Eye Candy Will Make You Sick

Can I share something with you that troubles me? Okay, here it goes....

Eye candy.

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Yes, that's right. Eye candy. Pinterest is all the rage right now and, I will admit, I am a fan. I love learning new tips and tricks to better my home, my health, and finding fun activities to try with my kiddo. But I get disturbed when I see tweens, teens, young ladies, and - yes - married women pin pictures of male celebrities onto their boards. ---- Mind you, I'm talking about Christian girls and women.

Remember when your Mom would say, "No more candy. It will give you a tummy ache"? We were taught from an early age that eating too much junk food was bad for us and could make us sick. It's definitely true! Too much candy = bad health. Too much junk food = low energy and an all-around BLEH-feeling! Now let's apply that spiritually.

Spiritually, ANY and all "junk food" makes us sick. It erodes our soul. It drains us of spiritual stamina. It puts our focus on earthly, carnal things instead of heavenly things. Keep in mind sin most always starts with the eyes. We see it. We want it. We take it. The Bible calls it the "lust of the eyes."  (1 John 2:16)

You may be thinking, "Okay I see what you're saying, but I'm just pinning a picture of a good looking guy! No harm, no foul."

I beg to differ.

If you are single, this harms your perception of marriage and devalues men in general. Think about it. Take a second and picture your future husband pinning pictures of ultra-"gorgeous" female celebrities onto his Pinterest board. Picture him gawking and drooling over the skinny, barely clad, airbrushed models that he tags as "sexy" and "delicious." Would it bother you? Intimidate you? Hurt you? Make you feel less than perfect? Likewise. If you fill up your eyes and your mind with "eye candy" you will have little room for good, healthy, Biblical precepts. Proverbs 31:10 asks the question, "Who can find a virtuous woman?"  In verse 12, it says that she (this virtuous woman) does her husband "good and not evil all the days of her life." Let me ask you. Is it virtuous to store up man candy, even while single? Is it doing your future husband good? Are you preparing yourself to be a noble and Godly wife while filing away images of "hot men" that you can (and no doubt will, as is tempting for us to do) compare him to? Think about it, girls. Be wise!

If you are married, this is a slap to your husband. In Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus talks about adultery and says some strong words. He said that if a man looks at a woman and lusts after her, he has already committed adultery in his heart. That goes for us, too! Wow...talk about serious! Proverbs 5:15 instructs husbands to "Drink waters out of thine own cistern..."  What does that mean? It means stick with your own wife. And in like manner WE should stick with our own husbands, not only physically by not committing literal adultery, but in every way! Bring your husband honor by regarding him as the only lover of your heart and the only "candy" your eyes indulge in. Build your house, ladies. Don't pluck it down by foolishly allowing your eyes to drink in the shirtless, seductive-posing Hollywood celebs that you are not married to.

It all goes back to purity. Purity is more than being physically abstinent. It's so much more! And, believe you me, impurity has a knack for knocking down a single young person, and utterly pulverizing a marriage.

Simply put: Eye candy will make you spiritually sick.

Prepping for Baby!

Today I thought I would show you how the nursery is coming along! Earlier this week, my husband and I took down all of our Christmas decor and I did a massive cleaning job on our house. We also....... **drum roll** ......PUT HER BED TOGETHER!!! This is a personal victory of mine since I have been wanting to set up her bed for over a month now. Below are some "before and after" pictures of her bedroom. It isn't completely finished yet, but it is well on its way!

BEFORE:

The room was, first, our study/office.

AFTER: 

The doorway

View from the door

View from her bed

A beautiful painting

Obviously, we don't have her bedding in yet and we haven't brought in the swing and infant bouncer from storage, but you can see how it is coming along. Only a few weeks left!!!

HURRY little bit!!!! I want to see you!!!

The Pregnancy Files | Week 34 | baby #2

32 1/2 weeks

Today I am 34 weeks preggo! --- I know I haven't been very diligent in taking pictures of my growing abdomen. I plan to take a new picture today. In a little while, I will head to my OB appointment where I will get an update on how my little one is doing. From what I can tell, she is...*ahem*....growing. And she seems to be very, very, very energetic. Here is the latest:

• The average weight and length of a baby at this point is about 5 lbs and 18 inches. She may be smaller, she may be bigger, but she is somewhere along that line.
     
• Her fingernails are completely formed and growing. Best make sure the fingernail clippers are within arm's reach.
     
• She can recognize songs, voices, and various other sounds. How neat!

As for me...

• I....can't....breathe. It takes focus to take a full, deep breath.
     
• Sleep is becoming an adventure. At bedtime (no matter what time of night that may be), I either cannot get comfortable or she decides she wants to play in my rib cage or turn cartwheels. I'm in for quite a wild ride...
      
• Itching. Itching. Itching. Thankfully, loading up on lotion and taking cool baths help. It isn't nearly as awful as my first. But who enjoys itching with little to no relief??? Not me.
       
• No swelling....yet. I'm praying it never comes, honestly.
       
• No leg cramps. No new stretch marks. No varicose veins. And no heartburn. That is goooood.
           
• My appetite has been strange with this pregnancy. First it was nonexistent. Then it came back with a force. Now, it's like, "Eat? Eh....okay, I guess." I haven't had a craving in.... I don't remember when. Odd.
            
• I am beginning to feel Braxton Hicks contractions. That's exciting.

That's all for now. I need to scoot off to my next appointment. I want to hear the heartbeat again!

My Savior Leads Me

Fanny Crosby wrote in her beautiful hymn,

All the way my Savior leads me;

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my Guide?

Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell!

For I know, whate’er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well;

For I know, whate’er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well.

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2012 was a year that, for me, held both sorrow and great triumph. Like Dickens wrote, "It was the best of times...it was the worst of times." The Lord granted us a sweet, soon-to-arrive little girl and so many other blessings! He gave us memories that I will cherish forever. He is, indeed, a GOOD God. And yet in the midst of beauty, He also allowed us to walk in the darkness. Sometimes I was afraid. Some moments I was angry. Other times, I could only sit and cry and ask God the question we always seem to ask - "WHY??"

If I could sum up 2012 - personally - it would be, He led. 

In life, there will be days when we walk through valleys and deserts where, quite frankly, our spirit and even our flesh cries out in agony. Other days we will walk on mountain tops where we are high above all the trouble and pain and heartache that seem to cover the world we live in. But still He leads. Our great Savoir is far above all that we can see or think and He has more than we can ever imagine in His plan for our lives. He calls us to follow Him. And though our typical, Christian answer is to say, "Yes, Lord, we will follow You," our actions rarely obey the call. He calls us higher. He calls us to trust Him. He asks us to let Him lead. He may take us through deserts where we feel nothing but dry, desert sand that leaves us panting with thirst. He may take us through dangerous storms that threaten to plummet us. He may lead us through darkness so thick that we wonder if we will ever see light again. Up and down, twists and turns, darkness and sunshine.... sometimes it may look as though we will never reach "the end." But if there one thing I have learned, and will no doubt continue to learn, in 2012 it is that our great Shepherd leads all the way. And He leads well. He truly never forsakes. The pain that we experience in doing His will is so very little in comparison to the pain of not trusting the Master's voice. The fear we may feel in following Him is only a little shadow that He can rebuke with one word. As Fanny Crosby wrote, For I know, whate’er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well. All things.

Regardless of the past, I pray that this year - in 2013 - you and I will both answer His call to daily die to self, pick up our cross, and follow Him. One year from now, when we look back on 2013, I pray we can say that He led us...and He is still leading. Let us then let Him lead us....all the way.