Perfectly Imperfect

My name is Genesis House, and I am a total klutz. Seriously. You can ask my friends and family, they will gladly insure you. Ha. But really, I've broken glass jars and bowls, eggs, dropped a bottle of red dye (nooot fun) and the list goes on. Sometimes I just feel like I'm this person trapped in a clumsy, awkward, uncoordinated body. And it makes me pretty mad at times. Like why did God make me so, so...messed up??

If you're reading this and thinking "that's me!!" than I have an answer to that question.

You are not messed up.

God created each and every one of us with our very own talents, features, and even flaws. Why? Because we are human. Which means we are simply imperfect. But guess what! Jesus loves us despite of it all! He looks past our flaws and mistakes, and still loves us like crazy even though we are, well, "messed up". And you know what else? One day, you'll find a man who also loves you, for you. Who will love all your little flaws and awkwardness. :) You just need to wait for him. He will come. And trust me, he will be well worth the wait! 

So the next time you drop something, bump into someone, or do whatever it is that makes you feel "messed up", try and remember how awesome you are. Because you are. Amazingly awesome, beautiful and perfectly imperfect.

Love,

Genesis

2 Words.

Meek:
Quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; Submissive."

Humble:
"Having or showing a modest or low estimate of one's own importance."

These two words have popped up quite a bit recently.  I sit and ponder their definitions, and what God is trying to communicate.   

I've seen and heard people say "When you are silent you learn more."  which never really made sense to me until recently.  If we are constantly, and continually speaking about "my happiness, my life, my wants, my needs, my anger."   We have no time to listen to and put others first. Because we are so concerned with ourselves.   We are so concerned with making our lives perfect, and fulfilling out wants, needs, and desires that we miss so much.   We can't tend to the needs of others, and do the work of our creator if we are so self absorbed.  

For most of us and maybe even all of us...it's not a conscious decision because we have become too used to the thought of  "It's me first, when I'm happy and my life is perfect then I will focus on others."  Yes, this is our natural human instinct.  But we aren't supposed to give in to that, we're supposed to fight it.  We are in this world, not of it.  We can't stand out, and be set apart in Christ if we are just like everyone else.  If we are too busy worrying about ourselves, and what we need and want....We will miss everything.  We will blend in with the rest of the crowd.  We will be just like....everyone else. 

When you are truly living in and for Christ, people can tell.  Trust me.  There have been times in my life when people, and not just any people...but people that don't believe in my Savior.  They come to me and say "I don't get it you love these people, you love these kids that you've never met, and you get nothing from it but yet you are so happy and willing.  Why?"   Those comments and words show me that I'm doing something write.  

 A quote from Francis Chan that I found recently made so much sense it says "Something is wrong if our lives make sense to unbelievers."  and he's right.  If people who live in the world, can understand and comprehend my life, then I'm not where I should be.   

 I can tell when I'm not where I should be and when my life makes all too much sense to those who don't believe, because those comments I told you about?  They stop coming, people stop asking me to pray for them...I blend in and I'm just living life like everyone else.  Not with a purpose, not to reach out to others, but for myself.  All for me, and that is not where God want's any of us to be.    Put yourself last, Others second and God first.

Seeking Unseen Blessings & Praising God

If you are a Christian chances are that you've prayed at least a few times in your Christian life.  Or at least I hope you have.  Have you ever thought about which you do more, pray or praise?

Let me give you a definition for of both, so that you can get a clear picture of what I'll be talking about here. 

Prayer: It's when you talk one on one with God.  You tell him anything, ask him to help you in life with trials.  You ask for anything, such as comfort, strength, wisdom, money, safety, health, and the list goes on.  

Praise: Thanking God or worshiping Him for the blessing of life and the many others.  

Now do you see the difference in the two?  Good!  Let's continue then! :)  

To personally answer the question I asked in the beginning of this post, I admit I pray to God far more than I praise Him.  

Does this mean that we're not grateful for all of His blessings to us big or small?  Not necessarily. Us as humans tend to focus more around the negative in life, sometimes we get so off track with our problems we lose sight of all the many blessings surrounding us.  We get so wrapped up in the bad in life that when we find those few moments to talk to God we pray, asking him to help us and solve our problems that are just too big for us.  Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with asking God for help, and running to him for every problem the world throws at you. He wants you to turn to Him when in need of help.   However, when we do this we forget to thank God and praise Him for all the good things he's given us in life.  

Say you volunteered to tend to someone's yard.  You put all your time and effort into this project, wanting everything to work out and be perfect.  You mowed the lawn, pulled the weeds, watered the flowers and made the yard spanking new looking!  You aren't expecting a reward, you just did it simply out of the generosity of your heart.  You wanted to bless this person and see them happy.  

When the homeowner came back, they walked right by your hard work.  Seeing none of it.  Showing you no appreciation at all.  You'd feel sad inside, right?  

It's similar to that with God.  He doesn't expect a grand prize for blessing you.  He blesses you with the things he gives you because He knows it's what is best for you and all he wants is to see you happy.  When we let our blessings slip right on by going unseen He feels sad.  He gives you every single breath you breath and all he's asking in return is that you give him some time in your days to thank Him and praise him!  

Sometimes it seems like we're drowning in problems, but the real truth is we aren't seeking the blessings hard enough! To find all His blessings for us we have to intentionally seek them out.  Instead of calling out all the bad, spot all the good!  

We most often miss the biggest blessing there is!   Our own life!  Every day you wake up is a gift from God himself.  He didn't have to wake you up today, yesterday or the day before. He can take you off this earth any moment.  We forget to praise God for each day He's given us here on earth.  

I found a quote on the internet a couple years ago and ever since it's had me thinking more about how I should praise God more! 

"What if all you had tomorrow was what you thanked God for today?" 

I strongly encourage you to write that down on a sticky note and hang it above your bed, post it on your mirror, the door, the refrigerator, wherever your most likely to see it daily to remind you of how much you should really praise God.  

Seek His blessings and this will become an easy task to take on after doing often.  

Praise Him even through the storms in your life that you think you won't be able to overcome.  I can assure you there is always a blessing in it all, a lesson to be learned somewhere in it..always! 

Psalms 150: "Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!"

My challenge to you is that you will seek out blessings and praise more, I can't promise you it will be easy.  At least not at first but once you get the hang of it I think it will amaze you at how blessed you really are and maybe didn't even realize it.    

A fun DIY I have here for you is that with every blessing you find that you didn't see before that you will write it down on a sticky note or write it in a notebook and keep track of all of them.  When it comes time for you to praise God you'll have all the reminders you need. And please, take pictures and email them to me!  I would LOVE to see them!   So if that's something your comfortable doing then email me @ MoreThanThisGirlsBlog@gmail.com just label it "Kaitlyn" or "Blessing Notes" and I'll know it's to me.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! Feel free to share!

Blessings,

Contact me @ MoreThanThisGirlsBlog@Gmail.com 

The Waiting Game

Oh the waiting game, I think it's safe to say that no one likes waiting.  We would all just prefer that it (Whatever the situation my be) would just happen.   Especially when it comes to finding "The One"!  We all see our friends with their significant others, or even their spouses (Depending on your age.) and long to have that special person.  

Sometimes what we forget is that God will bring us that "Special Person" in His perfect timing.  Not a day late, or a day too soon.   He knows when each of us are ready, and mature enough to handle a relationship, with that person.   He also may have other things that He needs us to focus on before, He puts that person in our lives.

Kaitlyn, and I (Alyssa) often joke around because we have dreams about our future spouses, but can never see their faces!  We can see from the neck down and that's it.  It drives us insane!  Regardless of whether this is just a strange issue we have when we dream, or whether it's God keeping our future men a secret.  We always laugh when we have these dreams.

Anywho, back on topic.  The waiting game can be hard, and sometimes we want to stop waiting and just grab whatever is out their and available.  But we need to remember to guard out hearts, and keep our minds pure.  Going for a guy just because he's an "Option" at the time can be very dangerous, and not a wise decisions.  Always pray, consult God, and read scripture to see what you should do.

You want someone that is going to build you up, and bring you closer to God.  Not someone that constantly tears you down, and drags you away from God.  That is one of the most important things to pay attention to.

All things worth having are worth waiting for! :)

"Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

You're Never Too Young!

Many girls may read and learn about modesty and purity, and think to themselves "Oh I'm only 12, I don't have to worry about this yet." Or, "I'm only 13. I have a while before I need to think about this kind of stuff." Well, as a 13 year old, I can definitely say you are never too young to live a life of purity! Especially when it comes to modesty. As girls, no matter what age, we should be watching how we dress. We are daughters of the King of Kings! Shouldn't we dress like it too? As followers of Christ, we are called to live a life separate from this world. We should be set-apart in not only our actions and words, but also by the way we carry ourselves. And you know what? God never set an "age limit" on when we should start glorifying Him. We should forever and always, honor Christ.

On our "Books We Recommend" page (above) we listed a book titled Pure. This is actually a 90 day devotional for girls. My mom recently got it for me, and so far, I love it! This morning, I read a devo on modesty. Rebecca St. James (author of Pure) talked about setting boundaries for ourselves. Here is some of what she wrote-

I feel that we women have a responsibility not to tempt our brothers in Christ. We really need to help them out in the lust department. We need to be careful and wise in the clothes choices we make. I have set certain boundaries for myself in the way I dress. It can be a real challenge at times to find things that are modern and funky and "today" but still have an element of modesty. I try to take advantage of the unique locations I get to visit. Europe has great clothes- and I love to shop there. "How far is too far?" If our goal is to honor God with our bodies, then we will draw the line and ask God for the strength not to cross it. 

Rebecca wrote much more on that topic, but for now, I will end it there. I love how she says "I feel that we women have a responsibility not to tempt our brothers in Christ. We really need to help them out in the lust department." Because it's so true! We can't change the way guys think. It's just natural for them to see something and think one thing. When they lust, they are sinning. So, yes, that part is their fault. But who is causing them to lust? Us! When we wear short-shorts, low cut shirts, or even skin tight clothing, we can cause a man to lust- which is a sin. Matthew 5:28 says, "But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." 

And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”- Luke 17:1-4 

So basically, God is not cool when we cause others to sin. Plus, we should be reserving our body (and hearts!) for our future spouse. Which means for now, NO MATTER HOW YOUNG OR OLD you are, you should be living a life of modesty and purity. It's never too early to start when it comes to these two things, girls!

                                                                            

                                                Genesis

 

Waiting on Prince Charming

"Someday my prince will come....."

As a little girl, we have all watched Disney princess movies like Cinderella, and we have dreamed about the day that our Prince Charming will come. In Cinderella, Prince Charming is tall, handsome, and a perfect gentleman. He treats Cinderella with gentleness and respect. In real life, this is exactly the type of man that we should wait for. God wants you to marry a man who respects you and who is gentle with you, physically and emotionally.

For those of you who don't know me, I am 20 years old, and I am engaged to my Prince Charming. His name is David, and he respects me and is so gentle with me. Unfortunately, the guys who I tried to give my heart to before David were not the same way. I made a big mistake before I met David. I made the mistake of trying to give my heart away to guys who were not meant to be my husband.... to guys who did not act the way I knew my Prince Charming should act. Before David, I dated 3 different guys. Each guy I dated, I dated them with the intention of eventually marrying them. I have always taken dating very seriously. I don't treat it as a game. I just didn't have very good judgement when trying to choose my "potential husband". I had my first boyfriend when I was 15. I didn't think so at the time, but I was way too young for a boyfriend. I was not mature enough to handle being in a relationship. I thought I was, but looking back at myself at 15, I realize how much I was NOT ready to be in a relationship. I thought I was in love, and I jumped into a relationship with this guy without giving myself enough time to really get to know him before trying to give him my heart. He started treating me poorly a few months into our relationship. He was very harsh to me with his words. He said unkind things to belittle me. He hurt me, broke my heart, then broke up with me.

For months, I cried over him. It was my first broken heart, and my heart had never hurt so much in my life. A little piece of my heart had been given to a man that was not meant to be my husband. I spent no time askingGod whether or not He wanted me with this guy before I pursued a relationship with him, and I so regretted making that mistake. You would think that I would learn from my mistake, but unfortunately, I didn't.

Almost 3 years later, I allowed myself to fall, yet again, for a guy that I didn't know much about. Once again, I made the mistake of not praying about us getting into a relationship before I said "yes" to his question: Will you be my girlfriend? A month and a half into our relationship, I found out that things he believed about the Bible didn't line up to what the Bible really taught. I was heartbroken knowing this because I knew that I could not be with him when he did not believe the truth about God's Word. So, I tried to show him the truth using scripture, and he still denied the truth. I knew then what God wanted me to do even though I knew it would break this guy's heart. I loved God way more than I loved him, and I knew what I needed to do. A few days later, I let him know that we could no longer be together. Was I heartbroken? Of course. Did I know, though, that I was doing what was right? Absolutely. My heartbreak, once again, was my fault. If I would have only prayed before pursuing a relationship with him and talking to him more about God and our beliefs, I would have saved myself and him so much heartbreak.

So, I made the mistake of not praying before getting into a relationship, not once but TWICE, so surely I must have learned my lesson to not do it a third time, right? Wrong. Writing this out, I realize how stupid I am making myself sound, but I am being open about this so you girls don't make the same mistakes I once made.

As with the first two relationships, I rushed into a relationship quickly with my third boyfriend without praying about it and things just went from bad to worse. I had convinced myself that I this was the guy that God was going to have me marry. I mean, I was 19 at the time, and my whole life I had planned on being married at 18, so God just let me meet my future husband just a little later than I thought I would have growing up. As I said, things went from bad to horrible, and I quickly realized how wrong I was. God did not want me to marry this man. I became sure of that quickly. This guy did not respect me, he spoke to me unkindly, and he was definitely not Prince Charming. I knew that for sure.

My heart was broken. I gave up on "looking for love", and I decided that it was time to give everything to God which I should have done from the beginning. And what do you know? I met David two weeks later. David and I did not rush into a relationship like me and those three other guys did. David and I took alot of time before pursuing a relationship with eachother to pray and seek God's will. We prayed and prayed and prayed asking God if it was His will for us to be together, and He confirmed over and over again that we were meant to be together. I knew from the start that David was different. He talked different than the other guys I dated. He looked at me different than the other guys, and he definitely talked to me and treated me differently that the other guys. He made me feel like a princess. He made me feel loved, and even though I didn't tell him yet, I knew a week after I met him that he was The One. Not because of just some crazy feelings that I had, but because I knew God was telling me that He was the man that I was going to marry. I have been together with him now for almost 16 months, and I fall in love with him more and more with each day that passes. He has always made an effort to pray with me daily and read the Bible with me. Something that none of those other three guys ever made an effort to do with me.

Girls, wait on God. Please. Don't rush things with any guy. As you can tell from my testimony, bad things happen when you rush into things without praying for God to reveal His will to you. I hope that you take what I have said to heart. I hope my story will inspire you to wait on the man that God has waiting for you. I pray that you will save yourself from heartbreak and save your heart for the man that will someday be your husband. Believe me, your Prince Charming will be more than worth it.

Modest Is Hottest: Prom Style

This post is wrote specially for the junior and senior high school girls!   I'm here to tell you all about something I bet you thought didn't even exist!  And that would be......

CUTE, BEAUTIFUL, ATTRACTIVE PROM DRESSES!

Yeah!  You read correctly my dear.  I've even brought you some samples to show you!  

Now some of you may be thinking "Why in the world would I want to look modest on prom night? No one would even notice me?  None of the guys would even know I exist.."   My dear sweet friend, I have news for you.  If the guy you find noticed you for only those reasons and wants you for mainly that then he isn't one you should be hangin' around.  A real man of God will notice you for your respect for God and your brothers in Christ for wearing modest clothing, and he will love you for that. 

If you still aren't understanding the whole purpose of modesty please read Alyssa's post "Why is Modesty Important?"  Then you can come back and read the rest of the post! :) 

Now for the fun part!  Yes!  We're getting to the dresses!  And I know you're all probably on the edge of your seats.  Thinking I'm going to show you some hideous dress with a turtle neck and a floral vest pattern.  Ha ha ha..no.  Seriously.  These are gorgeous!  I'd wear any of them to prom!  And I'm big into fashion! ;) 

Here is a gorgeous royal blue dress with a pretty crystal belt.  I'm not sure about you, but I'm lovin' it! 

 http://www.thesilverhanger.com/prom/modest-prom-modest/bmdp9122m/

I actually surprised myself when I liked this one.  I love the pink and the beautiful detail. I think it's pretty cute! ;)

http://www.centerfashions.com/color-modest-prom-dresses


This next dress couldn't possibly get any sweeter looking!  It's a pretty dark blush pink, or light peach color.  Needless to say, I'd wear it.  Ha ha!




This I'm sure will probably be a favorite for all those tight fitted loving girls!  This pretty pastel yellow colored dress is modest but still "hot" I would say.



http://www.serendipityprom.com/proddetail.php?prod=NightMoves6580M


This is for all the sparkle and bling loving girls! This pretty blue dress is modern and modest all in one!  It's a win win!

http://www.unique-vintage.com/turquoise-sequin-tulle-drop-waist-lace-modest-prom-gown-p-23657.html


This is probably one of my favorites that I found! It's so formal and stunning! And still modest!

http://www.tjformal.com/p6232496/night-moves-modest-dress-6806m.html


I was never a fan of too many colors all being crammed up in one dress but I have to admit, I liked this one a lot!  I think it's modesty makes it look more attractive. :)


http://www.dressprom.net/modest-prom-dress-night-moves-6581m.html?channelid=FROOG&productid=modest-prom-dress-night-moves-6581m

This one is very pretty and any girl who likes black and pink will love this! I also am I big fan of the way it fits.  It's beautiful overall.



This one is also a tight fitted. It's a gorgeous chocolate brown color. And I think most of you will like the bow on it.  Bows are a big thing right now it seems.
http://ldsliving.com/story/68060-lifestyle-vogue-virtue-modest-prom-dresses


Now onto the short modest dresses!  Glad you stayed to see this part. :) 

I'm in love with the pretty white with a dash of pink on this dress! And if you like "short" dresses this is the perfect length for a prom I think.  It's not showing off too much skin but it's still so modern. 

http://www.bestbridalprices.com/images/venus/spr2011/large/TP5539.html

This dress screams prom to me!  And it's still carrying our modest look.



This is one of my favorite in the short prom dress category!  I love the color, the fit and the style. I would totally wear this. 

http://menzt.blogspot.com/2011/06/modest-prom-dresses-suitable-fit-you.html

This is beauty and modesty at it's fullest!  And I adore this dress! Any young woman would look stunning in this! 

http://ldsliving.com/story/63641-lifestyle-vogue-and-virtue-modest-prom-dresses


And last but in no way least, this breath taking purple short dress!  Beautiful beautiful! 




Okay ladies! I hope this was somewhat helpful to you.  Please please share this with your friends! You don't have to take this journey of modesty alone!  Get together with some youth group friends or school girls and talk about how you feel God wants you to be modest.   Then pray together about it.  And then go on your prom dress shopping spree!  It won't be easy, but God never promised us life would be.   He said ALL thing are possible through HIM."But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  - Matthew 19:26

Now I hope you all leave a comment or tell us what you think below.  If you have any questions please email me @ Kate2Blue@gmail.com I'd be happy to answer any of them or talk with you!  Even send me your prayer requests.

Blessings,