Tag Archives: unusual beauty

Dramatic – the Exotic Beauty

Confidence, Life, Personal Style, , , , , ,

Some women are fast-paced, hardworking and unafraid to take risks. Those who are Dramatic in style have a daring nature that is seemingly uninhibited by the influences around her. Her long, straight features and extreme height are indication of her character. The Dramatic woman (or man, or child…) is focused and passionate about all she does.

She is like an exotic flower, her unusual beauty has a powerful presence that stands out and makes a statement. All too often, however, this girl is completely unaware of the influence she has on others. In reality, this Image Identity (Img.ID) really has a very sensitive spirit and when others feel intimidated by her, she often reads it as rejection. 

Relatability makes or breaks the Dramatic’s beauty

Continue reading Dramatic – the Exotic Beauty →

The Beauty of the Manger

Confidence, Life, , ,

My fourth child was due to arrive just before Christmas. We were building a home at the time and it was not ready for occupancy. I remember feeling anxious about bringing a newborn home to our temporary living situation–a large, open room over my brother-in-law’s garage. With two young boys and another young family within earshot, I feared the sleepless nights would be a problem for the whole house. 

Expectations

Every mom wants her nest in order–beautifully decorated and sanitized–before her new baby arrives. But it doesn’t always happen that way.

Imagine how Mother Mary felt ridding a donkey across the country during the “nesting stage” of her first pregnancy.

Continue reading The Beauty of the Manger →

Validation, Everyone Needs It

Confidence, Personal Style, , , , ,

When is the last time someone said something encouraging to you as a person?

You are very good at that.

You are so strong!

You are beautiful.

I hope it was this morning that someone validated you as a person, but I know that in reality it may have been a long time since you have heard a positive statement about your looks, strengths or qualities. For some reason, most of us hold back from “speaking life” over each other.

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!-Deuteronomy 30:19 

I was just making a bitmoji with my daughter. We were cracking up Continue reading Validation, Everyone Needs It →

What are your holdfasts?

Life, ,

I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with my to do list, when a dear friend of mine presented this very powerful question. It put life back into proper perspective for me and my hope is that it will for you as well.

If you’re plate is full and you are finding it hard to be merry this season, please enjoy this guest blog from Lauri Hawley, a godly woman of wisdom who has a way of capturing the most unusual beauty in amazing pictures and relating them to deep spiritual life lessons. You can find her blogs here  

photo by Lauri Hawley

 

I found this little rock washed up on the beach a few weeks ago, with a strange growth attached. It almost looks like a coral, but we’re too far north to find that around here. I’ll venture to say that it’s seaweed. Whatever it is, I’m sure that when it got anchored to that rock, it never saw itself being washed ashore! The rock was protected somewhere on the ocean floor for quite a while to give this specimen time to grow. And then the storms came.Are you holding on to things of this world that seem super stable, reliable, and strong? What rocks are you using as a foundation? Will they remain firm through the storms of this life?Jesus told this parable, recorded in Luke 6:46-49:

“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” (NLT)

Jesus gives three steps to building on a solid foundation.First, we must come to Him. Talk to Him, read His Word, ask Him for guidance and assurance, and learn from Him.Second, we must listen. Asking without listening for the answer is a waste of time! Staying in the Word and listening for His voice will teach us how to live, even when we don’t know what questions to ask.Third, we must do what He says. What does He say? Here are a few starters:

▪ “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” (John 13:34)

▪ “Love your enemies” and “Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:44)

▪ “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16)

Take some time today to check your foundation. What are your holdfasts attached to? If it’s anything of this world, it will pass away. Your rock will be thrown around by the storms of this life, and you’ll find yourself out in the open and exposed.Instead, dig down to the solid foundation that is Jesus Christ, who is the Rock of our salvation! Come to Him, listen, and obey. Through faith in Him we are counted as righteous, and “the root of the righteous will never be moved” (Proverbs 12:3 ESV). 

 

Invisible Beauty

Beauty, Confidence, Life, Personal Style, , ,

beautiful girlMy boys were less than two weeks old when they each got their first haircuts. Each of my newborn girls had pretty hair ornaments before leaving the hospital. Having “hairy babies” was something I’d always hoped for when I dreamed of being a mom. If you ask me why, I’d tell you that it was a “hairdresser thing” but the deeper truth is probably rooted in pride. After 22 years of motherhood it’s hard to deny that, like most mom’s, I want my children to reflect what is important to me. And, yes, beauty is important to me. Maybe that’s a “image-coach thing” but if you are really honest, you may find it is important to you as well.

I remember coming to the realization of how much we judge each other by appearance when my second daughter was just a toddler. Tori was one of those babies that made people stop and coo. You know, the kind of child you cannot resist speaking to with a ga ga voice even in public. When I took her shopping with me I had to plan on extra time for strangers to ask her age and comment on her long, full hair. Although I am sure there were times when I lacked patience, for the most part I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing the excitement that others had when they saw my beautiful little girl.

There were times, however, when she became invisible. Continue reading Invisible Beauty →

A Partial Reflection of God

Faith, Life, Personal Style, , , ,

Pure beauty is healing; that is why we send flowers to the grieving heart. It is powerful. It is meant to inspire others to become better, stronger and more relaxed and confident; that is why we vacation in beautiful resorts. Your beauty should bring peace, joy and energy to others. That is what Eve’s beauty was all about.

Walk with me in the Garden of Eden; let me show you the first Supreme MakeOver. Notice I said supreme makeover; this was not the kind of makeover we do in the salons, which would make Eve look different (although we do know she did get a new leather outfit!). This was the kind of makeover that changed who she believed she was. Unfortunately, this supreme makeover was not done by her Creator, but by her enemy…

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over ever creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.                Genesis 1:26, 27

In Genesis 1:26-27 we see that Adam and Eve were created in the image of God—each one of them. God sees a married couple as one. Jesus Himself said that, “a man shall… be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh; that they are no longer two, but one flesh.”

It is the one–the union of the two different sexes–that reflects the image of God. Think about that, God did not create man in His image and then create woman as an afterthought. He created man and woman together in His image.

images

Man is a reflection of the side of God that fights for us, pursues us, protects us, provides for us, and desires us, the powerful side of God that is a warrior…

Woman is the reflection of the gentle side of God that is relational, nurturing, comforting, encouraging, and responsive; the side of God that gives life and get this the side of God that longs to be sought after, longs to be seen for His (her) beauty. Let that sink deep into your soul. This battle within you, the core longing for beauty, is something God understands, something He put there to reflect Him!

Is that something you can believe?

Let’s talk about it more tomorrow.

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Catrina Welch is an image- and life-coach whose message is not as much “what not to wear” as it is, “Know Who You Are,” which is the title of her book of guidelines for your personal image identity. Catrina has also written a Bible study to help women overcome their confidence conflicts; it is titled Supreme MakeOver: a Rich and Refreshing Devotional Experience. Her other books include Footprints Through the Sand: a Consolidation of Life-altering stories about Loving and Loosing a Trisomy-18 Baby and Confident Beauty: Reflecting the One Who Made You with the Images in Your Mirror and Your Soul, which will be available in book stores this spring. All of these books are available now at www.CatrinaWelch.com

If you are interested in having Catrina come speak to your friends, colleagues or ministry you can contact her on facebook or by email at catrina@catrinawelch.com.

Don’t Hate Her ‘Cuz She’s Beautiful

Life, Personal Style, ,

It’s not easy being different.

Unusual beauty creates Confidence Conflicts for the gorgeous as much as it does for the less-lovely. Sometimes the reason people stare is not because of your imperfections, but because they think you are perfect—or close to it, beautiful women get gawked at too, and not just by lustful men. They too get the long, strong stares and sometimes those stares can feel or even be threatening.

1100679-bigthumbnailSome girls, no matter what Img.ID they are, suffer from the assumptions often put on them: that they “have it all together,” that “they know they are beautiful” and are “stuck up” “promiscuous” or “showing off.” They are sometimes despised for things they cannot change about themselves–things that are not wrong.

Men and women both tend to think that a gorgeous girl is “above them”; it is often assumed that unless we too are gorgeous, we don’t “qualify” to be friends with those more beautiful. When we are not confident with our beauty, we tend to think of beautiful people as unapproachable not because of what the pretty girls have done to make us feel that way, but because of what the enemy has done to make us feel that way.

If you are a gorgeous woman, and you haven’t recognized this for what it is, and have only felt that false guilt and cynicism, you may feel very lonely. The hurt and rejection that beautiful women suffer often makes them cautious and defensive in their relationships.

You cannot change the way others feel, you must leave that with them; simply do your best to press through their judgments and show them the true you. As my husband loves to say, “people of integrity expect to be believed, and when they are not, they let time prove them right.” Give it time, pray that God would give you compassion for them and the strength to keep being you despite their judgments.

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Catrina Welch is an image- and life-coach whose message is not as much “what not to wear” as it is, “Know Who You Are,” which is the title of her book of guidelines for your personal image identity. Catrina has also written a Bible study to help women overcome their image issues. It is titled Supreme MakeOver: a Rich and Refreshing Devotional Experience. Her other books include Footprints Through the Sand: a Consolidation of Life-altering stories about Loving and Loosing a Trisomy-18 Baby and Confident Beauty: Reflecting the One Who Made You with the Images in Your Mirror and Your Soul, which will be available soon.

If you are interested in getting these books or having Catrina come speak at your event, you can contact her at www.CatrinaWelch.com or on facebook.

Let Them Stare!

Greif, Life, Personal Style, , , ,


And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Rebecca w ron's fingerI was pregnant with Rebecca when the doctors were trying to count her fingers and thought maybe she didn’t have them all because she held them so tight and they overlapped. Rebecca was my first girl and I was looking forward to the day I would hold those hands in mine and give her her first manicure. But they were telling me that the number of digits she had was the least of my worries.

You don’t hear of Trisomy 18 too often because most babies with this condition are aborted or stillborn; and those that do survive birth do not usually live longer than five days.

Rebecca lived three weeks before she passed away. During those three weeks, and the many, many long ones to follow, we had to wrestle out this stuff with God: Why is life unfair, and what do we do with all the people staring at us?

It wasn’t just our daughter’s uncommon beauty that people stared at.

Losing a child is out of the norm, and it makes people uncomfortable. Many times I’ve had conversations suddenly become awkward after I spoke of my loss; suddenly I became “different” to the one I was conversing with, and unless they had dealt with grief themselves, they no longer knew what to do or say around me; they stepped back and just stared.

Some things just don’t make sense in life, and we just have to choose to trust God or not. It’s not an easy decision, but I can tell you from experience that it is easier to give it all to Him than to become bitter toward Him. My husband and I figured out that if we could not trust God, there was no one we could trust, and we would be completely alone in our battle.

We chose to cast all our cares on Him, and He carried us through … not that the battle is over, but He promises to give us strength to handle whatever comes our way. We look at it like this: If there were nothing “unfair” and we had no weaknesses or challenges, then our lives might be easier, but they would be empty and meaningless.

As they say, “nothing good in life comes easy.” Having confidence in who you are and what your purpose is may not be easy, but it is good!

If you struggle with life being unfair to you, or you are tortured with thoughts about who you are–or who you are not–wrestle it out with God. Tell Him how you feel about it. Ask Him to help you deal with it. Perhaps that is the very purpose for Him allowing it: to draw you closer to Him.

He knows you better than you know yourself. Maybe He wants to use you the way He is using my husband and me. We have come to believe it is an honor and a privilege that others stare at us because of our loss. You see, if we were just like everyone else, no one would really get drawn to God by us.

Is there something about you that makes others stare at you? Let them look! And let God use you! I believe that is why He put your imperfection there; it captures others. Think about it: He trusts you to show His glory far more than the average girl who blends into the crowd.

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Catrina Welch is an image- and life-coach whose message is not as much “what not to wear” as it is, “Know Who You Are,” which is the title of her book of guidelines for your personal image identity. Catrina has also written a Bible study to help women overcome their image issues. It is titled Supreme MakeOver: a Rich and Refreshing Devotional Experience. Her other books include Footprints Through the Sand: a Consolidation of Life-altering stories about Loving and Loosing a Trisomy-18 Baby and Confident Beauty: Reflecting the One Who Made You with the Images in Your Mirror and Your Soul, which will be available soon.

If you are interested in getting these books or having Catrina come speak at your event, you can contact her at www.CatrinaWelch.com or on facebook.

When Others Stare

Greif, Life, Personal Style, , , ,

One of my favorite topics to speak to women about is the Image Issues and Confidence Conflicts that come with exceptional beauty and unusual beauty.

No one really wants to look like the average girl, yet we can become so uncomfortable when our image is outstanding-be that good or bad- it is simply an “issue” when others stare.

Your beauty has a purpose to draw others toward you, to reflect to them the heart of the One who made you. It does not require perfection. Just as the moon reflects the glory of the sun though it has many blotches, is far dimmer than the sun, and is even a different color, it brings forth light to the world. The moon is not bright and beautiful because of it’s own glory, but because of the glory it reflects. A woman’s beauty is the same way.

If you are drawing others to your Creator, you are beautiful!

Rebecca close upYou may know, my husband and I had a Trisomy 18 baby who is now with Jesus. Rebecca had one more of chromosome number 18 than you and I have, which is why she had so many deformities (apparent ones, and ones unseen; including five major heart defects.) I do not believe that any of these irregularities came as a surprise to her Designer. I believe He chose each chromosome for her, just as He does for each of us.

I remember the day of Rebecca’s dedication. During the service I was holding her tiny body in my arms just staring at her delicate deformities, completely in awe how different she was. As we began singing “I sing for Joy at the works of your hands, forever I’ll love you, forever I’ll stand. Nothing compares to the promise I have in You” I realized I was holding in my arms a great work of the hands of a Mighty God. This child was not a mistake; she was a special design of a very creative Father.

Our baby was absolutely beautiful to me and to her daddy, and certainly to the One who created her. His Word says it, I believe it, and that is something that forever I will stand on. Why do I tell you this? Because I want you to know that you are beautiful to your Father in Heaven too; no matter what your imperfections may be, compare them only to the promises you have in Him.

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Catrina Welch is an image- and life-coach whose message is not as much “what not to wear” as it is, “Know Who You Are,” which is the title of her book of guidelines for your personal image identity. Catrina has also written a Bible study to help women overcome their image issues. It is titled Supreme MakeOver: a Rich and Refreshing Devotional Experience. Her other books include Footprints Through the Sand: a Consolidation of Life-altering stories about Loving and Loosing a Trisomy-18 Baby and Confident Beauty: Reflecting the One Who Made You with the Images in Your Mirror and Your Soul, which will be available soon.

If you are interested in getting these books or having Catrina come speak at your event, you can contact her at www.CatrinaWelch.com or on facebook.