Masks -Kat

Hello beautiful ladies!

In honor of Halloween, I've been thinking about the way I present myself to people. For those of us who have been involved in the mainstream "celebration" (so to speak) of Halloween for a few years, we often look forward to the holiday's opportunities to dress in costumes. I, personally, love the chance to make a fool of myself. I enjoy wearing ridiculous make-up, passing out candy, and watching horrifying flicks in the dark. And sometimes, I let that love of creating a character get in the way of my life. I've put up fronts with people, sometimes even created "identities" to fit in or make friends. If it's all for fun and games, there can't be anything wrong with it, right? If I can walk around on Halloween night, confessing to be a "Pirate of the High Seas", or a "Magic Princess", then what's wrong with putting up a front from time to time? Hiding a part of me that I don't think most people will understand or like isn't wrong. But is it? 

God, my Father, loves me just as I am. And I think if I were to ask Him, He'd tell me it is wrong. And that is a hard pill to swallow. I'd look at Him with weepy eyes and say, "But don't you want me to fit in?? Am I not allowed to have friends now!?" And you know what I think He'd say to me? "My child, I do not want you to fit in. I love you. You don't have to fit in! I have set you apart. And that means that you're not meant to 'belong' with everyone else. But that does not mean you are alone! Of COURSE you can have friends! But my dear, let me help you pick them. For I know your heart and your future much better than you do. I will guide you and keep you safe; you just have to trust Me." I don't think He wants me to hide the fact that I don't use foul language. I don't think He wants me to hide my prayers to Him in public. I don't think He wants me to hide my personality behind the flashy image of skin I show with the immodest pair of shorts in my dresser drawer. My friends won't want a fake me. And if they prefer the fake me, then they aren't worth the real me. So I need to stop hiding behind masks, just as I suspect some of my sisters out there need to stop doing as well.  I can't go out into all the world and preach the gospel if no one is ever able to see that true me. 

Sisters, masks come in all shapes and sizes. Everything from immodest clothing and inch thick make-up to silence in a situation in which we should speak up. And very often it's not a matter of "choosing" to put on that mask, but rather it's falling back on a habit that's taken place one too many times. I'm guilty of it. I will admit that. But that does not make it right, and I shouldn't sit back and let it take place. Take this week to think about your masks. What are they? When do you pull them out most? Can your fellow sisters help? Talk to one another! Or, write a comment on this post. Let all of us help you work through it and pray for you along the way. I'll be keeping each and everyone of you in my prayers this week and I encourage you all to pray for each other! Be sincere and honest with each other. Remember that our Father loves you more than anything else. 

Hope you all have a fantastic week!

Kat

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."   Proverbs 31:30 (NKJV)

Welcome! -Kat

Hello lovely ladies!!

My name is Kat. I'm here for your encouragement. I am blessed beyond measure to call God my Father, as are many of you! You know what that makes us? Sisters. And sisters are supposed to love, encourage and protect each other. But all too often, we become distracted or uninterested in one another. We have other friends to talk to, we have boys to flirt with, we have school to worry about..... What happened to our sisterhood? 

The good news is, it's still here. We're still related!! And we still have responsibilities to one another. Starting today, we can build that relationship back up. But it can't be one-sided, and it can't start with me. It has to start with you! You have to know your worth and acknowledge the worth of the beautiful girls around you. We are all God's daughters and we have to stick together! We stick out in this world like sore thumbs. We're different. If we can't stick together, we're putting ourselves in a dangerous position. A candle standing on it's own will easily be blown out. But one hundred candles standing together- they become much harder to blow out. And we are the same way. When we rely on ourselves, we let ourselves down all too often. The world gets in the way of what our mind has to say. But when we stand together-- that is when true magic takes place. Hand-in-hand, heart-to-heart; we stand together and we stand apart.

When was the last time you were excited to call yourself one of "them"? A Southern girl, a Directioner, a Belieber, a California girl, a nerd, a prep.... (I think you all get the picture.) Whatever title it may be, you're pretty excited to have it right?? Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with any of these things! But when was the last time you were excited to call yourself a Christian lady? I'm not really talking about the ever popular statements, "I'm Jesus' homie!" or, "Jesus is my bestie!" but I am talking about being a Christian lady. The excitement that comes from fan-girling over your Bible, or shouting praises to the Father.. making bold statements like, "I'm a daughter of God and not a single person on this Earth can change that." When was the last time you were actually excited to say something like that? I'll be honest with you all, I haven't been excited about that in a while. And that hurts a little bit to think about.. Look at how many followers celebrities have on Twitter. They get tweets every single day from fans! Myself included. But what if for a day we didn't focus on those celebrities and instead we focused on one another? What if for a week, we focused on building each other up and making great friends? Can you imagine how much we could get done in that time? We are the best of workers when we feel good about ourselves, so why are we not working together to build each other up?? We can do so much good for ourselves and for others. All we have to do is try! Take some time out of this week to call, text, Facebook message, or drop by one of your sisters' houses. It can be five minutes or it can be three hours! Just spend quality time together and see how much good you guys can do. See how great you feel afterwards! :) 

I love you, sisters! 

Kat