Obese Girls and Sex

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37344482/ns/health-kids_and_parenting/?ns=health-kids_and_parenting

This article is linking earlier incidences of sex, unprotected sex and multiple sexual partners to girls being overweight. I was very fortunate and didn't fall into any of those categories. I will say though how much I understand it. I would say if I hadn't been raised in a culture to value women and help us know the importance of waiting until marriage (and I know that doesn't work for everyone, but waiting at least for a first time until you're older than 13 makes sense to anyone) that I would have ended up like one of these statistics.

I know for me personally it was related directly to my insecurity that caused me to seek out male attention. Because I developed earlier than my friends I had assets I could show off to the boys to get attention. If there was a guy I liked in one of my classes I would intentionally wear tighter shirts or low cut tops to get him to talk to me and notice me. I was always hoping some guy would like me. For crying out loud I didn't even get asked to my senior prom and I probably only weighed 160lbs. Sure, I was overweight, but I wasn't gross.

Absolutely we need to help these girls be healthier, but we also need to let girls know they are good enough as they are. We need to make it less about appearance and more about who they are as a human being. They can be loved for their intelligence, wit, humor, compassion and various other talents.

It was the natural confidence I had about my intelligence that allowed me to rise above the challenges that could have befallen me. I'm blessed to have had the experiences I had and to have avoided some dangerous other experiences. Girls are so precious and we need to let them know that. Love your daughters, before someone else fools them into the wrong kind of love.

Women and Self Confidence

I’ve been thinking a lot about women and self-confidence. Those are just two things that seem to rarely occur together. In my 25 years I don’t think I’ve met too many women that are fully confident in who they are. The ones I have met are usually over 45 and even not all of the women I know over 45 are that confident in themselves. I just find this to be a real tragedy. As women we’re so beautiful, all of us. We don’t have to look the same to be beautiful. As women we’re not all interested in the same guy. Sure there are types of men that we’re all more likely to be drawn to, but we don’t all like the same thing. Men don’t all like the same flavor either. It’s our unique characteristics that set us all apart. We need to learn to appreciate our beauty for what it is and now what it isn’t.

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Besides our appearance us women have so much more to offer too. We’re capable of multiply things. For a long time I hated that I had no visible talents. I couldn’t sing, play an instrument or a sport. However, I’m very smart and very discerning about people. I can understand someone in just a few short minutes and that is a gift/talent that I’m very fortunate to have. Our talents/gifts work best together and not separate.

I just really want women to love themselves and know that they are just how God intended them to be. None of us are perfect in anyway, but our imperfections can work for us and become strengths if we allow them. I just ask you to look past your weaknesses and see your strengths. If you allow them to be your strengths will great over shadow your weaknesses. Go out and share your strengths with the world. By doing so you’ll be able to see your value and learn to really love yourself.