For many moms (myself included!) ~ TODAY is the first day of summer vacation for the kids. If you run out of ideas, check out my favorite summer games. A fun time for all ~ guaranteed! :)
Hey Friends!
Happy Monday to you!! It's Mailbag Monday today! I received the following sweet note last week.....
Hi Cindy :)
Just wanted you to know what a blessing you are to me!
I often read your blog and I am sooo inspired, blessed and challenged. You are such a gifted communicator! I just read a blog entry from 2009 about your bathing suit fear.
So true for me too...all those crazy body "issues and lies" that the enemy wants you to believe!
I LOVE the quote from the book..."Satan tells you what is true, but not what is TRUTH". I am going keep that one on the forefront on my mind for a longgg time! So, thanks for being you and I love how you share your life :) Love you my friend!! LF
Oh my, LF! I had forgotten what that 2009 post shared (but remember the fear quite well!). Here's a repost of the Dreaded Swimsuit Saga......
...And now for the swimsuit update. You may recall that I hate swimsuit season! (I bared my soul about this topic here.) In so many areas of my life, I am experiencing God's victory and "promise land living", but bathing suit season brings out my every fear and insecurity. Until this week, I hadn't been in a bathing suit since April 2008!
So, the other day I decided I would face my fears and take my kids to the pool. I was PRAYING like crazy about it all morning (Please, Lord, please don't let me see anyone I know...please). Of course, before I am out of the parking lot, I see a friend who comments that she thinks about me everytime she puts on her bathing suit (so she must read my blog and know my "issue"...how embarassing) And as I head into the pool area, a lady yells "Hey Bible Study lady!". Great, I'm thinking...this is going to be a great day, God....
The kids and I stayed at the pool until nearly closing time. My kids had a blast ~ going down the slides, splashing and swiming, being kids. And would you know...I survived. Nobody teased me. Called me a bad name. Made a funny comment to me. I made it!
Isn't it crazy how our fears can become so irrational and huge - and almost paralyzing?! And not until we step out into those areas of fear...out of our safety and comfort zone...can we see things more clearly. And Truthfully.
Like why in the world when I am 40 years old do I still think someone is going to tease or reject me. Where does this all come from?? And, most importantly, how in the world do I move forward??
As I spent time praying about it later that evening, I rememembered something I recently learned in a Bible Study that was eye opening for me. Kelly Minter, in her book No other gods shares, "Satan will tell us what's true, but he never tells us the TRUTH".
Remembering that simple statement was like an "AHA" light bulb moment for me!!
Yes, it is true I was teased as a little girl for being "the chubby cousin".
Yes, it is true, I am not a size 6 (or an 8 anymore).
Yes, it is true, I have given birth to 4 children.
Yes, I'm not comfortable in a bathing suit. Yes, those things are true.
But the TRUTH is that I am beautiful and accepted by God....just the way that I am!!
The TRUTH is that God delights in me!!
The TRUTH is that I am secure, significant, set apart in Christ!
The TRUTH is that I am dearly loved by the Lord God Almighty! Woo Hoo!!
"Satan will tell us what's true, but he never tells us the TRUTH".
Kelly Minter shares..."Let that sink in for a minute. For example, if you're currently struggling with your finances, you might think something along these lines...I don't have enough money to pay my bills; I'm going to lose everything. It might be true that you don't have enough money to pay your bills, but the TRUTH is that God will take care of your every need (Matt. 6:25-30).
I think this is what we see in Genesis 3. Satan spoke a lot of true things, yet none of it was the TRUTH! This is where deception can play such a huge role in our lives. Though we all have succumbed to believing bold-faced lies, my hunch is that we have far more often been captivated by sheer deception."
Aha!! Satan tries to deceive us by telling us what may be true...but he never tells us the TRUTH! True vs. TRUTH. How about for you?? Are there areas of your life where the enemy is trying to deceive you? Is he filling your mind with things that may be true...but are not God's TRUTH??
I would love to hear from you!!!
May the Lord reveal to you ANYTHING that is getting in the way of experiencing all of the FULLNESS and FREEDOM that He has for you!!!
And if you see me at the pool this summer ~ please feel free to say Hi!!
A good friend helped me reframe my pool experience from the other day. When I said, "Obviously God wasn't listening to my prayers on the way to the pool. Everywhere I looked there were people I knew". My dear friend challenged me and said, "What if Dana in the parking lot, and Rachel from Bible study, and the other people you knew at the pool were actually reminders from God Himself that you were not alone?? That He was with you." Hmmm....sounds just like Him, doesn't it?!
Let's pray...Oh Lord, THANK YOU that Your Word says TRUTH will set us free. Please, Lord, set us free from any fear, lie, habit, attitude, addiction that is getting in the way of the full LIFE that You have for us. Eradicate any unhealthy roots. Plant seeds of Truth. For Your Purpose. For Your Glory Alone! Amen :)
P.S. The picture is for my friends that still don't believe I put on a bathing suit. Watch out ~ by the end of the summer, I might be going down the slide!!! :)
P.S.S. If you ever have a Mailbag Monday question, please feel free to send it to me @ cindy.bultema@comcast.net! :)
5 comments:
I can certainly identify with your bathing suit fears. As a recovering anorexic, a bathing suit event provides all sorts of opportunities to compare my way-over-40/almost 50 body to every other body in the pool area. Thankfully, as the Lord has brought healing to my psyche, I have gained a measure of healing in this area. However, the temptation is still there and I fall to it sometimes.
i love the AHA of realizing that satan tells us things that are true but not the TRUTH. going to think on that more....thanks.
Hi! Cindy, you are so pretty! ~ bathing suit and all! And yes~ God even loves you in that suit!! Girl! life is too short!! Keep Swimming in his love and acceptance! have a Joy filled day!:)
We all have body image issues. After three children, I weigh less then I did in high school. I feel like I can never talk about my body to friends. When I mention discontenment, it is usually returned with a comment like "You have nothing to complain about." They are both right and wrong. Wrong because although I may wear a size two, I hate what I look like in a baithing suit too. They are right in the sense that I have only to praise the Lord everyday, all day, there should be no time to complain. It doesn't matter what size you are the devil is working in us all. Thank you for your post. I had to share with someone my own discontentment.
Hi, Cindy!
I just have to share that I agree with the above poster. I tend to be on the thinner end of things, but that doesn't mean I don't struggle with what my body looks like. I think Satan has used our culture to twist our perception of what is beautiful. We are beautiful because of our hearts, not our bodies. Bodies are just temporary housing for what's really important.... something I have to keep reminding myself of!
You are so beautiful and your suit looks CUTE!
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