thursday.

Remember this: behind the skinny actress with the Oscar win; behind the joke you think is stupid; behind the girl with reputation that is falling apart in public; behind the tears of the girl being bullied and the harsh words of the mean girl who bullies her; behind the woman at the Food Lion who scans the cereal and the man sitting in the Oval Office—behind all of those images that people craft for themselves, there is a person, seen by God, created in his image, and longing to be loved and accepted. Just like you. No matter what their reputation, no matter what image they so desperately want to show you, there is a person. Don’t forget to see them.

--Emily P. Freeman, Graceful

I'm back from my unannounced, self-imposed blogging hiatus, and wanted to share this beautiful excerpt from one of my favorite books with you. Hope you have a beautiful Thursday.


xoxo,

Ireland

Popular Culture

I find it saddening that so many celebrities today are exploiting their bodies and acting as if it's cool.

These people are at the forefront of popular culture.

They have enormous influence.
 
And they're wasting it.

Thoughts on Strong.

A right sidekick

I have been involved in martial arts on-and-off for the last several years, and so far, it has not transformed me into a supremely disciplined, indefatigable version of my former self. In fact, sometimes I get to class and barely have the willpower to stand and say our pledges. But somehow, there hasn’t been a class yet where I had to bow out. There are times when I think I just can't do it, but I know deep inside (sometimes, I have to dig deeper than others) that I am not as fragile as I feel.

My first time using a bo staff



Sparring with my instructor

 

My New Blue Belt

 

I am strong. Not because I don’t have weaknesses, but because God is alive in me, and I have everything I need to pull from in Him.

I don’t want to be the kind of person who gives up when something bad happens. Because bad things will happen. Anyone can keep going when life is flowing smoothly… but what about when it’s not?

 

I cannot count the times I have failed to put forth my best in difficult situations, but I keep going. I keep trying. I keep seeking, even if I'm only inching my way forward. My progress is slower than I would like it to be, but sometimes I just have to relax and let it go.

 

I am not perfect. But I believe in a God who is. In Him I am strong, and through Him I am getting stronger.

 

Instead of letting my problems overtake me today, I am going to try to lean into God a little more, because He is all the strength that I need.

 

He's all that you need too. And that's a promise.

 

Love,

Ireland

 

 

 

Thoughts on Cozy.

Today I was reading one of my favorite blogs (written by Nancy Rue) and she posed several questions about the "longing to belong" and what "cozy" looks like. Here is my response.

 Cozy is my family gathered around a wood-burning fireplace. Listening to my favorite music. Rereading the Lily books. Dancing while my dad plays guitar. Beautiful clothes that don't get in the way while I'm doing things. Seeing the beach for the first time in six months. Conversation that flows like water.

It is an inner warmth that comes from feeling close to love. It is a clear conscience, a new slate, a tingly feeling that starts in your soul and spreads all the way throughout your body. It is letting God be God and being who you were truly made to be. It is honest but safe. It is belonging. It is unaffected and there is not mask to cover it up. Cozy.

I don't feel cozy all that often. But there are moments, here and there, a few seconds where I laugh and forget about my problems or I embrace the exquisiteness of God a little bit more. Mostly it feels like a process, like I'm getting closer to it but I'm not quite there yet.
 
Oh, how I long for coziness in relationships. To me that sounds close to perfection. I have a few friends that I catch glimpses of it with, and I don't appreciate it enough because I'm obsessed over wanting more. I'm moving in two weeks to a new city, and I'll be going to a public high school for the first time... I so want to meet some girls and guys that I can have close friendships with.
 
Because that is part of the essence of cozy. Closeness.

Feeling alone in a crowd is the opposite of cozy, which is basically how I felt in middle school. The loneliness was overwhelming and the not-wanting-to-live feeling was much too painful. I went into survival mode, and life was just so hard. I don't ever want to feel that way again. I have Jesus, and because of Him I am not alone, even when it feels that way. I want to hug that truth around the nakedness of my soul and believe it with every fiber of my being.

That is cozy. And that is unshakable. And that is what I want.

Stronger.

I have lost some of my shine in the whole growing-up process. Who hasn't? I am way more confused and skeptical than I used to be. My heart has been bruised. My confidence has been shaken. I have been so full of fear that for a while my life was more about getting through than living.

But there is this beautiful thing called healing. God is healing all my scars and making me stronger. He is restoring me. And while the hard times aren't fun, in the end God is going to make me more whole than I ever was.

He wants to do the same for you. He wants to make you stronger.

You just have to let him.


 

Introduction to Style: Health and Beauty Basics

The Basics: What so many girls can benefit from knowing.

In this post, my plan is to talk about how to take care of your appearance, mainly in regards to what culture calls "health and beauty". Why is your appearance important? For one, God wants us to take care of ourselves. Two, we as Christians should take care that we present ourselves in an honorable way, remembering who we represent. Three, it's fun. And four, if we are passionate about something (including fashion/beauty/etc.), we can and should use that passion for Jesus!

I'm not saying you should spend more than ten minutes getting ready in the morning, and I'm not saying you shouldn't. That's best left up to you and God. My goal is for this post to give you...

• a comprehensive overview of how to simply keep yourself well-groomed (not including clothing-- that will be tomorrow's post)

What You Will Need (listed in order of priority).

• Healthy food and clean water.
• Clothing.
• Space to run or work out.
• Body soap.
• Toothbrush and toothpaste.
• Sunscreen
• Something to tame your locks (brush/pick/comb), depending on hair type.
• Face cleanser and face lotion.
• Fingernail clippers and an emery board. Optional: plastic cuticle stick
• Bath sponge, body lotion

{See, it's a simple list-- I absolutely do not think you need to wear makeup and use five hair products every morning. One of the only necessary things we should adhere to in regards to fashion/beauty is keeping ourselves clean and decent.}

STEP ONE: Eat good-for-you foods. (80/20 is a good ratio to consider. You know, eat healthy eighty percent and eat treats for twenty percent of the time. My mom is a health educator by degree; you might find some great tips on her blog.)

STEP TWO: Drink enough water that your pee is always either light yellow or clear. (I'm not being gross; this is science.)

STEP THREE: Exercise regularly, even if for just fifteen minutes a day. They say that kids need one hour and adults need thirty minutes daily, but something is better than nothing. Remember, the goal is simply to be healthy, so once you get in your ideal shape, just try to maintain it. Some simple ideas include running, walking, doing exercises like push-ups and sit-ups, and buying a couple of workout videos. I have one dance video that I've done probably six times and I'm still not bored of it because it's a lot of fun.

STEP FOUR: Take regular showers/baths. Once every other day is probably sufficient, but figure out what works for you. Use a bath sponge on tough areas like your elbows and feet to get the dirt/calluses off. Apply body lotion or sunscreen (depending on if you bathe in the morning or at night) and whenever your skin feels dry.

STEP FIVE: Brush your teeth after you eat breakfast and before you go to bed. Use mouthwash if necessary, and floss once a day.

STEP SIX: Wash your face when you wake up and use a little lotion to moisturize. Apply sunscreen each morning. Before bed, wash your face again and put on a more lotion. (Tip: Don't use body products on your face-- use facial products, which are designed for the more delicate facial skin.)

STEP SEVEN: Keep your hair under control by brushing it in the morning before you leave the house and then again before bed.

STEP EIGHT: Clip and file your finger- and toenails regularly. You don't have to get professional mani-pedis to have nice hands and feet: just keep your nails even in length, your cuticles pushed back (either with a plastic cuticle-stick or with your fingers), and remove your polish when it starts to look ragged.

Keyword: Well-groomed.

Okay, confession: I do not live up to this post. I only wash my face about half the time I should, I rarely ever floss, and my toenail polish is flaking off as we speak. But for the last week or so I have really been trying to do the majority of what I listed here. Want to join in on the challenge? Let me know by writing I'M IN somewhere in your comment.

Also, you might want to save this list and then alter it to fit you and your lifestyle. I used to have a list that I based off of Nancy Rue's The Skin You're In and I taped it to my bookcase, where I saw it on a regular basis. Just an idea!

Comment with any questions, ideas, and suggestions you have on health, beauty, and fitness in general.

Also, let me know what else you would like to see in the "Introduction to Style" series!

xoxo,

Ireland

P.S. Part Two of the Basics post will be posted tomorrow, and it will focus on clothes. This post focused on hygiene/beauty stuff. Also, in case it was insinuated yesterday that this series was purely about fashion, please know that it is not! It is about how to take care of your appearance, from a Christian perspective, and some of the first things to know when it comes to style. I will probably focus on fashion the most, but we're starting from the ground up here, and that means starting with health.

Perspective

If everyone on earth had access to nutritious food, clean water, and healthy living conditions, the world would be a drastically different place than it is now. We take these things for granted, but in reality they are luxuries. They are amazing blessings. And in addition to them, I know I for one have plenty of clothing, several different kinds of soaps, little tools made for the express purpose of cutting my nails.....


So, to those of my readers have access to all of life's necessities and many amenities as well, like I do, I just want us all to remember how blessed we are and to remember to appreciate what we have. The things we consider basic, other people may only dream of having.

I do not think it's wrong to like fashion, to buy pretty clothes and nice makeup,  etc. I think God has made all of us unique and placed us in different walks of life. Maybe so we will reach different people. There may be some of us who are called to sell everything we own and become missionaries in the streets of an impoverished city, and some of us may be called to enter the design world to reach the people at Paris Fashion Week.

A lot of what God wants us to do is black-and-white (don't use His name in vain) but some is not (this college would not be a healthy environment for me). My best advice would just be to direct you to God and take His advice for you... on everything, from how much time you put in your appearance to how much you spend on clothes... everything. And let me tell you, I do NOT have it figured out. I'm still not sure exactly how this applies to me. I just know it's the truth, and I believe it.

Let's keep all this in the forefront of our minds as we continue on this blogging journey together.

In love,
Ireland