Some internet “appointments” are every bit as divinely inspired as “real life” ones. So, when I ended up at http://got2havefaith.wordpress.com a few days ago, I knew God had directed me there. I instantly thought of all of you and knew I had to ask blogger, Jeri Stunkard, about sharing her post with you all.

Jeri describes herself this way:

I am a mother to 2 beautiful daughters (ages 8 and 3) and wife for almost 14 years. I am an Ozark country girl living in the big city of Denver, Colorado…a hillbilly in the city. When I am not playing taxi driver, entertainment coordinator or top chef to my family I am working full-time as a graphic designer. I love to read (mostly biographies), travel, and document my families adventures through digiscrapbooking. I document my life, which is an ever changing journey in faith, love and the spirit that guides me.

 I pray that this post from Jeri blesses you as much as it does me! Be sure to visit her blog.

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Who Are You Going to Listen To? © Jeri Stunkard

According to them…I should be model-thin, have zero body fat, starve myself to achieve unrealistic body standards, and happiness will be mine if I just lose 30, 50, or 80 pounds.

According to Him…I am beautiful, unique & perfect whether I wear as size 20 or size 2, I was created by a master artist (the same artist who created everything in this world), happiness isn’t found in a can of Slimfast or a bottle of Xenadrin; it’s found in His grace.

According to them…My face has wrinkles, my hips are too wide & I have stretch marks, I should nip it, tuck it, plump it, lift it, lipo it, and/or fill it to obtain your idea of beauty.

According to Him…He is more concerned about the beauty in my heart & spirit rather than my body, He took special care to create me…so handle His creation with care, He wants me to be unique, original, myself and to be real.

According to them…My body is a sexual object, it can be used to sell anything from clothes, to cars, to coffee, to shampoo, my breasts are for your sexual enjoyment and fantasies therefore, you don’t want to see me feeding may baby in public with them, even if that is what they were created for!

Today little girls as young as 7 are on diets… Today young girls are “sexing it up” to sell their pop albums… Today young women never feel good enough in their own skin because they are trying to live up to the perfect airbrushed images on the cover of a magazine…

Today I want my daughters to know that they are perfect just the way they are…they are who they were meant to be.

“We have been formed by His loving hands.” Isaiah 64:8

Trying to be something we are not is telling Him that He didn’t do a good job creating us to begin with. In the end His opinion is the only one that matters. Girls, you are beautiful & bright & strong, no matter what “they” say. Because He says so. In the end I would rather my girls listen to Him rather than them. I wish I had been listening a long time ago.
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What can you to today to affirm that you believe God, that you have been formed by His loving hands? How can you cooperate with his desire to renew your mind and your thinking so that you no longer believe what the voices of magazines and advertisers tell you, but embrace, instead, what your loving Heavenly Father says is true?
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Don’t forget! We have one more book giveaway. Win a copy of the Thin Within book. Post a comment here and your name will be entered in the random drawing. Winner will be chosen Sunday night, June 13th.

Be sure to join us for our Thin Within book study beginning June 14th!