Heroes, Merlin, etc.
Actors/Actresses: Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Jackman, Leonard Nimoy (Spock!!), Tom Hanks, Will Smith, Hilary Swank, Michael Caine, etc.
Books: The Bible, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, Anne of Green Gables series, The Hobbit, The Help, Little Women, and mystery novels.
Games: Scrabble, card games, badminton, bocce ball
Season: Autumn 
Sport: Camping, hiking, outdoorsy stuff (not so much into other sports) :)
Activities/Hobbies: photography, traveling, hiking/exploring, reading, writing, crafting, baking, going for walks with my hubby.
Foreign Accents: Irish and Australian
Memories: Camping trips with my family, Being at the hospital when my youngest brother was born (Luke) and getting to put on his first diaper, working as a camp counselor at Camp kearney for two summers, the first time J.D. told me he loved me, when he proposed, and of course I have to say our wedding day. :)

Have you ever?
Broken a bone? Nope...hope I never do.
Dyed your hair? I've dyed it light brown and different shades of blonde, as well as a red/Strawberry blonde. :)
Been to Disneyland? Disneyworld? Disneyland, two or three times, but last time was in 2001 or 2002??
Screamed during a scary movie? haha. I usually jump more than scream...but I will admit I screamed while watching "The Grudge" a few years ago.
Been to a professional sporting event? Quite a few baseball games (Angels, Dodgers, TX Rangers, Cardinals, Cubs, Rockies)
Ridden in a limo? Once, for a funeral :( I hope to go in one for a happier occasion someday :) 
Fired a gun? A bb gun, and also a rifle and magnum (I shot clay pidgeons and a pumpkin lol)
Gotten a tattoo? Nope...I hate needles :(
Had Braces? For a year and a half, in 6th and 7th grade. fun times.
Taken a dance class? I took jazz and hip hop in 8th grade/freshman year.

Random nonsense.
My bedtime: Usually whenever I fall asleep during a movie haha... typically between 10-11 PM.
Chocolate or vanilla: Usually chocolate :)
Pet peeves: Random socks left where they shouldn't be (ask JD lol), and clutter...probably a few more but those are the big ones.
What brings me joy: Surprise blessings, nature, exciting weather, sunsets, picnics, tea parties, children, genuine hugs, hand-written notes, laughing so hard it hurts, soft kitties, warm drinks on a cold day, long heartfelt talks.
Dislikes: Coffee, mosquitoes, wet socks, hangnails, itchy sweaters, boring weather...and when my feet fall asleep.
Fears: Needles/anything sharp. Being in crowded places. And of course, spiders.
States I've lived in: California, Texas, and Illinois. 
States I've visited: New Mexico, Colorado, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, and maybe a few more that I'm forgetting :) 
Countries I've been to: Mexico, 3 times. Twice for missions trips, and then the 3rd time for my honeymoon cruise :) 
States I'd like to visit: Alaska, Hawaii, Boston, Maine, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Washington, The Carolinas, Wyoming. 
Which country would you most like to visit?: Ireland :) Though Switzerland, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Italy, Bali, Jamaica, China and India are a few others at the top of my list. 
Any goals you'd like to achieve in the next year? Learn how to drive stick shift, develop my etsy store more, and get a kitty! haha...that last one prob won't happen :(

3 Things You May Be Surprised To Know About Me
1. I have a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth (it's hidden though)
2. I ate a chocolate-covered cricket at my bachelorette party and it tasted like a Crunch Bar.
3. I rapped a song about my brother (John) on stage for a camp skit three summers ago.

5 Things I'd like to do Before I Die
1. Write a book
2. Travel the World
3. Take a Dance Class with my husband
4. Own a ranch/farm
5. Have a daughter :) Sons too...but I really would love at least one daughter.
     
Well, Kudos to you if you read through all of that...I hope you learned something new about me. :) If anyone would like to fill this same survey out and email it to me or post it in a comment, I'd love to see your answers as well!

If I don't post something more before Christmas, then I wish everyone the happiest Christmas and a blessed new year. :)

Ciao for now,
Anna

Take Heart and Bend a Knee.

"....In this world you WILL have trouble. BUT TAKE HEART ! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

This is one of my favorite verses (and most easily remembered) from when I worked as a camp counselor at Camp Kearney, for the summers of 2009 and 2010. It has grown to be a comfort verse for me, whenever I question the cruelty of the world we live in. 

We live in a fallen world. Yes, God sent his only son to die for our sins, but that wasn't the end of sin. Jesus died for ALL sins-past, present and future. Because we live in a world that is plagued with this disease called sin, there will be pain, there will be disappointments, devastations, and death. We are constantly reminded of this, by our own sinful nature, as well as the sinful nature of others. Just turn on the news. J.D. and I don't have t.v. right now, but we keep up to date with headlines by way of Facebook or some other online source. 

Today, while I was checking my Facebook and reading fun posts about how incredible "The Hobbit" was (for those who were lucky enough to go to the midnight premiere) I began seeing startling posts pour in, about news of an elementary school shooting in Connecticut. How awful that we live in such a "free and safe" country and yet we are just as prone to such horrific acts of sin such as school shootings. 

I remember all of the fire and earthquake drills my classmates and I experienced while in my schooling years. One day in high school, an alarm went off which ended up being the real deal-we were having an earthquake! I don't remember how big it was on the Richter Scale, but I do remember feeling that one. It shook us all up a bit, from what I recall. Sometime in my 8th grade year (or maybe freshman year of H.S.) there was another big quake, which I remember quite clearly. I was at one of my friend's homes with a bunch of other girls, making christmas caroling books. We were having a fun time, unsuspecting of what was to come. Not until my friend's Christmas tree started to shake vigorously (after determining that it wasn't her cats haha), did we notice that something wasn't quite right. We ended up finding out from my friend's parents that this was in fact an earthquake, and then they proceeded to guide us to a safe place to wait it out. My brother John was babysitting our two younger brothers, Seth and Luke that day, and was wise enough to rush my brothers outside during the quake. Most startling of all, was that we found out that our mom had been in the grocery store at the time of the quake, and just happened to be looking for some wine for a recipe (Who would want to be in the wine aisle during a quake??) She said that bottles started to fall all around her and break, but she was thankfully not harmed. While in Texas, my family and I witnessed many thunderstorms, an ice storm or two, and even a few tornadoes. These were all frightening times, though I did enjoy the exciting weather aspect ;)  All of these events were only natural disasters, which everyone will experience in some form at some point in their lives-it's one of those inevitable things which we can't control. 

Sin is also inevitable. When we hear about such awful events, like school shootings, we can be certain that sin was involved. These shooters didn't just randomly wake up and decide that they would spend their day destroying lives. This took plotting and planning, with their main motivating factor being sin. Satan may have been whispering in their ear, but it was still men who chose to carry out these sinful acts. We often hear of these shooters ending their lives after they've committed their monstrosity. I wonder if this is because they know that they wouldn't be able to live with their sin, guilt, and shame...especially after ending the short-lived lives of children. I believe I've been given a heart for children, and so whenever I hear stories of children being aborted, abused, or killed I am full of grief. Children are such precious gifts! And After talking to my mom today, I know she feels the same (she works at an elementary school with children around the same age as the ones affected by the shooting). 

All this said, we can still find comfort in knowing that our God is sovereign as well as omniscient (God is all-knowing) and omnipresent (God is everywhere) . He desires for us to fall at our knees and seek his love, protection, and guidance. This is what I believe we are called to do in times of distress, tragedy, and hopelessness. We may be heart-broken, shocked, angered, and disgusted by the tragic events which occur in our society (particularly when they are full-blown, such as a school shooting). We wonder how a human being could commit such an act? We wonder if they are heartless or even if they are possessed? We see these people as low, inhuman, and cruel. God loves these people just as much as he loves the righteous (who also inevitably sin). God views sin as being all the same. I am not saying that we should take shootings lightly or that we should disregard the feelings of those directly involved. 2 Corinthians 1:4 says:

"He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 

1 Corinthians 12:26 also says:

"If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together."

I believe it's important to follow God's command of showing others' comfort in times of turmoil. Though 1 Corinthians 12:26 is mostly referring to members of the body of Christ, I feel this is a good picture for us to reflect upon when we are dealing with all people. We are called to set an example of Christ's love, and teach his good word, are we not? So, when we see that others are afflicted, we should tell them how we "take heart" and trust in the Lord for comfort when we are downcast. In addition, we can share that our God has conquered the world-he is bigger than all evil. If others see that we have a God we can depend upon and seek peace from in times of trouble, then we are honoring God. 

I am truly saddened for those affected by the school shooting in Connecticut, and my prayers and thoughts go out to them. I do hope they are able to seek comfort from the only one who can truly take away their pain.

Remember, that the best action in these hard times is to take heart and bend a knee.

Blessings,
Anna

Marriage: What I've learned so far

This past Sunday was our 6 month anniversary (I know...big whoop!) but I must say I am thrilled that we are halfway to completing our first year of marriage!

I thought I'd celebrate this "milestone" by sharing a few lessons that I've learned in the past 6 months of marriage. Hopefully I can continue to add onto this list as the months and years go by :) As I am finding out, marriage is like going to school...you learn every day!

1. Marriage is NOT about striving for your own happiness.

I believe one of marriage's strongest foes/challenges is selfishness. In one the most popular love chapters of the bible, 1 Cor 13, it is written "love is not self-seeking".This means that we should not see marriage as a way to gain something, but rather to give to our spouse. I read somewhere once that said something along the lines of "in order to be completely selfless, we are to die to ourselves every day." Putting your spouse's needs before your own can be such a challenge, because we are wired to be selfish beings. I have been blessed with a husband who has a heart for serving, and he encourages me by showing me love in this way. 

2. Honesty Is Always The Answer.

One of the greatest blessings of marriage, in my opinion, is having a partner who you can share your greatest joys, hopes, fears, beliefs and dreams with. Someone you can bear your soul to.  I don't believe God's design for marriage was ever for spouses to withhold things from one another. 

J.D. and I started out our dating relationship with hand-written letters, skype chats, and Scrabble games over the internet. We were in a long-distance dating relationship (he was in California and I was in Illinois) for about 4 months, and in that period of time we were able to talk about a lot of our past experiences. I've heard some marriage counselors suggest that past experiences/failings don't necessarily need to be discussed in detail, but J.D. and I went for the opposite approach- laying it all out on the table. Bearing our hearts. Now, I don't know if this is the best approach for everyone, but I know that this was one of the best times of our relationship. I'm a huge sucker for vulnerability. I always feel closest to those who have shared things with me which they only share with a select few. I like to call these kindred spirits. 

I first knew I loved J.D. when he gave me his journal which he had written in over the past few years prior to dating me. Though I can't tell you what all I learned in these pages, I will say it's one of the best gifts I've ever been given. It truly was one of the first times a man had ever shared the deepest parts of his heart with me. I read this journal on the airplane trip home, after flying out to California to visit J.D. When I opened that journal, and began reading J.D.'s heart, I was in tears and knew that I loved this man. This is one reason I decided to moved to California a few months later. I was intrigued! This man was looking more and more like marriage material. 

All that said, J.D. and I both deeply appreciate honesty with one another. It's hard sometimes, like in instances where we don't want to hurt the other's feelings. However, we always feel the deepest connection when we have been honest with one another. Honesty really is a beautiful choice offered to all of us, and I think if more couples chose it there would be less suffering in relationships.

I will gladly encourage couples who I come across, to choose honesty daily. I couldn't imagine beginning a marriage without honesty as a core value!

3. Men Are From Mars, Women are from Venus

Simply put, men and women are designed differently. One of life's many mysteries are the differences between men and women. The fun thing for J.D. and I has been figuring out our similarities and learning to appreciate and love one another's differences. At times, the difficulty in having gender differences is that we may misunderstand one another. For example- Sometimes when I'm upset or discouraged, I just need to vent, but J.D. will go into "Mr. Fix-It" mode and offer solutions (when I just need him to listen). This is one of the most classic misunderstandings between men and women. If some alien life force were really out there (yes, I have been watching way too much Star Trek lately), they would probably pick up on this right away. We, however, may have a more difficult time realizing this at first. An easy solution in these kinds of situations would be to just be honest (see how important honesty is??) and let your spouse know what your needs are. And keep in mind...that marriage is about learning one another. No one will know every little thing about their partner, even if they've been married 100 years!

4. Laugh It Off

Ever hear that "Laughter is the best medicine"? Well, I've found that there are many times when this is too true! If I'm having an off day or am finding myself under a lot of stress, J.D. will find a way to make me laugh or get my mind off things. (Unfortunately, he has found that I am quite ticklish too, which he gladly takes advantage of whenever possible :P). We've both found that laughter really does lighten things up, and even when we are dealing with something hard we can joke about the prospect of "laughing about it later". 

5. It Takes Two

Accepting and understanding that you are a sinner marrying a sinner, is one of the best steps you can take towards having a healthy marriage. Not only is it important to acknowledge that you are flawed and have sinned and will continue sinning in the future; it is crucial that you accept that your spouse is just as much a sinner as you are. You will both mess up, you will both let one another down. NO WOMAN OR MAN IS PERFECT and should never be expected to be so. So, ladies...Sorry to break this to you, but there is no perfect prince charming out there. I fondly refer to J.D. as "My sweet prince" at times, lovingly knowing that he is as much a sinner as I am. Pretty basic, I know...but so very important! Of course, grace is a beautiful thing, and we can show love by giving one another grace when we mess up (also an important lesson!)

As I said before, marriage is a beautiful learning experience which God offers us. I am so grateful for the wonderful partner I've been given and I look forward to continuing to grow in my love and understanding towards him.

I shall end with a few collages of my favorite highlights/moments of the past 6 months:  

June 9, 2012 We tied the knot! :) 

Honeymoon- 7 Day Mexican Riviera Cruise

First big move (To Bakersfield), First T-giving trip to Big Bear with JD's family, & First Xmas as a married couple! Our favorite places to go in Bako are the $1 theatre across the street and the Riverwalk (see sunset pic)

And lastly...a few of our favorite cooking/baking creations over the last couple of months :) 

Ciao for now! :)

Anna

Man Will Always Disappoint

I'm going to take a brief interlude from my "keys to modesty" series, and write on something that has been impressed upon my heart. 

Lately, I have been dealing with facing and accepting a lot of other peoples' sins. I've realized that, in the past, I've tended to put people on a pedestal (which is always a danger). I wanted to see the best side of them and not really see them as the sinful beings that we all are. In the past year or so, however, I've been disappointed by many people. Disappointment is a hard thing to deal with, I'm finding. 

Today, I felt God was placing this truth on my heart- man will always disappoint. This is a result of sin. Because men and women will always sin here on this earth, they will disappoint us. The pedestal is fading, and I am beginning to see things more clearly. I think maybe this is a way that God is bringing me closer to him. He wants me to trust and rely on him fully... I can't trust and rely on men completely because they are going to disappoint us with their sin. 

This is a painful process for me, since I've spent most of my life looking to man for trust and security, as well as acceptance, love and comfort. When someone lets me down (especially due to an act of sin), I am crushed. Devastated. My world feels like it's crumbling. How could this person do such a thing? Don't they know the pain they're causing? 

Sin is a painful thing. It always will be. There are some days where it is so very hard for me to be alive in this world. Evil seems to be lurking around every corner, ready to devour its prey. Sometimes this feeling can be so bad that I feel like becoming a hermit in the mountains! :) Which would be funny, because even a hermit cannot hide from sin. 

Anyway, I am hoping that I will continue to learn to look for assurance from the only one who won't disappoint me-Christ. I need to keep in mind that men will continue to disappoint me. Furthermore, I hope that I will learn how to love others who disappoint me, in a way which honors Christ. 

Hopefully I will have more to write on this subject at a later date, but that's all I have for now. :) I may compose a post on "Marriage: What I've Learned So Far" soon, so stay tuned for that. 

Have a wonderful week and best of luck to those of you with finals! 
Blessings, Anna

Keys To A Modest Wardrobe: Key #5

    Well, It has been over a month since my last post and I apologize for the wait. Daily life seems to take over sometimes (or I just can't force myself into a writing mood). For some reason, I can't wrap my head around how quickly Christmas season came this year. Most of us look forward to next Christmas, the day after Christmas is over each year. I remember feeling like that as a child. It is a wonderful time of year though surprisingly not my favorite holiday. I can certainly appreciate the true meaning of Christmas (Jesus' birth). I have fond memories of making birthday cakes for Jesus as a token of celebration for Christ's b-day on Christmas day. I love the family time, the pretty lights and decorations (the ones that aren't too "hallmark-y"), the tasty baked goods, the snow (even though that hardly exists in Cali) and being able to surprise loved ones with gifts. However, I'm not a fan of opening gifts in front of people. I know that may sound funny to some...but I definitely get more joy out of giving than receiving. I don't know, it's just hard for me to have that "happy/surprised" face when I open gifts, and some people may take that as a lack of gratitude..which proves to be awkward. I wish I could easily jump up and down or shout out non-phony exclamations of surprise/joy...but those moments rarely come for me and I can't conjure those emotions on demand. I would stink as an actress. ha. 

    Anyway, those who are closest to me (or know of my family traditions) could easily answer that my favorite holiday is St. Patrick's Day. I'm looking forward to my first year of celebrating that day as a married couple. Someday, I'd love to throw St. Patrick Day parties each year (and not an excuse-to-get-drunk kinda party)...once I figure out how to plan and throw parties without stressing about it too much ;) Oh, and if you're wondering why St. Patty's is my fav holiday? It's rather hard to pinpoint, but I've just always loved the Irish culture (my family is half-irish after all). Love the accents. Love (some of) the food. LOVE the green covered hills and everything I've heard of the country of Ireland (DEF on my bucked list to visit). I love how my family celebrated this holiday-a big traditional Irish feast, lots of green-wearing, celtic music and dancing, and a few games of hot potato. No pressures of gift receiving or giving. Just plain fun, family time where we got to celebrate our heritage. I hope my future children will love this holiday too! 

   So, now you know that my favorite holiday is not Christmas. This has nothing to do with the topic of my blog, but I guess I was in the mood to give you some random info about me! lol

   Today, I'm going to cover just #5 of the keys to a modest wardrobe. This one is really important to me, and I've got quite a bit to say about it. 

5. Know Your Body

(Dress according to your individual figure, beware of the Magnetic Mirror Syndrome and Appreciate the Way you were uniquely made.)

Key #5: Know Your Body

Let's face it- we live in a culture where body image is huge, particularly for women. It's a truth that I find very sad. Depending upon the time period, our culture tells us that we should be skinnier, curvier, taller, shorter, wear certain clothes or certain makeup, etc. etc. etc. However, we must come to know that our happiness does not depend on whether we meet these cultural goals. I believe happiness (as far as how we feel about ourselves and our bodies) can be achieved partly by accepting our bodies the way they are, and knowing how to dress accordingly. Just because you have curves, does not mean you need to wear clothes that show them off obnoxiously. If you lack curves, it does not mean you need to wear an extra padded bra (and definitely doesn't require plastic surgery!!!). If you are heavier set, then you probably don't want to wear tight-fitting clothes...but you don't need to hide under humongous clothes either. Another thing I've found, is that height matters when it comes to modesty as well. For example, I can pull off wearing a shorter skirt and still be modest...because I happen to have short legs! Girls with longer legs could wear the same skirt I'm wearing and be totally immodest. The main point is to wear clothing that fits and accentuates your body type, in a modest way. I am currently in a complex where I need to get new jeans that fit better...mine are mostly skinny jeans and are getting too tight. I HATE HATE HATE pants shopping, but for the sake of modesty I shall drag myself to find some better fitting pants in the near future. Wish me luck! :P

The Magnetic Mirror Syndrome

   God designed each of us with a beautiful, unique body that we are to use to honor him while on Earth. I don't think he smiles upon us when we "freak out" over our appearance or spend far too many minutes in the mirror (I call it the Magnetic Mirror Syndrome). I know I used to have a problem in my junior high and high school years, where I felt I needed to inspect my appearance at every possible moment. I don't know if it was the cute boys I was "needing" to impress, or if I was terribly self-conscious about how I looked (probably both, to be honest). I had a makeup compact that I would use to check my appearance in as my dad or mom drove me to school. I would check it in the bathroom, I would check it in the locker room after P.E. Even as I scoffed at all the other girls who crowded the bathroom mirrors. I even found myself trying to check my appearance in the windows around school! Not until my dad said to me in the car one morning on the way to school (while I was looking in that "magnetic" mirror again) "Anna, you look beautiful. Why do you need to keep looking in the mirror?". I felt ashamed, embarrassed, and wondered if my dad thought me the most vain person alive. Slowly, I was able to be cured of the Magnetic Mirror Syndrome. I still keep a compact in my purse, but now I don't worry as much about how I look every second of the day. I have a husband who thinks I'm beautiful, and I have a maker who does as well. I don't NEED to impress others with how I look anymore. It's nice to have those days where you just feel pretty and confident or you have a fun new outfit to wear for the day...but truly, that's not what life is all about. Beware the magnetic mirror syndrome! 

   Knowing your body encompasses both knowing what kinds of clothes your body looks best in and most MODEST in, as well as knowing that you are beautiful the way you were made. 

"For you created my inmost being; you 

knit me together in my mother's womb."

Psalms 139:13

How beautiful is that? I've always held this verse dear to my heart and go back to it when I'm struggling with my self-image. God had a special design for EACH of us, before we even breathed our first breath. He knew how we would look at each stage in our life, and his love never falters... no matter how ugly we may think ourselves. HE KNITTED us together. I know how to knit, but I only know one stitch. I know there are hundreds of different stitches and patterns out there, but I've stuck to my simple, comfortable stitch which my grandmother taught me years ago. Can you imagine how many "Knitting" patterns God has?? He had an Anna Christine pattern all ready, before I was even in my mother's womb. And as I grew in my mother's womb, he was knitting my pattern and creating me into a breathing creation. SO amazing. I can't wait to see what patterns God comes up with for my future children. Isn't it almost like we are offending God when we think ourselves ugly? Would we tell an artist that his painting is ugly or a photographer that his picture sucks? Okay, maybe some of us would...haha. My point is, how differently would we think about our appearance if we saw ourselves through God's own eyes-as a beautiful, unique masterpiece which he knit together out of pure love? Wow. I know that this truth really convicts me and encourages me to change my thought patterns. 

I want to leave you with this beautiful song, which I heard while at a Mercy Me concert a few years ago. It brought tears to my eyes, when the lead singer said he'd written this for his own daughters. It's so sweet and such pure, simple truth.

The song is titled "Beautiful" by Mercy Me

My favorite lyrics of the song: 

 "Before you ever took a breath

Long before the world beganOf all the wonders He possessedThere was one more preciousOf all the earth and skies aboveYou're the one He madly lovesEnough to die
You're beautifulYou're beautifulIn his eyes"

See the video here (Copy/Paste the link): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WnAq0o2Xl8 

*************************************************************************

Remember, you are beautiful in your maker's eyes, and he does not see you how the world does. Know your body, and appreciate that you are a beautiful creation and should dress it in a way which accentuates you in a modest way.

Cheers! :)

Anna