purpose

6 Christian Blogs You don’t want to Miss if You Struggle with Identity, Freedom, and Purpose

Can’t get enough of God’s truth on the web, but your favorite Christian blogger isn’t adding new content fast enough? Then this one is for you!

Wow!  Is it really the end of March already??  Considering the Valentines’ Day hearts went back into storage and the butterflies & bunnies came out, I must face the harsh reality that I have not published a blog post in five months!  To my faithful followers, please accept my heartfelt apology for my lack of content as of late!

Between my daughter’s baby shower, and then the holidays, and then the birth of my new twin preemie grandsons, I have been very wrapped up with “family stuff” over the last several months.  Tackling all of those things back-to-back was no small feat!  But that being said, rest assured, I have never forgotten about you or about my passion to bring you God’s truth!

In times like these, it’s always important to have a Back-Up plan!  So, I decided there is no time like the present to share some of my favorite resources with you that you can turn to whenever you need a little extra encouragement- especially when it seems as though I have fallen off the planet!

The fellow bloggers I will be introducing to you share my same passion- bringing women of God more of His truth about their identity and freedom.  I am overjoyed to have found them, and I know you will be, as well!

Before getting to the goods, I want to let my readers know that I am also creating this post to inform you that I will be taking some time to make some minor adjustments to my website.  My hope is to not only simplify my site for easier navigation, but to also use this time to take some important courses that will help me provide the content that will serve you best!  What better time to share some other blogs with you that will help me to serve you and meet your needs 😊 .

If you are new here, I would strongly encourage you to get “caught up” by learning a little more about my story and why I do what I do.  You can do that by visiting my More About Me page.  If you are not new to Princess and the P, perhaps this is a good time for some review.  I find that every time I open my Bible, I seem to learn something new, regardless of how many times I’ve read the same passages over and over again!  Because I try to ensure that my posts are filled with Scripture, I encourage you to take another look; maybe you will see something that you didn’t catch the first time around!

To read more about this blog’s purpose and my mission, start with His Princess.  This post is chock-full of truth about your identity in Christ and encouragement to help you start believing it! 

To learn of some warning signs that might indicate you are in a toxic relationship, check out Toxic.  This post might open your eyes to an unhealthy relationship you may not have even known you were in!  When you are finished reading that one, follow it up with Food Freedom.  I promise you won’t regret taking some time out of your day to read that one- especially if you are feeling worn out from worrying so much about diet, nutrition, fat free, low-calorie, clean eating, or all of the above!

I have many other insightful posts, and I encourage you to spend some time “clicking around” my site to see if there is anything you might glean from it.  I also have a Resources page that contains some of my personal recommendations, so be sure to check that out when you have a few minutes to spare.  (*I get no monetary compensation for these recommendations, so feel free to explore them thoroughly without feeling skeptical!)  Finally, if you are someone who is seeking the peace and freedom that a relationship with Jesus brings, you definitely want to click on my Jesus and You tab.  (That’s the most important page of all!)

And now, without further ado, I bring you Six Christian Blogs You Don’t Want to Miss if You Struggle with Identity, Freedom, and Purpose!

First of all, if this is not your first time to my website, you know that my history of struggles with food, diet, nutrition, scales, and anything else food, health, or weight related has been the biggest culprit of stealing my joy and stripping me of my identity.  (OK, the enemy is the biggest culprit, but we all know he uses our weaknesses against us.)  Suffice it to say, I was ecstatic to find this gem during my research!       

Let me introduce you to Aubrey Golbek, RD.  Aubrey is a Registered Dietician who loves to coach on Intuitive Eating principles while keeping Christ front and center!  I have to be honest…when I first started looking into Intuitive Eating, I sort of got this “meditation” feel from it, and it made me a bit uncomfortable.  But when I found Aubrey, a Christ-follower who teaches Intuitive Eating, I thought I hit the jackpot!

Aubrey is also a Mom and Author “on a mission to help you ditch shame” and live in Grace.  Her book, Grace, Food, and Everything Between, focuses on helping you combat your struggles with eating and body image.  As a mother, many of Aubrey’s posts also cater to those with littles!  You can find Aubrey and her grace-fueled wisdom here.

I first found this next surprise when it was recommended to me by my new-found friend and accountability partner that I met through the Joyful Health course I signed up for through Aubrey’s website.  I had no idea how much of a game changer the Intuitive Eating for Christian Women podcast would be when I discovered they had their own website that was chock-full of even more resources to help women on this journey!

For starters, they offer a printable workbook/journal that you can choose to purchase and follow as you listen to their podcast episodes.  It’s an Intuitive Eating course in and of itself!  Not only do the hosts of this podcast have the credentials to discuss health and nutrition, but they have the heart and passion to help women follow Jesus, not diets.  You don’t want to miss this one, and you can find it here.

Moving along the food freedom track, I introduce you to Shellie Bowdoin, the author of Find Your Weigh.  Although this professing choco-holic is not a medical professional, she uses her own research and life experiences to inform, enlighten, and encourage women to transform by the renewing of their minds.  Shellie encourages women to find and maintain their healthy, God-designed weight instead of allowing the scale to dictate their success.

But that’s not all you’ll get from Shellie!  As a self-proclaimed “friend and encourager to women,” Shellie’s blog serves you and enlightens you with wisdom, fun facts, advice and much more.  From bible study guidance to fashion tips, Shellie writes on a variety of topics to meet you where you are.  Check out the Fab Journey to learn more.

Ever deal with what is commonly referred to as “Comparititis” when it comes to how you view yourself?  Let’s be honest, ladies…  you know you’ve had a bout of the comparison blues at least a time or two!  Well, Heather Creekmore wants to help you “jump off of the self-improvement treadmill.”  Heather is a motivational speaker and body image coach who helps women stop comparing and start living.

Heather’s ministry is right up our alley when it comes to finding freedom, and she is the author of Compared to Who: A Proven Path to Improve Your Body Image and The Burden of Better: How a Comparison-Free Life Leads to Joy, Peace, and Rest.  I know there are more women than not who struggle with this issue, and I feel so passionate about her ministry that I plan to approach the Women’s Ministry team at my home church to see if we can get her to speak at one of our events!  If you would like to “meet” Heather and see what she’s all about, you can find her here.

If you are a fan of Stasi Eldridge and her ministry but haven’t yet checked out her blog, I encourage you to do so!  She and her husband, John, team up to bring powerful truths to men and women about freedom, identity, and much more!  They have both written several books and bible studies on the heart and soul, relationship and hope, and redemption and restoration.  Their website includes links for their podcasts, so when you don’t have time to sit and read, you can listen!

Stasi is the author of the popular books Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul and Becoming Myself: Embracing God’s Dream of You.  I have read both more than once, and I’ve also purchased the Audible versions, because I can’t get enough of Stasi’s wisdom and encouragement.  She has experienced many of the bondages and struggles that many of us share, and she is very loving, candid, and willing to share her life experiences to teach women how to overcome hurt & sorrow and embrace freedom.  You can find her blog here.

Last but not least, I want you to know that you have a purpose, and Elise from She is Light wants you to know it, too! Elise’s website is filled with great blog posts that cover a variety of topics from purpose, to decision-making, to facing common, everyday fears.  Her posts cover issues like mental health, faith, and friendships, and they are sprinkled throughout with God’s truth.  Elise has her own YouTube channel, as well, if you’d like to follow her by video.

The other thing I love about Elise is that she directs her audience to other great resources, too.  Most of her blog posts end with introducing the reader to another Christian blogger who caters to women, and her Resources page is chock-full of links for other Christian materials, websites, and podcasts.  It’s like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow!  Check it out for yourself here.

Well there you have it!  Six Christian blog posts you don’t want to miss if you struggle with identity, freedom, and purpose!  I hope you find this article useful, and keep in mind that I value your feedback!  If you have come across any other great “pots of gold” among your browsing and research, please share it with my community!  We are all in this together, and I believe everyone has something important to say!

God bless, and happy reading!

He Sighed

When I do my scripture reading and devotions, I like to journal a little bit about what I read.  A tip I received from my mother based on the method her Sunday School uses, is to use the acronym SOAP.  S is for the Scripture verse(s) that spoke to me from that day’s reading.  I always write down the passage and the reference.  O is for Observation.  I write out my reflection on the passage.  I briefly journal about why it spoke to me and what I think God is trying to tell me with the passage.  A is for Application.  After I think about what the verse(s) meant to me, I write out how I’m going to apply it to my life.  What did I learn from it?  What can I do differently based on what I learned?  P, of course, is for Prayer.  I always follow up my morning reading with a short prayer regarding everything I wrote.  If it’s something I need to improve on in my own life, I ask God for help.  If it’s something that newly occurred to me, I thank God for the revelation.  You get the idea. 

I may not be the quickest reader when it comes to Scripture, but my goal is not to get through the Bible as quickly as possible.  I like to take it in “chunks” and really digest what I’m taking in as I read.

As I was reading my daily scriptures the other day, I was thinking about what I was going to write about the passage, because it was a rather odd portion that happened to stand out to me on that day.  I wondered how I would “reflect” on this particular part of the passage, because this time it was only two simple words that really struck me.  The more I wondered how I was going to reflect on them, however, the more I actually began doing it.

The specific verse was Mark 7:34, where Jesus was healing a deaf man with a speech impediment.  The verse reads, “Looking up to Heaven, He sighed and said, ‘Ephphatha,’ which means, ‘Be opened.” (NLT)

The two words that caught me here were He sighed.  Every word that comes from God is important, so the fact that He wanted us to know that Jesus sighed in this moment is not irrelevant, and I was trying to decipher what was going on in Jesus’ mind at the time.  Why do people usually sigh?  Was Jesus bored?  Frustrated?  Feeling defeated?  Tired, perhaps? 

I tried to picture it in my head, and I read the verse again.  “Then, looking up to Heaven, He sighed and said…`Be opened.”

Then I pictured myself doing the same thing.  I physically- literally- tried out different types of sighs until I found one that felt right.  I don’t think Jesus was getting tired or frustrated.  Or maybe He was; He was human, too, after all.  But if you read the passages around that particular verse, you’ll see that He had been healing people all over the place.  He didn’t mind, of course.  Jesus came to bring healing.  However, down in verse 36, we see that “Jesus told the crowd not to tell anyone, but the more He told them not to, the more they spread the news.” (Mark 7:36)

Now isn’t that just like us humans to do the exact opposite of what God tells us to do?  But did Jesus get angry?  Nope.  Did He stop healing people because they didn’t listen?  Nope.  Now… isn’t that just like our God to keep on giving even though we didn’t do what He asked of us?  I believe that Jesus sighed because He already knew that everyone was going to keep spreading the news.  I wonder if He sighed as if to say, “Come on, Dad.  We’re on.  Let’s do it again.”  It was inevitable that He was going to heal this deaf man from Galilee, and it’s a given that He was going to keep on healing the masses, because that is Who… He… Is.  He is our loving healer, who is still healing people to this very day.

I think this little story gives us insight into God’s character.  As a parent myself, I often like to look at God from the perspective of His child.  I know that God is also my friend, my brother, and many other wonderful things.  But when I think of God as my heavenly Father, it helps me to remember His patience, love, mercy, kindness, and faithfulness.

When I think about my own children, I know that even when they disappoint me- or even outright disobey me- there is nothing I wouldn’t do for them.  I would never get tired of helping them, and I would kiss every single boo-boo away if I could!  (I’ve often said I wish I could put them in a bubble!)  If we feel that way in our humanness, how much more does our Heavenly Father feel that way about us?

I have this nasty habit of beating myself up when I think I’ve disappointed God, and I often refrain from asking for things in prayer because I feel I don’t deserve it, or I didn’t earn it.  If you know anything about God’s character at all, you would know that it is just absurd to think that way!  There is absolutely nothing anyone can do to earn or deserve His love and good gifts.

I mostly get this way when I know I haven’t read His Word faithfully every day.  I feel that if I don’t give Him the time He deserves, how dare I even think about asking Him for anything.  But you know what?  I have a teenage daughter who spends just about every moment of every day in her bedroom.  It’s even difficult for me to get a hug out of her, because physical touch is not her love language.  But would I ever think she had no right coming to me for her wishes and desires?  Absolutely not!  It is my heart’s desire to lavish her with the things that make her happy!

Why is it so difficult for us to believe that God feels the same way about us?  And even more so?  He created us in His image, and He is the one that put those feelings of love, tenderness, and devotion in our hearts.  If that is all true, then He must have love, tenderness, and devotion in His heart- even more than we can imagine.

I am not saying I’m an expert at this.  I still have to work at it every day.  Self-image was never one of my strong suits, and I have a bad habit of thinking I’m unworthy.  God has had words with me more times than I count when it came to how I viewed myself.  To put it plainly, He has beaten me over the head with His truth!

If you read my story and learn more about my history and upbringing, you would understand why I tend to feel unworthy.  But I’m here to tell you to not be like me!  Sometimes I wonder if God gets frustrated with me because I just don’t “get it.”  Does He sigh when He has to tell me, yet again, how special I am to Him and how beautiful I am, because I am made in His image?  Does He sigh when he has to remind me all the time that He has a plan for me?

Sometimes I sigh when I have to repeat words of affirmation to my daughters.  I sigh when I have to tell them for the one hundred twelfth time that each one of them is beautiful and special and created for a purpose.  I don’t sigh because I’m frustrated with them, and I don’t sigh because I’m tired of saying it.  I think I sigh because I’m a little sad that they don’t believe it themselves sometimes.  They don’t see what I see when I look at them.

And we don’t see what God sees when He looks at us.  Maybe Jesus sighed that day because He was sad, too.  Maybe He was sad that there were so many people with so many different ailments.  The truth is, I don’t have the answer to why Jesus sighed; I can only speculate.  The “why” is not written, just that He did it.  And maybe that’s the way God wanted it.  He wants us to take that time to reflect on His words, because each one is important.

Maybe He wants us to know that He gets sad, too, sometimes.  Maybe He wants us to realize it is His will that all should be healed, and He didn’t pick and choose who was going to have what ailment.

My “ailment” has always been my eating disorder.  Compulsive overeating- it most definitely affects my health and well-being.  I don’t blame God for the food addiction; finding comfort in food was my choice.  Furthermore, God didn’t make my abusers mess with my body, mind, and heart, and yes, I know what they did to me made Him sad.  But they did those things because God gives us free will, and not everyone is always going to do the right thing, or for lack of better terms, not do the wrong thing. 

But, how I respond to what happened is what really matters.  I can’t undo it, so I can only move forward.  More importantly, what happened to me does not define who I am.  I am created in God’s image.  I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  I am God’s precious child, and that makes me a princess.  I believe it makes God sad when I forget that or even doubt it, so I made it my mission to make sure no one else ever does.

I write this blog so everyone who reads it knows that they are loved, and they have a purpose.  Today’s blog was written so that whoever reads it is inspired to take a closer look at the seemingly insignificant words that are found in their bible passages.  God is always speaking to us; sometimes we just need to be still and listen.

What is He telling you today?  Is He trying to get your attention?  Is He gently “calling you out” because you are not accepting of His unconditional love?  Do you have trouble seeing yourself the way that He sees you?  What is the ailment that holds you back from living up to your potential and purpose?  I would love to hear about it, so please comment below!