As we celebrate “CHRIST-mas” let’s remember that there is no greater “gift” than the gift of salvation, and that Jesus’ birth lead to His death, which is our redemption. Hallelujah! Give thanks!

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those who have His good will! Luke 2:14

Merry Christmas!

A Nappy Girl

Tweet This Post

Why is it when women express insecurity about their looks/attractiveness, women often make it about somebody else, rather than the actual women with the issues?

“Oooh girl, you’re so pretty! If a guy doesn’t find YOU attractive, he’s clearly insane!!”

Really? Why can’t a guy not find you attractive? Now, I’m all for thinking positive about yourself, and knowing that you’re beautiful…but it’s for you, not for other people.  Because as gorgeous as you may be, everybody won’t think so. There are people, like me for instance, who tend to go for unconventional good looks on a man. The men most women swoon over,  make me yawn.

If a man doesn’t find you attractive…he doesn’t find you attractive. It doesn’t mean there’s anything “wrong” with him. Doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you. It doesn’t mean that he’s blind, dumb, shallow…or whatever. It means that you don’t appeal to him physically, for whatever reason. That’s all it means, and that’s enough. End of story.

Sometimes we need to really think about what we say. That’s just like  somebody saying I’m blind, because I don’t find Shemar Moore drop-dead gorgeous. Now, we can joke about it (and we do among our friends), but when it comes to trying to help women who have self-esteem issues, we need to actually help, and not hinder.

It’s tragic that it’s STILL all about how we (women) look.  It’s also good to mention that finding a man who loves, respects and appreciates ALL of you is a formidable task…for pretty women, not-so-pretty women, nappy-haired women, and straight haired women.  Beauty doesn’t guarantee happiness.  Look around.

We gotta change the way we think, ya’ll,  so we can speak sense into nonsense.  Many of us have daughters and nieces to influence.  You don’t usually “out grow” wrong  thinking.  It has to be uprooted and cast out, and replaced with right thinking.

When you have the opportunity to be a “light” in someone’s life, shine bright. Speak the truth, with love.  Don’t feed the dysfunction. Get to the heart of the matter.

A Nappy Girl

Tweet This Post

Because as Christians, we are called to forgive. Christ has forgiven, and continues to forgive us.  We sin against Him, everyday…in thought and/or deed. If God, for one moment, withheld His forgiveness where would you or I be?

Life is but a…vapor. One of my co-workers (one who was very unkind, spiteful and just…mean to me, without cause) is now in the hospital, dying of advanced cervical cancer, as I type this post. It breaks my heart, and I would never have wished that for her. You never know what tomorrow will bring. We count on God giving us another day, to do what we know we should do.  Help us all to live as if it’s our last day.

He who has been forgiven of much, loves much (Luke 7:47).  I also believe that when you have known the forgiveness of Christ, in your own life, for your own messes, you can’t help but extend it to others. Once you realize that there is truly none good but God (Matthew 19:17), you can embrace the goodness of God and invite the one who wronged you to partake. Do they deserve it? Nope, and that’s something you both have in common.

A scripture for meditation:
Psalm 103:10

Selah, indeed!

A Nappy Girl

Tweet This Post

Lord, we don’t need another mountain. But we could use …

• People who have the ability to discern right and wrong.  We’re living in a time in history, where there aren’t a whole lot of folks who can look at a situation, size it up and call it what it is.
• People with good manners. “Thank you!” and “Please” go a very long way. But many folks never go the distance. We’re raising a bunch of rude, delusional, self-absorbed individuals, who think the world spins because they’re in it.
• Men and women..who actually like the opposite sex. Women are known for our tendency to “bash” the male species. Men love to complain about us.  But I tell you, we got some men in this world, who don’t really seem to have much use for a woman, unless she’s on her back,  or on her knees…and silent.  Lot of bitterness and irrational thinking.  Let’s take responsibility for our bad relationship choices, and stop generalizing the genders.
• Sexuality under control. We’ve lost the art of “subtlety”.  Everything is right there,  in your face…with no room for imagination, introduction, or consideration. Some women LOVE to complain about not being “taken seriously”, or not wanting to be thought of as “sexual objects”.  But their behavior contradicts their speech. The “sexiest” among us don’t try so hard.  Self-control is very sexy.
• A  for, and a fear of…God. The fear of the Lord causes men to depart from evil (Proverbs 16:6). When we love God, we love those made in His image, and see them as “manifestations”  of God Himself. If I truly believe you were made in God’s image, and I love God, I will do good to you, and not harm.  It’s that simple.  God measures our love for Him, by how we love others…those made by Him.
  
• Less “pimps” in the pulpit. We got way too many “ministers”, who teach “a different gospel”, and have folks tied up and bound…trying to “catch” a wave of the Holy Ghost (also known as a “move of God”), resulting in a downpouring of all things temporal, rather than freeing folks, so they can experience life as a “new creature” in Christ. That leads to wisdom, healthy self-images, better relationships, better health, restful sleep, less worries…and the ability to weather the storms of life.

A Nappy Girl

Tweet This Post

Ecclesiastes 9:11
“I saw something else under the sun. The race isn’t won by fast runners,
or the battle by heroes. Wise people don’t necessarily have food. Intelligent
people don’t necessarily have riches, and skilled people don’t necessarily receive
special treatment. But time and unpredictable events overtake all of
them.” ~ Translation GWTN

Ecclesiastes is one of my top favorite bible books.  Solomon was the real deal — he brought it straight, with no chaser.

This passage of scripture is frustrating, sobering, and comforting — all at the same time. What it says in a nutshell is that we can never “override” God’s sovereignty. It can’t be done. You can try all you like, and still find yourself “overtaken by unpredictable events”. If you rest in your own ability to “make things happen”, you will, at some point in your life, find that the “math didn’t add up” — your efforts didn’t make the difference you banked on. The “other person” got the job. Your husband/wife left you, anyhow. All those vitamins and health drinks and workouts, and you still got diagnosed with cancer. Some things are simply out of our control.

It’s okay to strive, and have goals, and make plans — some of us are too scared to do anything, for fear that God will snatch the rug from under our feet, at the moment we touch the ground. I’ve been there, too.  But life has a way of showing us just how powerless we really are.  God is my shelter. I can live, take risks and dream — trusting by faith, that God will guide me safely to my destination (where He wants me to be). God’s goodness and favor is more important than my natural abilities/intellect/whatever.

Tweet This Post