Candidly Christian

Real Women. Real Life. Real Faith.

Self Worth

Self Worth

New Eyes & Excessive Worry

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I was born with retinoblastoma.

So was my son.

It’s a rare type of cancer where tumors grow on the retina of your eye. If it’s left untreated, the tumors can travel down the optic nerve into the brain, causing death. Thus, we both lost our right eyes before our first birthdays and have prosthetics.

Growing up with a prosthetic eye was a little awkward. Okay, it’s still awkward to have one eye. I may or may not walk into doors on occasion. But what was really awkward was getting a new prosthetic.

Yes, I have a new eye. (No, I can’t see any better.)

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Faith, Fat, & Fitness

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I have gained seventy pounds since my 30th birthday.

Seventy. Pounds.

That doubled my pants size.

Literally.

After the first thirty or forty pounds, my doctor assured me it was normal for women in their thirties. Not that that made me feel any better.

In fact, the more weight I have gained, the more discontent I have become.

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What Happens In The Light

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Recently I had to help with a really big project. Most of what I helped with had to do with painting, and cutting and stapling a mesh screen on painted frames that would be hung.

Measurements had to be exact, the mesh had to be put on the frames in a specific way, and the mesh also “shed” a lot. Oh and the painting… that required just as much care and detail.

Simultaneously, we are reading about the 10 commandments and the explanation of them as well. There are so many if-then situations connected to the commands. My head was spinning over all of the conditions based on circumstance.

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Ditching the Comparison Game in My Prayer Life

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My good friend Alana and I have been prayer partners for almost ten years now, and podcast partners for about half of that time. One of the funniest moments in our friendship came when we were discussing prayer styles on the Praying Christian Women podcast and both admitted we had envied each other for the way we prayed. Each of us had been secretly wishing our prayer style was more like the other for years!

Playing the Comparison Game

Alana is ultra-productive in everything she does. She is a prolific author, owner of a growing publishing company and homeschool mom to boot. In her prayer life she is organized and consistent. She has multiple prayer journals, loves lists and sticky notes, and can spend an hour in her “prayer closet” easily.

Then there’s me.

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Overcoming Low Self-esteem Through The Vista Of God’s Lens

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Overcoming Low Self-esteem Through The Vista Of God’s Lens by Candid Guest, Happiness Hassan

I was one of those many women who used their weaknesses as an excuse to remain in their comfort zone. Unknowing to me, the more attention I gave to my weaknesses, the more it damaged my self-esteem.

Little was I aware that I had succeeded in making the soil of my life fertile for the lies of the adversary. “You are not good enough; you are a failure, and you don’t belong.” Those were the words that kept ringing in my mind each time I attempted to break forth from my past mistakes. I believed those lies, and this pattern continued for a long time until my entire self-esteem was shattered.

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3 Ways to Make Jesus Your Fail-Safe When You Feel Like a Failure

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Failure.

The soundtrack of my life could easily be summed up as failure. It plays on repeat, as though I have selected the option in order to not forget it. Why does it seem that I never can get it quite right?

Even now, I am mentally replaying the series of events in my life that add up to my interminably long laundry list of failures. If only I had done this or if only I had handled that situation like that.

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What it Means to Have Christ in Me – A Candid Moment

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I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.

Galatians 2:2

Whenever I felt insecure, my Grandpa Gordon would chuckle and drawl out in his endearing Rocky Mountain accent: “Well, you’re part of me, see, so you’ve gotta be good.”

You're part of Me, see, so you've gotta be good… Click To Tweet

Grandpa Gordon was one of the most gentle and loving men I knew. I was proud to be a part of him, and his approval empowered me. When Grandpa Gordon died, each of us 5 kids insisted that we were his favorite. We all knew that he was proud to call us his grandchildren, and he loved us unconditionally.

And so it is as children of God. In the Book of Galatians, Paul tells us that Jesus shares much more than our bloodline. As His chosen child, you share His mind, His soul, and His heart. And He loves you so much that He gave His life to call you “Mine.”

Are you feeling “less than” today? I’d encourage you to open your Bible and speak to Jesus in prayer. Learn and remember who you are as His child and let Him empower you in His love. 

Happy birthday in Heaven, Grandpa. We all love you and we miss you. 

As Jesus' chosen child, you share His mind, His soul, and His heart. Click To Tweet
Do you really know what it means to have Christ in you?

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Have you ever thought about what it means to have Christ in you? Join the conversation in the comments below.

Authentically Insecure

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When I published my very first Christian fiction novel four years ago, I had no idea what a roller-coaster ride I’d just jumped onto. Cue late-night writing binges when I felt so stoked to finally be doing what I always dreamed of, followed by days spent in bed when book sales dipped and the voices in my head started whining, “Doesn’t anybody like me?”

There were months that passed and I wondered if I should give up writing altogether and weeks spent battling the terror that comes from realizing your words are out there for anyone to read, dissect, and potentially hate.

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Lose Weight & Other Insecurities That Rob Us of God’s Promises

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Dear Sheila,
 You’re fat. Lose weight.
 Love,
 A Friend

Well, I’m paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it. I stared at the letter in disbelief as the tears started the trek down my hot cheeks.

It had arrived in the mail from an anonymous friend who’d said she’d noticed I’d put on some weight and suggested I lose a few.

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