A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words...

I'm in a writing mood this week. Can you tell? :-)

We've been in the process of ordering pictures the past few days (we get our digital photos printed by a company in PA called Winkflash) and I'm still getting used to what I look like now.

For so many years, I didn't really enjoy getting pictures taken - especially if it was more than just my face in the photo. I mean, it didn't really bother me that much (at least, not enough to do something about my weight!), but I was always trying to "suck it in" or make sure that I was in the back of group pictures. And I really didn't like being in group pictures with my "healthy weight friends", because guess who stood out in those pictures? Yours truly. Like a donut in a carrot patch. Or a sumo wrestler in a ballerina class. Or a panda bear surrounded by chihuahuas and registered pure bred toy poodles! (The previous "sayings" are copyrighted by Bekah, who thought them up all by herself!)

Alright, so maybe it wasn't that bad. And now, believe it or not, I'm very thankful for those pictures! They remind me of what I've laid aside and the reason for the ongoing struggle I face. I'm so glad the Lord made us with the ability to remember. (Can you imagine a world where people couldn't remember anything? Nothing at all? It would be pure chaos. How awful...we'd all be blondes! j/k)

At the beginning of my journey, especially last fall, I could look at myself in pictures and be proud of my slowly shrinking self, but I would also think, "Yeah, but look how much you still have to lose.". But God's been faithful to teach me through this process how to rightly accept myself for who He's made me to be. I'm never going to be a "toothpick" - plain and simple. That's not the body shape He's given me. So, it unrealistic and foolish on my part to push myself to become that. I'm learning to enjoy the journey; to step back and look at myself and praise the Lord for His hand working in my life. Not to become prideful, as if anything I've done is worth praising. No, my boasting is in the Lord! To put it simply, I'm learning how to be comfortable in my own skin, knowing that the only approval I need is the Lord's. If He's okay with how I look, so am I. So, bring on the cameras! They don't scare me any more.

I'll even strike a pose if you want me to ~Bekah