Body Image

I think body image is something a huge percent of people struggle with, girls in particular. I have had one of my very best friends struggle with annorexia and bullemia. She went away for several months to an institution to be treated. Little does she knowher problem has probably saved me from my own. Body image is something very difficult to deal with. There are very fine lines that cross from just wanting to be more in shape or unhealthy ideas about yourself. It breaks my heart when beautiful girls can't see the beauty everyone else see's, but it is a tragedy when girls lose their identity of who they are in Christ because they are so consumed with the lies in their head about how they look. I know the struggle, I have been there in a small way, but I have heard those lies and I have also learned that God can conquere them. It is such a common thing these days, yet the feelings are real. Girls are torn apart by this "common" condition. We need to be careful and make sure our culture doesn't start recognizinga girl struggling with eating disorders as "the norm." Pay attention to the little things, you may help someone more than you had expected. Be the one person they need to start winning the battle.

Genocide

What do you even say about this? Rather than there being nothing to say about this topic, there is all most TOO much to say that I can't think of anything worthy of representing my thoughts on this terror. Genocide is ridiculous. There is NOTHING Biblical about genocide. The only time anything like this has happened was when God was purifying the Israelites to be his people and that was genuinely ordered by God. How could you kill a single human being? How could you ever get to the point where lives mean absolutely nothing to you so that you could kill them in masses and never even wince? What a clever devil satan is. People must be blind and have their hearts hardened to the core to think that they are so superior to others that killing them out of existence is the answer. I cannot even imagine seeing a person get shot, but enormous numbers is unimaginable. It makes me think of how important it is to catch these things early. Appreciating peoples' diversity on even the smallest level is a great place to start. Jesus made all people. Yes, people may have different beliefs, but just because we don't agree with those beliefs, doesn't mean we cannot still love the person.

Alcohol

I don't drink.
I don't desire to get drunk.
I can find other ways to be social with friends &/or strangers.

Drinking hasn't devestated my life in as big of a way as it has to other people. I am blessed very much in that way. However, it has been something that came between my very best friend, she was like a sister to me, and I the summer before college.
My friend was an incredible person. She still is, I don't want to rag on here there. Yet, when she started drinking again at the end of our senior year she changed. I couldn't tell her because she couldn't see how she was any different. She claimed drinking didn't get in the way with her relationship with Christ, and she disagreed that as Christians we need to set examples. When I finally confronted her about how I thought it was becomming a problem, she got very defensive and the discussion turned into us not speaking. In the end, we were friends (acquintances more-so) but things were never really the same.

Drinking changes people slowly but surely. I just never felt right about professing to be a believe of Christ and not setting the example. Also, I'm not interested in a substance being in control of my body. I'm too afraid of the consequences to risk it.

Drinking... No thanks :)

Strengths' Negatives

God gives us strengths... yet we can also abuse our strengths into being something negative, rather than something that helps ourselves and others.

Relator---> If I spend so much time trying to get closer to my quality friends, I may lose people I am more "aquiantences" with. That may ultimately be a loss of an awesome future friendship. I may also fail to recognize a stranger that really needs a friend and/or someone to talk to.

Belief---> I believe so strongly in my morals and values and most importantly in my religion and relationship with Christ that I can become close minded to others' opinions and ideas. I also lose a lack of ambition to find out more because I already believe in what I believe in and I won't ever change that. Knowledge is power though and focusing so blindly on what I believe may shut me off from that knowledge I could acquire.

Input---> I feel a little differently about the negative side of this strength than some might. I think the downfall of it comes to me in my education. When i use this "strength" improperly, I just store the facts I need to know for homework, quizzes, tests, etc. instead of actually learning and aknowledging the facts and theories. I memorize rather than learn.

Positivity---> I'm not sure I feel there is really a concrete or solid negativity of this strength. If anything I would say that sometimes I get tired of being so positive sometimes, but when those times come I feel like I have to hold everyone else up. I get tired of being the stronghold of happiness when really I just want a break to fall apart and show how I really feel. Feeling like I have to be the example can be exhausting physically and definately emotionally... also spiritually.

Developer---> I guess the negative of this strength could be focusing too much on what improvements others could make. It could turn into thinking that no one is ever good enough if focused upon too heavily. Also, I could get so sucked in to helping others improve and strive that I forget about my own improvements to be made.

Strengthsquest

Megan Goeman

Top 5 Strengths

Relator
People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal.
Belief
People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.
Input
People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more. Often they like to collect and archive all kinds of information.
Positivity
People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious. They are upbeat and can get others excited about what they are going to do.
Developer
People strong in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.


*Examples of how these strengths work for me:
Relator: I LOVE being in close relationships with people. Family and friends are irreplaceable in the true sense of the word. There is much to be learned and much to give in these close-nit relationships. Investing in one another is so important to me.
Belief: I wish this was my first strength. I love the Lord and I want to learn to love His laws, because they were made for me as a gift to a Christ-like life. My brother-in-law Rob gave a sermon once about our sinful natures and how we should always be STRIVING TOWARDS HOLINESS... It has really stuck with me.
Input: I wish i felt like this characteristic applied to me more. I want to have a craving for knowledge, rather than feel like I should learn it or am obligated to learn it.
Positivity: I try to be a positive person. Even when things go wrong, there is always a bright side and my mom the cheerleader has really been a role-model for that. She has been around the block a few times and can still find a way to keep that smile on her face.
Developer: I love people watching. I have met various people with creative ways of getting to know and understand others and I would love to be one of those people. In no way should this be confused with being judgemental. I try to strive against my sinful nature in judging others. There of course is work to be done but I love to encourage others and build them up. It is especially important to build up people in their walk with Christ. God's plan is so complicated, enormous, and interweaving- you never know how many people your good attitude and encouragement will reach by the end of the day.

"Who am I?"

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind...

Still you hear me when I'm calling
Lord you catch me when I'm falling
And you know just who I am...
I Am Yours.


I really love this song by Casting Crowns. I actually drew it up on a sheet of notebook paper in class last year, decorated it a bit, and hung it in my locker. In between classes I would look at the paper, and it would remind me that I am made for more than this life.
There is an innumerable list of the things I am...
I am, for example,
Daughter, sister, woman/child of God, dancer, singer, sports player, slolemn skiier, sinner, joker, friend, accountability partner, the list goes on with both positive and negative things that I am. Some on purpose and some by sinful nature.
However, first and foremost I want to be a servant-hearted, Jesus freak. I love the Lord my God and I want my life to be lived not apathetically but ON purpose and WITH purpose.

I want to be a blessing to Jesus Christ. I want to bring a smile to His face each and every day. Acts 20:24