**Guest Post** Brittany

Today we have Brittany from Bee Little Queen Posting :)

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[I do not intend to hurt anyone's feelings and apologize if i offend anyone. Even if you have had a boob job or whatever, i say good for you and still love who you are!  No judgment here. :)]

I've been struggling for days on how to approach writing this post. I wanted to talk about being brave enough to be who you are, to embrace who you are. Now that I think of it, this post is turning into slightly something else that I've never written about; how i went from being shallow to a little more hallow. In our world today, there is an undeniable competition between women in their appearance or 'status'. Some choose to participate and 'one up' the other by having a boob job, botox or the newest Coach purse. I, on the other hand, could care less about what you look like or what purse you carry in order to be your friend or like you. I am concerned about you, the kind of person you are, the heart that is in you. With shame, I used to kinda be one of those girls who really cared about labels and what clothes I was wearing. I wanted to be one of the popular girls at the university who looked so pretty, had tons of friends and got guys's attention. Besides shelling money on outfits and wasting hours of time at the mall, I was disconnecting with who I was and what I really cared about. Around this time, I was deeply invested in 'searching' for my place in this world spiritually. I started feeling guilty because I was acting shallow and neglecting my family and those closest to me. With this behavior, how could i really be serving others when I was consumed with myself? Would God be proud of me for these habits? Caring about materialistic things and my outward appearance was making me feel icky and I imagined the good that I could do or bring to those who had [SO] much less than me. I wanted to bless others and be kinder to my loved ones.

                                                                          Source: etsy.com via Brittany on Pinterest

My health started declining and i was 'forced' to be at home more. I literally had no energy to go out and wasn't a good idea anyways because the air quality was poor = no bueno for my asthmatic lungs & allergies. With this 'house arrest', i started seeing it as a blessing in disguise from God. He was telling me that I needed to slow down and prioritize what really mattered. Did it really matter that I got that cute tee at american eagle? No! Now, this transformation didn't take overnight, in fact it probably took a good year and within that year ALOT of major changes happened but won't go into all that. I am so thankful for the course that my life has gone and how God took the bad & the ugly and made it beautiful and good. He molded me into the person i am today who has learned to embrace the uniqueness and beauty each one of us holds, especially women. We truly are a sisterhood, understanding the highs and lows we go through. We certainly are emotional creatures and that is ok! I am not saying that I don't love shopping and getting new clothes & makeup, because I certainly do, but now I am much more 'wise' and frugal with my money and have not let that activity take over my life in a negative way. i am much closer to my immediate loved ones now than when i was going through this shallow phase. 

                                                                  Source: Uploaded by user via Brittany on Pinterest

I actually know some girls who think that their worth comes from their physical beauty or being 'loved' by a loser guy! And this knowledge makes me sick and hurts my heart. I want women to know that they are beautiful people and that they deserve all the goodness they can imagine! When you dream, why dream little? To me, it's important to establish strong friendships where we can encourage & uplift one another rather than 'competing' and tearing each other down. I believe we all have a divine mission on this earth and I think one of my duties is to serve, love & encourage and perhaps inspire others. I found out that no one, no guy can love me as much as my God does [well prob my mom is a really close 2nd! lol] and that i shouldn't seek my worth from others. Only God can fulfill this self-worth in me as I identify myself as his amazing daughter. By keeping a tender heart, God can shape us into the women we are destined to be. I desire more of the supernatural rather than the superficial. Realness comes from authenticity and humbleness. Let us continue to embrace our true, wonderful selves. Let us celebrate ourselves & our flaws and even if we are short, tall, thin or curvy, because those things are only describing the shell of what holds our spirit- who we are. Radiant from the inside out, we shine and sparkle.

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Thanks so much Brittany! This post has the wheels turning in my head to write one similar! So powerful <3

xoxo Meghan