Our women's group started this awesome book last week and there was so much to discuss in just the first chapter that we only got through half of it on our Thursday morning conversation. But here's a re-cap of what we discussed from Chapter 1 - "A New Day Dawning":
1. "What matters is not your outer appearance -- the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes, but your inner disposition. Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in." - I Peter 3:3-4 ---- "God, it turns out, doesn't really care if we are sagging or graying or aching. He doesn't care how much estrogen we have or whether our falling arches have moved us from stiletto heels to Birkenstocks. And here's a hot flash for us all: in God's economy, the fact that we are becoming less physically attractive may be just the way he wants us." (pg.3)
2. "I believe God has a special purpose for women in the second half of life that is world-changing in its scope. If we can understand what God is calling us to and can turn away from those voices calling us to stay attached to our youth, we will be given a power and purpose beyond anything we have experienced." (pg.8)
3. We discussed the message we are sending younger women when we show that we aren't comfortable with ourselves, at our ages, with our looks, where we are in life etc... When we constantly try to act/look like WE are 20 yrs old, then the younger women look at us with fear. They must think that it SUCKS to be where we are, because we so desperately are trying to get back to where THEY are. WE HAVE TO STOP THIS MESSAGE!! We have to teach the younger women, that it's COOL to be where we are!! The only way to get that message across is for us to find a way to BELIEVE that ourselves. Getting comfortable with where God has us RIGHT NOW is imperative for our own well-being, as well as helping the younger generation.
4. The message that God wants us to know that the best is NOT behind us. (pg.7) We all may be at certain Crossroads in our lives, but that doesn't mean that what we are saying good-bye to is better than what we are walking into as the next chapter of our life unfolds. I believe we are ALL walking into a very exciting chapter of life. We all have unique gifts and opportunities in front of us and I can't WAIT to see what unfolds in each of our lives as we open ourselves up to what God has in our futures, and stop living in goals/dreams/regrets of our past.
I asked all the women at my group if anyone would like to go back to where they were in their 20's or 30's.... everyone said "Nooooo!" So then, let's stop listening to "those voices calling us to stay attached to our youth", and get excited about what God has prepared us to do and be in our mid-life!!
One of the things I'm most grateful for at this stage in my life is the unique relationships I have formed with different women that God has surrounded me with. When I was younger, I really don't think I appreciated what my girlfriends had to offer the way I do now. We are all on this life-journey together and I love how we lift each other up! It's so precious to me and something that was definitely lacking in my youth.
What is something that YOU appreciate in your life now that was missing in your youth? Chime in.. I'd love to know!!
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