WORTHY

Alright LADIES. Here it is, the key to your singleness, my singleness, and the happiness of everyone around you WHILE we are single: Know how W.O.R.T.H.Y. you are! I know you’ve heard it said a million times, but this time I mean it- this is the single most imperative thing you can do and I am going to give you six steps  that will help you achieve your greatest potential while you are single.

W- Work hard for what you want. We are not Chicken Little and the sky isn’t falling on your head and neither will any awesome career/friends/husband/life for that matter. You have to get up everyday and know what you want and WORK your hind end off for it. That doesn’t mean that it will be easy, but start where your passion lies. It will grow. If you don’t know what you want, start trying to figure it out. Make a list of things you have interest in and start there. And don’t listen to the negative- you know what you are capable of.

O- Own your own life. Own every piece of it-the good, the bad, and the ugly. When you make a mistake, learn from it. Don’t make the same mistake twice. When you have a great achievement- celebrate it. When you are sad- let yourself feel it & then call all your girlfriends over for movies and ice cream. When you are happy- slide your sunroof open and drive home singing Katy Perry as loud as you can. But whatever state you find yourself in during any given day- own it. It’s your life, you’re living it now and we won’t get a do over.

R- Remember who YOU are. This is a biggie for me. I constantly have to battle myself on the subject of body image. I am happy with myself, but I often wonder what my life would be like if I were a little skinnier. I’d venture to guess that I probably wouldn’t have to rely on my quick wit as much- but I really like my wit, and sarcasm, and my expressive laughter- so I don’t let my mind linger there too often. The thing is- I am my own person, no one is thinking about how I look, or what I said, or the fact that I ate three cookies (instead of the two that everyone else ate) more than I am. No one cares that much about those trivial things! If you surround yourself with positive, loving, life giving people- they just love spending time with you. They don’t care if you didn’t eat your pizza crust, or if you have a bleach stain on your shirt- they just want you. Focus on You and being the best version of yourself. Always remember that YOU ARE ENOUGH.

T- Take time for yourself. Oh I am awful at this. I think this is a trap as a single woman that I fall into quite a bit. You see I don’t have a spouse or a family to come home to, so that leaves me wide open for over commitment. And more often than not- I over commit. Recently my precious friend Audi over at “How to Make a Biscuit” moved away and was coming to town to visit, she very hesitantly (knowing my affinity to over commit) asked me to host an Arbonne party. At first I was super gung-ho- and really I wanted to do it just because I wanted to spend time with her, but I started thinking about how I was going to be able to fit it in. I got really worked up about it. I finally decided I would do what I could, but I couldn’t promise a big soiree, and she was completely fine with that. I had to commit to what I could do, even if that meant nothing. We have to remember to take time for us. For me that means spending an evening catching up on mindless tv and doing laundry. It could mean anything for you, but just make sure you take that time. It isn’t selfish, it’s necessary.

H- Have fun. This summer was a super fun summer for me. Two of my best friend’s came to town & for three weeks straight I acted like a 12 year old. I went to the arcade, dropped parachute men off the balconies of condos, I car sang at the top of my lungs, and stayed up late laughing and talking into the wee hours of the morning. I had fun and having fun makes me a happy and much nicer person. (And PUHLEASE trust me when I say the world really works better when I am a happier and nicer person.)

Y- You matter.

You matter. You matter. You Matter. You Matter. If I could fill this whole page up with that phrase, it still wouldn’t be enough for some people to get it. BUT know that you matter, every hair on your head, every freckle on your skin, every idea, every thing you speak, and everything you do MATTERS. We are all irreplaceable players in this great story of life and it all matters. It is part of a bigger plan and your hopes and dreams and YOU MATTER. Don’t ever think for a nanosecond that you don’t.

So there you have it ladies.

You are Worthy.

Live and breathe and dwell in your worthiness. 

LeeAnna, In the Middle.

I had an amazing opportunity given to me this weekend to go to a fantastic women's conference. As we set out I knew God had something else for me. He'd already done so much at a previous conference last month- but I knew He would do something big here as well. 

As many of you who read this blog know that the last couple of years for me have been hard, at best. But God has recently been moving me, stirring me, and speaking to me in a way like never before! 

I felt a shift at that first conference- a call to whole heartedly pursue my dreams & what God is ultimately calling me to- to use my talents and to tell my story. This second conference was about him releasing me to freedom. Freedom from my shame. Freedom to do what He's called me to do. Freedom to live & love as a beautiful glorious Princess- the Daughter of an Almighty King! During the second day of the conference we got to hear from the amazingly talented and hilarious Charlotte Gambill!! First I'll say that she is British, and secondly I'll say that I am obsessed with her & the way God used her to speak to me! She spoke about being "in the middle". About how we as Christians  (much like Jesus' disciples on the way to Bethsaida) just cop out in the middle of our trials & storms & issues. We would rather go backwards through all the junk we've already paddled through- just to not have a struggle. When what we need to do is trust that in our need He will get in the boat with us. That we have rely on God's instruction & take one more stroke toward that new shore & towards the new things God has for us. And while she was speaking I really felt this peace just wash over me. Life had been so hard for me recently, but I took heart in the fact that even though I wanted to give up a trillion times- I didn't. I kept putting one foot in front of the other. I kept moving forward because as much as every fiber of my being was straining against the weight of my 'middle' I knew that if I stopped- I would die there. And I knew that wasn't how God or I wanted the story to end. That I had persevered- that was the point. God consistently continued to say to me in those dark days: lay all your hurts, and shame, and anger, and bitterness, and regrets, and pain, and sense of failure on this shore- get in the boat and follow me. This road won't be easy-but I am with you always. So I did. I cried out. I laid myself down. I picked up my cross. I followed. 

And this weekend as I worshipped and drew close to The Lord with all those women- He freed me. He said you've reached the other shore. You are free. You made it. Be free.

God has been urging me to use my talents and passion to draw close to Him. To lay what I want aside and to just pursue Him. To let Him open my eyes to needs and perspectives and situations I've never seen or experienced. 

A huge part of my life is that I'm the "thirty year old virgin". I'm 100% ok with that! God is teaching me that my emotional & physical and spiritual purity are the greatest gifts I could ever offer to anyone. God is asking me to fully embrace my singleness. To move within it. To speak out about purity. To honor God with my singleness, and use the talents He's given me to do that. 

So this October 14th (my 31st birthday) the new and vastly improved blog/tumblr will go live. It will be about many things but it will mainly focus on being a single Godly woman in this day and age. 

You can find us at thegoldandthepearl.tumblr.com

I am beyond excited about where this is going and where God is going to take all of us- as we as His cherished, beloved, smart, talented women take up our cross and follow Him.