LIVE IT OUT! — Sarah Francis Martin

Alright friends! We made it through the “dreaded” Stress Point: Body Image (insert duh duh duuuuuuh-scary music). Just kidding. I am so very proud of you girls for opening up and allowing God to work some things out in you this week. I pray that He will continue to do so in the weeks to come.

**If you are new, please feel free to join in on the conversation! We’ve got a great group here that is super interactive and encouraging. Sign up for the Stress Point Online study in the sidebar =======>

**ALSO! Head on over to the LIVE IT OUT! Facebook page to continue the conversation and post encouragement, prayer requests, etc. I hope this page will be interactive and a good community for you!

 

Before we get into why I titled this post You Are Not Alone, I want to give you our next Bible memory verse. Our friend Meg helped me pick it out and I’m super glad she picked this one as it is my inspiration for my ministry. Drum roll please….

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. {Hebrews 4:16 ESV}

Pick your favorite translation and get started on memorizing this one. You will see it with in Stress Point as well.

 

It is my hope that this week in addition to letting God do some work on your body image, that you would come to a real understanding that YOU ARE NOT ALONE in feeling the way you do about your body. In some way or another, most women have issues. This a huge revelation to me and makes me feel like I’m not as weird or paranoid as I think I am. I’m not the only one in the world who lives in the dark spaces of my brain and picks apart the beautiful creation that my God fashioned by hand.

I had a major light bulb moment in this regard when reading When Beauty Pursues You by Elora Nicole.

 

This is a short little jewel of an E-book but it is HUGE in impact. Elora Nicole shares her real and raw struggles with finding beauty in herself and shares just WHO pursued her and healed her heart. As I clicked through the pages of this e-book, Elora Nicole’s beautifully crafted words enlighted me on feelings so deep down in my heart and mind (feelings that I’d not addressed in years). I want to share a few words with you from When Beauty Pursues You. I know this will touch your heart as it did mine. (Excerpt used with permission by Elora Nicole)

in so many ways, i’m still so broken. i know this. i feel it. i’m still learning how to give voice to the little girl inside – even though she struggles so often to find words. my whole life, i’ve allowed my heart’s eyes to open and see those hurting. i’ve had an automatic empathy with deep brokenness. probably because i sensed it in myself but wasn’t willing to look.

heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen means something completely different when it’s your heart going through the cleansing process of the Refiner’s fire. your eyes see something altogether beautiful and grotesque when they turn inward on the hidden wounds that left unchecked, turn into slums of the heart. this is when you know only He can bind your wounds.

this is when you realize this High Priest who knows our weakness and experienced rejection on the deepest level is not ignorant of the harsh reality we live. and sitting here, heart quieting down to a dull roar, i understand He waits for me to catch His eye. let me help you. let me hold you through this. I know this pain – I know the haunting.

 

Isn’t that so raw…so revealing…so relevant? Be sure to check out Elora Nicole’s blog and be sure to purchase your copy of her book When Beauty Pursues You.

Elora Nicole is super generous and giving away a digital copy of her ebook!  All I want you to do to enter to win is make a declaration. We started the declaration this week when we named ONE thing we love about our body. Make a declaration that puts focus off of yourself and onto your KING as I talk about in Finding Focus section Stress Point: Body Image. I want us to push our limits and make some heart changes.

Leave a comment with your declaration to be entered into the giveaway.