Been there all along?

Recently I have been getting the feeling that what at least one of my callings is staring me right in the face. In just a few short days I had lots of people coming to me with the same problem, which I then tried to figure out for them, and I felt so natural doing it.

Most people don't know this because I keep my writing to myself for personal reasons... But I have been working on a book about Depression, Self Esteem, and Worth for at least a year now (and I haven't tried to publish because i want to make sure it's at it's best before then...) and I felt a calling to write about this. Now I don't want to exclude guys in this statement but when it comes to girls self esteem is a huge hurdle to overcome! And I have friends and people I barely know telling me how they don't feel like they are beautiful or full of worth...

I personally have overcome one of the most difficult things there is, feeling I have worth. It too me a while to come to this point but I believe that any woman/girl out there can also get here.

I really enjoy helping people. Taking the focus off of myself and helping others gives me a sort of "joy rush" and I want to help more and more until I can't help anymore and then help some more! I'm not a perfect selfless person but when it comes to raising the esteem in people I am always jumping on the chance to help.

So when a girl comes to me and says;

"I must not be beautiful because no guy asks me out or flirts with me." I want to have a little chat with them. I'll admit that I do a little mental eye roll and huff when I hear this sometimes. No, I do not think they are being pathetic. The annoyance I have is in guys. Sometimes I want to say "Dear men, please stop making girls feel they are worthless just because you don't flirt with them." But I can't blame guys too much because they don't really get it. I read a book that says that when it comes to (most) guys they try to get attention for respect. BUT. When it comes to (most) girls, in my opinion, we work hard to get attention for love. Girls want to feel loved. As a friend, sister, daughter, or girlfriend, we want to feel loved in that "post" you could say. And thanks to the media that tells us only the pretty girls get picked by guys we have this mental image that if guys aren't lining up to be with you, you aren't beautiful! NOTHING IS FARTHER FROM THE TRUTH! Just because you don't get hit on when you walk down the street doesn't mean you're ugly! I put up a barrier of confidence when I walk without a male friend with me. Why? Because you put off guys because most of the time they don't see you as a "easy target"

Guys that hit on random girls and date somebody different every other week are guys who go for "easy" and that's one of the many reasons why girls don't get hit on when they are so beautiful. Being insecure makes you like a fish in a barrel, easy catch.

There are so many other reasons but I don't want to get into them right now.

To continue from the beginning though, I keep coming upon girls who have problems that I address and show how to fix in the book I am working on. And I think this may be God pushing me to finish it and that part of my calling is to help people who have these issues... I'll just continue to pray about it and see.

And always remember that we are fearfully and wonderfully made!

-Keeping the Faith,

C.A.M

Valley girl? NO. Girl? Yes.

Femininity. Lately this has become somewhat of a sensitive subject. When I look around these days women are getting less and less feminine. And if you are a feminine person you can get put down and people get upset at you for it as if you're "lowering women" by acting like one. Man and Woman, both are equal just different.

I've always been somewhat of a "tomboy" and I still am at heart. I spent most of my time with my brother doing "guy things" and it got comfortable to do them, hang out with guys more so than girls, and really just preferred to be a guy then to act like a girl. But as I get older I grew out of it a little. I still hang out with guys and play video games and do all the sort of things a normal guy would, but I got to terms that I am a girl. And as I get older I am more and more a "woman" and am striving to be a woman of God. Or as I like to say "A Proverbs 31 Woman." If you haven't read Proverbs 31, especially as a woman, you need to! This is one of the many places in the bible that describes a woman of godly character and who we should be to our Proverbs 32 Man. (And when 31 and 32 meet it's a perfect match!)

God created man and woman different. We have different responsibilities and purposes. We act different and look different and are meant to be that way. Men are strong and have spiritual authority to protect the household. And after the husband come the wife. She is responsible for the children, taking care of the house, preparing the food the husband supplies, (and back then in charge of the servants) Women think this is degrading today. That women are superior and that they should be above the man of the house. And I don't think this. Women should respect their husbands and understand that God put them in authority above them. Just as children respect their parents woman respect their husbands. The man is the head of the house isn't just a cliché , it's reality. And if there is no man in the house, which is unfortunately common these days, the Mother/Wife is in charge.

Women also have a maternal instinct which is stronger then mens. Even animals who are girls have this. The mother polar bear takes care of the young and the father, if he's hungry enough, will eat the child if the mother doesn't protect it! Or when you hear about lions taking in pigs for their own children. I always thought I lacked this but in the end I was wrong, I just hadn't really "grown into it" yet. Women are the gentle kind hearted ones and that's just how it is. I don't squeal when I see a baby like most girls but when it comes down to it I have a very strong instinct to protect children. And once I started to spend more time with kids I found that I also has a maternal instinct. I wanted to take care of them and couldn't help myself! I feel this way towards most everyone, old and young, but when it comes to kids I find that each day I want to care for them more and more! I won't go into that too much though...

Also back in bible times it was the woman who named the children. When she gave birth she would look at the child and speak their name to them. This just sort of became a custom if you will of the Israelites. And what they were named effected their lives! And it still is this way today! When you get a name it does effect how your life is and that used to be up to the mother. Women have so many things that we are in charge of and that are important for us to do and I've been seeing that we are rejecting these God given gifts!

Now I do think women are equal to men. We should make the same money for the same jobs and I do think we are equal in all of those ways. BUT. There are still things men are naturally better at and there are things women are naturally better at. Men about 8 out of 10 are stronger then women. Women are more agile. That's the way we are built. In the end I think that women should be feminine and act like women. I'm still tough. I still have that tomboy in me. But I've come to respect my body and self as a woman. I embrace the things about me that make me distinctly woman. And wearing skirts and walking gracefully and having polite manners are things I try to work on every day. And people may put me down for being "girly" , but I am a girl! I'm aiming to be like the classy women of yesteryear and a Proverbs 31 woman of God.

And when people tell you that we are superior to men, we aren't, sorry. And we can wear pants, but why not wear skirts? When you dress like a girl you feel and act like one. And who ever said that's a bad thing?

Oh, and one more thing. Women are tougher then men in some aspects. Let's just say that men don't give birth and leave it at that? And when you are cooking all the time you get buff, I know this for a fact! And God also says for husbands to respect their wives. and as they say in My Big Fat Greek Wedding,

"The man is the head of the house, but the woman is the neck!"

-Keeping the faith,

C.A.M