THAT Kind of Princess

I realized a couple days ago that I want to be a princess still. Kinda like when I was a little girl.  I want to be a princess as much as I want to be a saint.  But before you roll your eyes, hear me out.

I don’t want to be the girl that everyone thinks is just so beautiful.  I don’t want to have the glamorous gowns and sparkling jewelry.  I don’t want to be waited on, hand and foot.  But I do want the prince, and the epic, heroic moment.

I have always pictured this epic moment as one of those scenes where the prince is valiantly fighting for his princess, because he knows he has someone worth fighting for.  But in a sudden turn of events, the enemy has the upper hand.  Things don’t look so good for the prince.  Now the princess gets her heroic moment where she runs in to save him, and she turns everything around.  Because of her courageous action, the prince is able to get up and finish the fight.  They’ll have won the battle together, because they did it for the good of the other.

A friend of mine recently told me I remind her of Belle, from Beauty and the Beast.  I thought it was an awesome compliment, to be compared to a Disney princess.  So I compared my story to hers too.

Belle is an only child to a single father.  He ends up being a prisoner in the Beast’s castle, but with a self-sacrificing act to save her father, Belle takes his place instead.  She doesn’t know it, but the Beast has to get her to fall in love with him, or he will keep the appearance of a beast forever.  Slowly, as he pursues her, Belle and the Beast fall in love.

But then the Beast also makes a self-sacrificing act in order to set her free.  His sacrifice allows her to really live, not live as a prisoner.  She goes on her way.  She can either choose to come back to him, or carry on as though he meant nothing to her.  But then, as he’s under attack, it becomes a matter of life or death.  She remembers their love for each other, and comes running back to him when the battle is raging on.

And so Belle just stands there, watching him get attacked, and she won’t run in there and help defend him.  She doesn’t even tell her family how important he is to her—she’s just too embarrassed.  She won’t stand behind her prince.  She’d rather pretend this isn’t happening.  She lets everyone else fight to save him, but she, herself, does nothing.

Just kidding.

She obviously doesn’t just stand by and do nothing.  But what a disappointing ending that would have been!  People would think she was a terrible princess.  Would she really be a princess at all?  But I realized that this is how my “princess story” tends to look.

I’m just the girl who stands by and watches as the Prince is under attack, too afraid to say anything.  Everything He stands for is being persecuted, but I so easily feel embarrassed of Him.  I’m not a princess.  I’m not that courageous.

But I want to be.  Because I know He’s worth it.  He’s worth those moments where I charge in there to defend Him and say that I’m with Him until the end.  He’s worth those moments where I’m not afraid to say that I am Catholic, and say that I love God.  I want to be able to share my faith with my family, rather than feel embarrassed by it.  I want to be like Belle, who runs into the chaos to be beside her prince, in full knowledge of the battle that rages on around them.  I have always wanted that “epic, heroic moment” like I’ve pictured in my mind—but this IS that moment, but I haven’t been playing my part.

That’s why I say I still want to be a princess.  I don’t desire to fit the glamorous stereotype little girls think of.  To me, the word “princess” has a completely different definition.  She is the daughter of the King.  She is courageous.  She is not ashamed.  She stands for what is right, and stands behind her Prince through the battle.

I want to be THAT kind of princess.

That’s why I’m writing this post.  I kind of contemplated writing it for a while, but figured I would die of embarrassment if this kind of stuff were to get out.  So here’s an attempt at being courageous.  If I am supposed to be the daughter of the King, isn’t it about time I started acting like it?

 

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”

- The Princess Diaries

 

Andrea

You are loved!

Psalm 139:14

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

 

Today is a gift, that is why it is called the “Present”

Dear beautiful sisters in Christ,

I have realized, in my own life, I am constantly looking to the future. I daydream about when I get married, when I have children, when I graduate from college, when I get a full-time job… the list goes on and on. Thoughts cross my mind such as,

“Isn’t it going to be wonderful to wake up in the morning next to my soul mate, my husband, and see him gazing at me longing just to say ‘good morning’.I wonder what it will feel like to look into the eyes of my new little baby for the first time. It is going to be exciting to get a job doing what I love to do and not having to go to boring classes anymore.”

It seems that life will not truly start until I get to these important times, which are always in the future and too far out to grasp. Listening to a talk last week during bisonCatholic week at NDSU brought me peace and understanding about my wandering thoughts.

Life isn’t about the ‘when’…life is about the ‘now’.

    Jesus wants to be intimate with me right now. He would not give me those deep desires and longings if He wasn’t going to fulfill them. My Lord and Savior is just waiting for me to bring them to Him and respond to His love. Every morning of every day, my Prince is gazing upon me, His precious daughter, longing for me to respond to Him when my eyelids flutter open. He is there, wanting to hold me close to His heart to comfort me like a new father holds his baby girl. My Jesus places the goal of finishing school and getting a job in my heart for an opportunity to grow closer to Him in the moments of everyday life. There is never going to be another today and there is never going to be another me.

What can I do today, in this moment, to live out the beautiful life God has given me? Life does not start ‘when’…..instead life starts now.

My dear sisters, I am praying that with every breath you take you will see how much God loves you and how much He has planned for you…not just in the future, but in this moment.

Love Always,

Kelsie

You I long for. You I love!

My Princess,

Come away with Me, My beloved Bride, I am waiting to show you the world through My eyes. There’s so much for you to see-don’t miss it, My love. Let Me enter into your world and get close enough to whisper treasures of truth to your spirit. I am here extending My hand to you. Will you place your hand in Mine and let your Prince guide your way today? I want to take you on an extraordinary adventure with Me. I just want to be close to My Princess today, to love on you.

It’s about us today, so hold on tightly and don’t let go.

Love,

Your Lord who wants to be near you

You Are Not Alone

You are not alone.

   As a woman, in the depths of my soul, I long to be loved, beautiful, wanted, respected and worth fighting for.  Sound familiar? I don’t even know you and already I feel like we have a lot in common! Truly!

The other day I was listening to a young woman of 17 tell me how she thinks she will never get married because she doesn’t think she is lovable. Wow. Things don’t change much as we get older do they?!  For one really long moment I just wanted to hold both her hands and assure her confidently, that yes, she is lovable. Indeed she is priceless. In fact, she is worth dying for.

Look around us in society. It’s all over. Wear this deodorant and you will be beautiful. Shop at this store and you will be popular. Get this car and you will wow all your friends.  We are told all over how we can attain these five things:

Love, beauty, being wanted (accepted), respect……but what happened to our value?

Cha-ching$$$……….the quickest way to cheapen something that is priceless is to put a price tag on it.

Ladies, we are bombarded with how to value ourselves in accordance with how society defines our value.

You are created more than that.

I went out to lunch with my boyfriend the other day and after he got the bill from the waitress I jokingly commented, “What did I cost you?” he grinned at me and said, “You are priceless.”

Yes, women, YOU ARE PRICELESS! You are worth waiting for.  I wish I could give that point of confidence to each young woman as she begins to long for that “Knight in shining armor”. Someone to love us. Someone to respect us. Someone to know us to the depths of our being. Someone who will always be there for us. Someone who will want us always no matter what we look like. Someone who makes us feel beautiful.

Yes, that longing is real.

Yes, that longing is normal.

Yes, that longing takes place in each of our feminine lives at some point.

Yet, what do we struggle with? Thoughts of confusion as to our level of self-worth.  Yet, we don’t always realize that there is only one way to fill it; only one way that will truly satisfy. That is with the love of Jesus Christ.

You, woman, are a masterpiece.  Your value is stamped in the very depths of your being.

You are loved.

You are beautiful

You are wanted, even desired,

You are respected and You are of such value that

    You are worth dying for!

In fact, someone has already laid down His life for you!

I will be here...... ~Jesus

A Love Letter

“It is true. I stand at the door of your heart, day and night. Even when you are not listening, even when you doubt it could be Me, I am here. I await even the smallest sign of your response, even the least whispered invitation that will allow Me to enter.

Whenever you invite Me, I do come – always, without fail. Silent and unseen I come, but with infinite power and love, and bringing the many gifts of My Spirit. I come with My mercy, with My desire to forgive and heal you, and with a love for you beyond your comprehension. I come – longing to console you and give you strength, to lift you up and bind all your wounds. I bring My light to dispel your doubts. I know you through and through – I know everything about you. I see you walking and laughing with your friends. I watch you fall asleep at night. Do you not yet recognize My love?

  

I paint you sunsets. I spill moonlight onto your face at night. I explode a brilliant sunrise into a glorious morning for you. I warm you with the sunshine and perfume the air with natures sweet scent. I am the smile that brightens your day. 

I know what is in your heart – I know your loneliness and all your hurts – the rejections, the judgments, the humiliations. I carried it all before you. And I carried it all for you, so you might share My strength and victory. all you have sought outside of me has left you only more empty. Do not cling to the things of this life. Do not run from Me when you fall. Come to Me, I wait for you. I will give you strength. I will give you hope. I will give you joy. I will show you how to love that you may experience an incomprehensible peace.

Always know that I love you.”

~Christ

Self-Respect and Virtuous Men

 

Upon leaving my 9am class with a friend, I was pondering deeply the issue of modesty for a future article. Walking out of Loftsgard’s (college building), I conveniently ran into a young lady with a coat on, unsure if she was wearing bottoms underneath. The problem arose with that fact that her coat hardly covered her backside. I though, “Great, summer is here, therefore summer fashion is here.” Two seconds later, we ran into one of my male friends. I told him about this potential article and what he had to say about the issue of immodesty. He said ” Yoga pants and short skirts are very, very bad. They should not be worn in public.” I would consider that a huge strike against that girl outside Loftsgard. Evidently, immodesty has an effect on guys. Who knew?

Yes, ultimately I felt for the ladies who make decisions to wear such attire, but the next concern lies with the underappreciated group of virtuous men trying to put a visual blockade on immodestly dressed girls. When I say under-appreciated, I mean not thought of. He shields as she halfway dresses in these beautiful summer mornings. If you doubt such men exist, which is likely, I can accurately assure you and say yes, virtuous men are around!

I am told and am always hearing it, probably in the ballpark of 5 million times and counting, that guys are visual beings according to none other than natural law itself. Guys tend to replay and replay visual encounters. This is simply why women should watch themselves when dressing. For example, I have a guy friend in one of my classes, a virtuous guy friend at that, and every time this specific girl walks in with a short skirt and deep V top, he tells me that he cannot look on that side of the room for the entire class. He has to block out what is going on over there.

Another girl incident occurred when a girl walked into another small class of mine with the deepest V-neck I have ever seen. I know the guy in the class as a good, strong, and virtuous man. I felt sorry that the girl thought that attire appropriate, but I was also sorry about the fight this man had to face in such an immodest scenario.

But what about the guys who don’t care about checking out the opposite gender, those who do it quite noticeably? Well girls, that is yet another reason to cover up. Know that the attention you are receiving is always, and I repeat, ALWAYS negative. There is nothing that you will gain by wearing a short skirt, absolutely nothing (fabric included).

Ladies, if you don’t dress modestly for the underappreciated group of virtuous men, or even for the dudes who don’t care, then do it for yourselves. This article is not a guilt trip for you. I just ask you think about the issue of modesty. Beyond the reasons I gave to cover up, think of others and apply them. After all, to have huge strikes against you for the sake of style seems futile.

Sarah

Courtesy 101

I’ve heard stories of disappointed cashiers attempting to serve a customer who is checking out and talking on the phone at the same time…you see it all over!  A couple weeks ago I saw a man standing outside the grocery store talking on his phone.  Only after having completed the call did he enter the store to shop.  I was impressed and it made me take note.

So what should one do when it’s so easy and comfortable to be “technologically rude?”  I set some goals and guidelines for myself:

1. When I am visiting someone…I am with them so my phone is off or on vibrate and in a place where I am not distracted by an incoming call or text.
2. When I am by myself…done visiting…I check my messages and return calls in a timely manner.
3. If I am with someone at leisure and I get a call that I need to take, I try to excuse myself, keep the call short and am sure to return my attentions to the person I am with.
4. While I may answer the phone or make calls in stores, once I am in the check-out line my focus is on the person helping me.

Have you ever heard or sung that little song: Love is something, when you give it away, give it away, give it away, Love is something, when you give it away you end up having more.  It’s just like a magic penny, hold it tight and you won’t have any, lend it spend it and you’ll have so many, they’ll all fall over the floor! ?

That’s the beauty of common courtesy…at first it’s hard because we are not used to it and we think we may miss out on something.  But if we stick to it we will reap rewards that will make us wonder why we didn’t think to begin sooner and before we know it we lose count of the many blessings it brings!

Courtesy of the Feminine

In our world of technology it is easy to be swept up in the conveniences of immediate information at our fingertips.  

  In the whirl of it being “normal” it is easy to become “Miss Rude” without realizing it.  For instance, have you noticed how many people walk around, no matter what time of day or where they are, with two little buds in their ears?  Many of us have created our own little bubble of sorts and if someone were to dare to say “hi” or smile at another in passing they either don’t hear or see and so don’t respond or they appear shocked and taken off guard and almost don’t know if or how to respond back.  It can be fun to see the reactions but all in all we have forgotten the beauty of simple common courtesy.

What is common courtesy?  Looking out for those around you, acknowledging and being mindful and considerate to those you are with.  Let’s consider the cell phone world.  Everyone has one…almost…it’s normal.  I think I first began to realize how rude we can be with cell phones when I was visiting with someone and when their phone rang or beeped they responded immediately despite and in the midst of our face-to-face conversation.  As I made note of the feeling of being “less important” or “boring” I realized I too had probably been doing the same thing to others without intending to.  You see, we all have a natural desire to feel important, loved and even thought about and receiving a phone call or text provides reassurance for all three!  The problem comes when our desire to be reassured of this is at the cost of the person or people we are with, in the same room or car.  Isn’t the fact that they are with us deserving of credit, top priority and even common courtesy?

Tammy

You are Loved

“To live a life without fear; live a life of love”

Dear Beautiful women of God,

       Never forget how much you are loved. 

       You are not alone when it comes to the desires of a women’s heart.  It took me a very long time to realize that all women are searching for the same feeling of completion.

During my early high school years, I developed a bad case of acne. Since physical appearance was extremely important to me, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. All of the medications I tried did not seem to help at all. I felt out of control and helpless. I did not have many friends, since I was homeschooled and lived out in the country.  I needed stability in my life so I decided to turn to something that I could control-my eating habits and exercise routine.

I began to eat what I thought was “more healthy”. This meant cutting out all deserts, snacks, extra side dishes, and any beverage except water. I started to exercise a lot more, starting at 6:15 in the morning and not finishing until I went to bed at night. Every free moment I had was spent running, rollerblading, cross-country skiing, swimming laps, walking, and doing jumping jacks or push ups. My meals slowly turned into basically fruit and water, because I thought that all other foods would make me fat.

My parents realized what I was doing to myself and told me to stop exercising. This only made me upset. I proceeded to sneak outside to do jumping jacks behind our garage and lock myself in the bathroom to do sit-ups.   I would still go out early in the morning to do a 2 mile run, because I felt that sleeping all night was a waste of time. One particular morning as I was out running, I felt my legs slowly collapsing. I wondered to myself which neighbor’s porch I would crawl onto to die because my body couldn’t go on any more. To this day I still don’t know how, but by the grace of God, I made it home that day alive. I still didn’t learn my lesson though. I was 5 foot 10 inches tall and weighed 98 pounds. I was a walking skeleton.  I knew deep in my heart that I was exercising too much and not eating enough, but something had a grip on my life. That something was the devil.

My internal battle raged on. Every morning I told myself that I was going to change my life, only to realize that I couldn’t. I was trapped in my own mindset. I became angry at everyone who looked at me. I felt worthless and abandoned with no place of hope to turn to.  I saw many counselors and nutritionists to try to fix my problem. But no words that they could say could loosen the grip that the devil had on my life. I would go to church, not to focus on the beautiful Mass, but to plan when I could fit in exercise throughout the rest of the day. I would pray just to go through the motions.

It wasn’t until I went to a Search for Christian Maturity Retreat that my life slowly began to turn around. At this retreat, I discovered something that I had not realized before. I discovered people who didn’t judge me for my past mistakes but who loved me for who I was. I discovered meaningful hugs for the first time. That weekend was the start of my healing journey. During that summer after Search, I met two wonderful Christian girls at my workplace. Throughout that summer they changed my life. They showed me the meaning of true friendship and love. They supported me, listened to my story, and were there at my side.

Slowly, I began to regain my health. Although it is common for victims of eating disorders to struggle with thoughts of the disease for the rest of their lives, my story ends differently. It has been 2 years since my struggle and I have been completely healed. My life is a miracle. Today I am a completely healthy young woman-physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I share my story for a reason.

     First and foremost, God loves you more than you can ever imagine and He will not leave your side.  “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are at my side…” Psalm 23:4. Secondly, we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ. If it wasn’t for the people in my life who brought me back to His Arms of Love, I would not be here today.

All people, especially women, have the desire in their heart to feel loved, comforted, secure, and safe. Don’t make them fall as low as I did to realize that they are loved.  Go forth and share Christ’s love.  You are all in my prayers.

In His Arms,

Kelsie

P.S.  (from your Heavenly Prince)

My Princess, I am the Lover of your soul. Won’t you open your heart and let Me embrace you with My tender touch? I want to steal your tender heart from this world and let it flourish in Mine. I want you to get so lost in Me that nothing can separate us. Come away with Me, My beloved, and I will complete you in every way.

Love,

Your Prince who will wait as long as it takes

Love is patient, Love is kind,
It does not envy, it does not boast,
It is not proud, It is not rude,
It is not self-seeking,
It is not easily angered,
It keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil,
but rejoices with the truth.

Love always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.

Love bears all things, believes all things,
hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends.

                                                   L o v e  N e v e r  F a i l s.

Corinthians 13 : 4 – 8 

"Here is My heart"

Know Yourself:

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“Encourage each other daily while it is still today” (Hebrews 3:13)