For all you 20-30 something ladies…  I would encourage you to check out http://www.radiantmag.com/.  You can sign up for a super fabulous magazine subscription, check out podcasts from interesting writers, etc., and sign up for a weekly newsletter.  Granted, “NEWSLETTER” sounds super blah and boring… but I’m excited everytime I see one listed in my inbox.  They are stories from girls walking this Christian road with us… some are funny, some are sad, some are hopeful and encouraging, but all are interesting as I continue to figure out how to best live a life pleasing to the Lord (and need all the hlep I can get).  All that to say………

Today’s newsletter was called Concious Contentment… looking at how much we have and yet still wanting more.  We live in a society that screams more is good!  Stuff equals success!  Trendy clothes make you popular!  Well, trends are constantly changing, and more stuff gets exspensive… so it’s an ongoing, never ending game of catch-up restulting in such overwhelming feelings of inadequacy and envy.  Just this morning I was standing (for what seemed like an endless amount of time) gazing at my closet and thinking, “I have nothing to wear!”  And yet I can’t even count the number of shirts, skirts, pants, sweaters, dresses, jackets, coats, pj’s, shoes, purses, bags, oh my!  And so much of it I haven’t worn in months… a few I haven’t used in years.  And yet, I emailed my mom last night about a shirt I just HAD TO HAVE!  So, where do I go from here?  Stop shopping?  Purge my closet?  Give up the dream of looking cool?  Well, I’ll take it one day at a time… taking more notice of what I don’t use and giving it away… make a concious effort to be more thankful than discontent… and keep my shopping sprees to a minimal, necessary basis, rather than a multitude of therapy sessions.  It will be a work in progress, I’m sure.

Check out this website… it’s an interesting survey of guys about their opinions of girls’ dress and modesty.  Let me know what you think about what they say!  You might be surprised.

http://www.therebelution.com/modestysurvey/

As any of my friends know… I love food.  I love cooking and trying new recipes, and find myself wondering what my next delicious meal will be.  I really try to eat healthy (most of the time)… but put me in front of some Blue Bell ice cream, Mexican food, or really anything with cheese and carbs… and I find it hard to refuse.  Probably because of this love affair, I’ve never been a size two (or four, or even six) kind of girl.  And really, that’s okay with me.  As long as I can be happy and healthy, the size isn’t what’s important. 

Of course, working with teenage girls… looks and image are always an issue.  Don’t get me wrong - I’ve had plenty of miserable moments looking into the mirror and wondering why I look this way… if only I could shave a little off here, tighten up there, tone up all over… wishing I could be skinnier and therefore, all the more beautiful.  That’s really what we all want - to be beautiful.  To be noticed.  To be accepted. 

Genesis 1:27 says that we are created in God’s image (you really think He messed up when designing you if His ultimate goal was to make you like Himself?).  Psalm 139 goes on and on about how special, wonderful, and originally we have been crafted.  Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that God has made EVERYTHING beautiful.  So, if those things are true, why do we continue to have these miserable moments?  The media wants us to believe that we have to be skinny to be pretty.  Perfect hair, expensive beauty products, and sexy clothes will give us confidence and turn heads. 

One of my favorite promises to battle these lies is found in Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV), “‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more important that food, and the body more important that clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his [or her] life?’”  Why must we base our opinions of ourselves on what everyone else looks like?  And why must we torture ourselves while looking at the perfectly touched up models and actors on tv, movies, and the magazines?  If we had all the help they did, we would look like that too, you know! 

An unhealthy body image can lead to so many dangerous things like eating disorders, excessive exercising, and depression.  Please don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed with the pressure to be thin!  Your Creator has made you beautiful, and living with THAT trust and confidence will turn more heads than you can imagine… and for more reasons than just your appearance.

If you think you might have or be on the verge of developping an eating disorder, check out these quizes I found in Lifeway’s girls Bible Study, Wild About You.  quiz-one-disordered-eating.pdf

So nice to meet you… I’m Melanie.  I go by Mel, Ms. Melanie (from my ballet students), Melanie Anne (still when I get in trouble), and “Hey, I need this done ASAP.”  I work with teenagers, and I love my job.  Specifically, I work with 6th-12th grade girls at a church and at a dance studio, and with the ladies who lead them.  I’m completely imperfect and totally wish I wasn’t.  I have so much left to experience in life, and the unknown that’s ahead excites me.  So sit back, grab some coffee, and let’s share some stories.