shine like a diamond, glitter like gold

i've got a confession to make.

when i see a blog and every photo included in the posts are picture perfect...i don't believe it.
you know. the one's where her outfit looks so well put together. her makeup is flawless. her hair is flowing locks that look like she just got it professionally done.

you can scroll and scroll but there won't be a picture of her on an "off" day. where here hair is in a pony tail and makeup is no where to be found.

i started thinking.
what good does that do?

sure she looks amazing and beautiful. but what's that really truly saying to us?
to the girl who is lucky if she puts on mascara, not because she's lazy but because makeup isn't that important to her. to the girl who hates her hair 5 days out of the week, because she has to wear it in a ponytail for work, and it never goes into a cute bun on the first try. to the girl who has tried countless beauty tutorials and just can't get the smokey eye down, without looking like she got punched. to the girl who's just doesn't have the time in the week to take a billion pictures of herself and what she wore.

it's putting a lot of pressure on me her for sure.

we live in a society that seriously demands so much of us. the way we look, the way we act, what job we have, who we marry. all these things are supposed to make us "who we are".

but i'm wondering, when did we loose sight of who we really are.

when did we become so obsessed with hiding every flaw we have, 

and finding a million different ways to cover it up. 

instead of.
well instead of embracing it.

instead of just knowing we have it and deciding that it isn't a flaw: it's what helps us to be who we are.

the problem though.
is that everyone is so focused on all the negatives, that if you're not all dolled up the "you're beautiful" comments cease to exist.
tough i know.

we've turned from beauty being what's on the inside, to what we're wearing.

i'm here to tell ya sister, that's a lie straight from satan.

we are beautiful.

every single one of us is STUNNING. in our own ways. our flaws, our quirks, our lough laughs, our laid back attitudes. it's all a part of us.

a part that God hand crafted Himself.

every inch of our bodies God designed to be the way that it is.

our birth marks. our fluffy hair. our weird fingers {or is that just me?}. our big noses. our tiny ears. our small lips. our big feet. our big hips.

all created because He knew we'd learn to love it.

there's really no sense in it all. trying to look perfect all the time.
it has got to be exhausting. 

ain't nobody got time for that. 

what if.
what if, instead of focusing so much on love for others because it's february...we focus on loving ourselves first.

love what we look like.
the imperfections and all.

i want young girls to know that they don't have to look like the magazines just to be beautiful. that they were created with a purpose, and that what happens on the inside is so much more beautiful than what goes on on the outside.

it's about who you are as a person. about what you do daily that makes you a child of God.

beauty can't be applied by a tube.
it's already in us. just waiting to get out.


i saw carrie underwood in december and fell in love with this song. and was just listening to it the other day when all these thoughts came flooding to me.
take a listen:

so what if we took it all off?

the make up, the fancy clothes. and just let the world see us for who we really are?

bold move i know.

but will you join me?

here's to letting the world really see me.

{megan}

sinner saved by grace. 

wife to the worlds best husband. 

cries at everything. 

loves dogs. 

wants to be a better photographer. 

admits when she's wrong. 

gets jealous easily. 

laughs the loudest. 

doesn't wash her hair every day. 

do you see where i'm going with this?

it's about me. knowing that although i have no makeup on, no earrings, my hair is in a bun, and there hasn't been a single edit done to this picture...i feel beautiful. 

it doesn't matter to me what other people think or might say, because i know i'm beautiful. 

do you know how beautiful you are?

if you do...show the world. 

blog about it. and then make sure to leave me a comment with the link. 

maybe no one will do this, but maybe one other person will take a picture el natural, and put it on the internet. 

i might be crazy. 

but i'm crazy enough to know that it doesn't matter what someone else things. it's about what i know. 

all my love, 

meg 

day two {Colossians 3:12}

so, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you:

compassion, 

kindness, 

humility,

quiet strength, 

discipline.

Be even-tempered, 

content with second place, 

quick to forgive an offense. 

forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. 

and regardless of what else you put on, 

wear love. 

it's your basic, all-purpose garment. never be without it. 

colossians 3:12-14 (msg)

i read through a bunch of versions, but the message one stood out the most to me. i love the way it tells us that God picked this wardrobe out for us. 

if you're anything like me, that takes a huge weight off my shoulders. i hate getting dressed. there's a closet full of clothes and shoes and some how, i never have anything to wear. 

so someone picking it out for me? yes please.

compassion. 

check. 

my heart physically hurts when i see those in need. 

kindness. 

half check. 

let's be super real here for a minute. sometimes, i'm not nice. like at work. when i have a table leave me a $2 tip in nothing but change. and there's only two quarters in the bunch. 

humility.

check. 

there's no way i could walk around and think i'm all that and a bag of potato chips. i've got flaws. and big ones at that. 

quiet strength.

half check. 

there are times when i am not quiet, and gentle. times when my temper get's the best of me. 

discipline.

not a chance. 

i tend to be a "free spirit", going about at my own pace, maybe a few steps behind the rest. some call it procrastination, some lazy. me, i don't think i have a word for it. i just know that there are times in my life when some serious order is needed. 

be even tempered.

haha, me. even tempered. 

let's be honest here friends, not even close. there are days when my fuse is so short, there seems like there is no fuse. 

content with second place. 

check. 

i've never been the "if you're not first, you're last" kinda girls. i'm cool with just a participation award. 

quick to forgive an offense.

half check. 

sometimes, i beat that dead horse over and over again. anyone else like that? i'm a work in progress. 

forgive as quickly as the Master forgave you. 

not even half way there. 

why is it so hard to forgive people? it's not like i've had people wrong me far worse in my life than in anyone else's life, so why do i insist on playing the pity card? 

i live in florida, so i obviously own twenty something pairs of flip flops. 

but my go to's are my rainbows. 

they're comfy, go with everything. 

all-purpose, if you will. 

the reason love is listed last here, is because without it, none of these things will work. just like everything else about of faith in Jesus, this is an all or nothing kind of deal. you can't just be kind to people while you throw a tantrum about not getting your way (fingers pointed at myself).

but it's ok to be a work in progress. 

a big huge work in progress. 

for me, i have got to get that even tempered and discipline thing down. those are two areas in my life that are pulling me down. i know that although i've been made perfect, i still need some work. God knows that too. and He's humbled me to know that i need work. 

are there any areas in your life that need some work?

 and don't forget to put on love today. 

all my love, 

meg

make sure to sparkle {beautiful you}

*it's friday. and i'm late. but it's cool. we'll start on fridays :]*

i'm wondering what would happen if i walked out in the streets today and started to take a survey of what people thought beauty was.
i think we can all agree, that for the most part, men and women would have a different idea of what that word means.

by definition, beautiful (beauty)means:

1. having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, and think

2. excellent of it's kind

3. wonderful; very pleasing

it's so sad to me, that we live in a society where women's beauty is dictated by what they're wearing. if their clothes are "in style" or not. if they've got this whole "trendy" look down.

i have to wonder when that came about.
of course, 100's of years ago there were women who tended to be the higher up in societies, women who were looked up to and honored.

but when did we become a society that is obsessed with the way we look?

and does it really matter?

i'm hoping we can all nod our heads in agreement that it doesn't. it really doesn't matter what clothes we were, where we shop, or how great our hair looks.

jesus told us that we will be recognized by our fruits {matthew 7:20}, not by what we wear.

years from now, i don't want to be known as the girl who had the great wardrobe, but the girl who had a heart for jesus, that showed so bright it was hard to look away. 

maybe we could call it our inner sparkle?

and with that, how much are you sparkling on a day to day basis?

what if, we took all the time we spent on getting ready and focusing on what to wear, and put that towards jesus?

i need to make something clear before we go on though, i'm all for looking beautiful. and yes, i do believe that putting on a pair of high heels will just make you feel better. but what i'm talking about is the time we spend thinking about what is "in style" and how much we put into all that.

have you ever come across those blogs where girls just seem to never have an off day? you know, the ones where their make up is perfect and their clothes are totally put together?

does anyone else feel a little crappy when they see that?

{my hand is straight up}

the truth is, there's a lot of trying that goes on there. and i'm wondering what would happen if just for once, a picture of them or a vlog of them wasn't totally perfect.
did you see my vlog? i'm still in jammies. i like to keep it real.

i feel like we've been missing what the true meaning of beauty is. 

beauty isn't how you look. in fact it's so far from your outward appearance, it's not even funny.

what makes a woman beautiful is her grace, and her love for others. it's the way she handles herself on a day to day basis. it's the way others see her. it's in the way she pleases god. in the way she "excels" in bringing the love of christ to people.

does she extend her hand to those in need?
daily give praises to god for existence?
never focuses so much on the clothes she wears that she forgets that they too are a blessing.

beauty is fearing the lord. {proverbs 31:30}

beauty is doing everything in the name of jesus. {colossians 3:17}

beauty is realizing that one day, this body of yours won't look the same, but your heart will. {2 corinthians 4:16}

you were created by the god who created the universe. he carefully hand crafted you to LOOK the exact way that you do. everything from your eye lashes to your toes. it was all done on purpose. he made the dimples that may drive you crazy. those big hips you've got, yea those are perfect too (ok maybe i just needed to say that one out loud for myself), those big feet, well maybe those are to walk further for his name.

what ever you think your insecurities are about your appearance, i can promise you that god created them just the way he wanted them.

cause let's be real. we can't all look like malibu barbie...no seriously we can't. have you really looked at her? you'd fall over because your feet are too small and your boobs are too big. next time you're in walmart you'll laugh.

god has made us so beautiful in his eyes.
and that's really all that matters.

that sparkle we've got. let's try and boost it up shall we? let's try and not shy away this week when people give us compliments about the way we look.

because we are perfect. 

and while we're on the topic, let's not shy away from that either! you are perfect. every part of you.

i'm perfect because i have love handles. i'm perfect because i have black heads. i'm perfect because i have a weird webbed toe (it's not that bad). i'm perfect because i have wavy hair that never wants to do anything.

i'm perfect because a perfect god created me. 

i was perfectly created with a sparkle inside to shine for jesus.
you were created with a sparkle inside to shine for jesus.

let's shine.

and now it's your turn. 
link up below with a post about beauty. what you think it is, what you think it's not.
there's no right or wrong answer here.

and let's all say it loud and proud today: I AM BEAUTIFUL.

psalm 139:14

i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made. 

all my love, 

meg

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a new series.

happy tuesday loves!

i am so excited to announce "beautiful you". a series i'm starting on how truly beautiful we all are.

because incase you didn't already know, you're beautiful. stunning really.

lately i've felt like there just isn't enough talk about what really makes us beautiful. sure make up and a great outfit can do that, but what about when we lay that all aside? what it is that makes a woman beautiful?

my answer: her relationship with Jesus and how that transcends the rest of her life.

beauty is in the way we speak. in the way we act. and yes, it is in the way we dress and how we present ourselves to others.

i am so excited because i am working with some amazing girls on this series. i've felt God tugging at my heart for a while now, placing women in my life who are perfect to help me with this series.

here's my hope for this series: that as women, no matter what our age is, we can come together and talk about the beauty that is found in Christ. i want to move so far away from what society and the latest issue of "instyle" is telling me, and move so much closer to how He sees me.

so will you join us?

each week i'll be hosting this series, or a sweet friend will. i'll start off this coming thursday {27th}.
each week we'll talk about something different, and pray that you'll take part in the posts as well! we'll have a link up for you to join in on the discussions on your own blogs.

i'm already ecstatic about it!

pray about it, would ya? and i can't wait till next thursday!

all my love,

meg

Hey girl Hey

Day 28: Write about your insecurities as a woman.

Is it terrible that I'm sitting here with a blank?
Sure, I'm insecure with the way I look sometimes...but it doesn't alter my life at all.
And sure, when I see friends succeed I get a little down on myself.

But it only takes me two seconds to open up Gods Word to know that He created me to be just as I am.

For you created my inmost being;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.

Psalm 139: 13-14

Girlfriend you are wonderfully and fearfully made, and there isn't a single thing wrong with you. You were made to look just like you do. Embrace your beauty! Don't hid it away because you aren't skinny and blonde! Be proud of those hips and that gorgeous brown curly hair! And if you are blonde and skinny, good for you! :) Strut your stuff!

I hate so much that society has placed this 'What women should look like' on us...so maybe I'm dirty blonde and not straight blonde. And yes, I choose to eat the fat on a prime rib...does it make me a bad person?! No, friends it makes me normal.

I was wonderfully created.

Say it with me: I was wonderfully created.



Here's some exciting news: I would like to do a VLOG. I've been asked a couple questions via email, and would love to share some info about me. But I've only got like 2 questions...so thats where you come in!
Ask any question and I will for sure answer! Ask anything! Let your inquiring minds loose! Leave a comment with a question, or you can email me: meganw122@yahoo.com
I'll do it one week from today (May 17) with the announcement of my giveaway!

Be blessed!

I am Beautiful Project

I came across a blog the other day with the most wonderful idea, it's called the I AM BEAUTIFUL Project.

Pretty self explanatory. And so inspirational.

Jill Samter is an amazing photographer who has come up with the Project. She was pushed to start this project when she had read stories of women and young girls un happy with the way they looked; she was heart broken and wanted started on a mission to let every one know that they are Wonderfully, Perfectly, and Fearfully created by God.

So I jumped on board immediately.

It's really simple: make a sign saying 'I AM BEAUTIFUL' and take a picture. Here's mine:

I can't express enough how much I love this project.

I am beautiful, because I was created by God who made me perfectly. 

And you were too.

I've got split ends, and don't usually know how to put make up on.

I've got a great smile, and a crooked tooth that you can't see.

God hand crafted my really round nose.

I love my brown eyes.

I've got a round face, and it's beautiful.

God has blessed me, so I'm happy.

Beloved, I am praying that YOU know how beautiful you are! Gorgeous! Stunning!

Would you join me on this project? Spread the word. Take a picture, and make sure to link up with Jills blog. 

http://www.jillsamterphotography.com/2011/03/i-am-beautiful-project.html

two posts in one day! :) lucky you

Jaded Beauty

Work work work. But finally a day off tomorrow! And to get a hair cut, and take my wedding dress to be cleaned, and put in a big box for me to stare at for the rest of my life...would it be weird to just wear it out again? Would anyone say anything? :)

Here we are, almost a week into Project 31! I'm loving it so far!
Day 6. Jaded beauty. Has the world's definition of beauty ever jaded you?

Umm, it's 2011 and I'm a female, of course it has. No matter what, some days I just don't feel pretty enough. Or times when I'm getting ready to go out to dinner with girlfriends I find myself already thinking about how much prettier they'll be than I'll be.
I'm only human.
And I'm a twenty something year old female.

I think it's terrible the world we live. There is way way way too much pressure for girls and women to think that all that matters is whats on the outside. Sometimes I worry too much about that but most days I know God loves me no matter what I'm wearing or how I look.
I don't do it, but I would imagine it's exhausting trying to look perfect all the time...and not to mention expensive!

Here's a little experiment: if there's something you always do to 'get ready' don't. Maybe it's make up, or always in heels, or always dressing up. Stop for a couple days.
For me, it's more about my attitude when going out with friends. I need to remind myself that I am beautiful. That it doesn't matter what I'm wearing, or what make up I put on or how my hair is done.
Be your own beautiful.

Psalm 139:14
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

I hope your week is ending out well! I'm exhausted from the last three days of work!

Be blessed girlfriend!

and ok, I didn't take this picture today, but it's one of my all time favorites that I have taken.

breathe.365

Confidence

I'm convinced that this whole surgery thing, is way worse for the 'significant other' than it is for the person actually getting it.
It. Was. Torcher. watching him go through so much pain.
And sleeping on a chair that I'm pretty sure is made of rocks.

But all went well and he's home munching on some Cheetos!
Thank you all for your prayers!

Here we are! 

Day 1:

What does beauty mean to you?

Beauty is confidence. I find nothing more beautiful than a woman who is confident in herself. I'm not just talking looks here, I'm talking about her whole life, in school, work, and yes her clothing. A woman who no matter her age or size can confidently say 'yes I am beautiful'.

It's a confidence that radiates, but isn't over done. Is she the one in the room that always makes heads turn, nope! She's the one who can carry a conversation with anyone, who smiles no matter what, and truly cares about others. She always brings people up and never makes them feel bad that they might not be as pretty as she is.

I like to think that I'm mostly confident. Are there day's I huff and puff when I'm trying to get my hair in a simple pony tale, yep. But are there other days when I'm simply in shorts and a t-shirt that I still love the way I look, yes. It is so difficult in today's society to be confident in the way we look, too much pressure!

I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little down sometimes when I see 'that girl' walk bye, but for the most part: I love me. All my quarks and weird things about me (like a webbed toe...it's not that bad!) and the things that make me beautiful, like my personality or my uneven hips.

I'm beautiful inside and out. (most days :])

what does beauty mean to you?