Beauty through new eyes: Jennifer Tidwell

Christ's Beauty is SO alive in Jennifer Tidwell.

These pictures are of me and Jennifer Tidwell at Camp Joy Session III this Summer.

Simply stated... Jennifer Tidwell has one, if not the, most beautiful spirits of anyone that I have ever met. She is a camper at Camp Joy and was one of my very dear special friends from the past. Jennifer is such an example of beauty-- jennifer is one of the reasons that I was inspired to add this to my blog. I was observing her at camp joy and just reflecting on how she interacts with people she loves or... really any person for that matter. Jennifer Tidwell loves people. She absolutely is so radiant when she is talking to people who are dear to her. She truly delights in people and she is what I would like to call a "good finder." She is absolutely incredible at finding the best in people & encouraging them to be who God has created them to be. The world may look at her and not imagine that she has much to offer but oh my heart knows that it's quite a different story. She has blessed me time and time again. This particular summer, I left her everytime with my heart full & thankful for who I am & who I am becoming. What a beauty & full of such love.

On the weight loss note: Man- it feels good to be back from camp joy just for one reason-- I can eat well & work out again. My body was for real feelin' it while I was at camp. It's hard to believe I used to feel like that all the time and it was "normal." Thank God I have learned otherwise. I did maintain weight during camp which is a blessing in itself. I have about 60 more pounds to lose and 10 more and i'll be at 100 pounds. I am going to be signing up to run my first half marathon with Sarah Beth and Forrest. I'm pretty stoked about it!

New found eyes for beauty: Sarah Beth Lasso & Family

The Lasso Family

Sarah Beth Lasso and her precious son, Manning

Man- Two posts in one day? Man- Blair's getting crazy. :) I wanted to include this in the other post but I couldn't get the pictures to go where I wanted them. From now on, when I post, I want to write about a person, thing or experience that revealed God's beauty to me. God has really given me new eyes as I wrote about in my previous post for seeing beauty in His people and His creations. I especially want to focus on people. Too many people, especially women, do not know their own beauty; myself included. We are too focused on what the world says in beautiful and measuring ourselves to things that don't even come close to real beauty and all at the same time, we in fact have been given such tremendous characteristics of beauty. We are the epitome of beauty and we don't even know it. This is my efforts to reveal things and people of beauty in hopes to reveal God's beauty in the "unnoticed."

The Lasso family is such an incredible blessing and a perfect family to start my new posts on beauty. I thank God for allowing me to delight in His people. Sarah Beth Lasso is such an example of beauty. As I sit here and try to think how to put my feelings and emotions into words to express how much I love her and how much she inspires and encourages me... I am finding it really difficult because my heart is just so full. When I dream about my future family, I picture hers. As I watch them, I just ache to be a part of it. Just look at the picture of that family up top. What a beautiful family. Such precious kids... and I don't even know all of them. I've only had the pleasure of working camp joy with Sarah Beth and her children Sarah Grace and Forrest. The love and the Spirit of the Lord is so evident in SB and her children. She exemplifies such a servant heart for anyone and everyone that comes in her path but especially for persons with special needs (or anyone associated with camp joy for that matter.) Her heart is overflowing with radiant compassion and love. It's incredible and inspiring to be around. Not only does she exude the love of Christ, she is incredibly fun to be around. Sarah Beth Lasson is true depiction of the Joy of The Lord! Joy is always flowing from her and spilling out into the people around her. Sarah Grace, her daughter, has been given a perfect name. Sarah Grace in our outward and inward beauty truly is a picture of Grace. She really has become like my sister and I have such a heart for her. I'd probably beat someone up for her. She is only 12 and is such a wise, mature and beautiful young lady. She is such a perfect image of the gentle and quiet spirit and beauty that is described in God's word. And Forrest... what a man of Character. I am honored to have the opportunity to know him and experience his heart. He has such a pure heart that seeks to love people and bring glory and honor to God. He has a heart of such love and acceptance. He took is wise beyond his years. I have been blessed with a lot of time with Sarah Beth at camp and we have offically been dubbed soul sisters so I've been blessed to be able to talk with her a lot still post camp joy. Her words have been full of beauty and love reflecting on our relationship and our experience at camp joy but what really it was something else. When she speaks about her children...this is what got me thinking about beauty in her and in other people.... She speaks so highly and is so proud of her children. She has such a confidence in who they are and who they are becoming and that the Lord is so faithful in their lives. Sarahbeth, (and Sarah Grace & Forrest) I could go on forever but thank you for who you are and for sharing your beauty with me and allowing me to be a part of your life. You're a blessing to many and such an example of beauty and you don't even know it.

It's a journey...

It has been a while. You would think of all times that I would've really taken time to post and reflect during summer while I had time off for school. God threw some really cool surprises in for me this summer. I wish I could wrap it all up into words but I really cannot. God is so good and gracious though in ALL His ways. I thank God that it has nothing to do with me and my power because I am so weak and imperfect. Praise God that His strength is made perfect in my weakness.

I know most of you reading this have followed this blog because of my weight loss so I do want to give you a quick update on that... I am still around 89 pounds. I am still shooting for 150 by september but lets be honest, that probably will not happen. My real goal is to have 100 pounds done by september which will be 100 in a year which is pretty darn impressive. I love it though because yes, I mistakes in my eating. Yes, there are days when I do not work out but I, unlike most people which is where they fail and lose their success, I have learned that it is a journey. Much like everything else in our lives. We cannot become results driven but rather instead we need to become process driven.

This summer the Lord has really been challenging me with people in my path who have told me that I should write a book. Not necessary, I think, do I want to write it about losing weight but rather on becoming who God created me to be and finding my identity in Christ. He is my beauty. This, too, is definitely a journey as I am learning and making process on how to love myself and find my identity in Him. Praise God for his grace and patience during this journey.

Most of you who are reading this, I believe, are good friends of mine and know me fairly well. If so, you are aware that I have worked at a Camp for Special Needs every summer for a very very long time. This summer, the Lord graciously gave me an opportunity to work at camp and be there when I had not expected to be. And all for a purpose! Man- PRAISE GOD! There were a lot of things here in Charleston that I needed to be focusing on but He is good and is the author and perfector of my life and it was all in His hands. I learned so much this year at camp joy and was blessed with such tremendous relationships. Every year that I work camp joy, I have gone for the campers praying that the Lord would use me to work in their lives. This year... my heart was a little different. Those campers know the Lord. They are sure in their faith and confident in their savior. This year, the Lord really placed the counselors on my heart. Little do I believe that I was some great example or made any difference in any of the lives of the counselors but I went in with such a heart for all the people. If I am honest, it has not been until recently that I have really started to develop a heart for people. People honestly annoyed me in the past. There was always something bad about them that I could find to harp on or they were some type of inconvience to me. PRAISE GOD for the work that He is doing inside my heart. God I just pray that you would continue to mold my heart and my spirit to be in line with you. Make my heart your heart. Make my eyes your eyes. Make my hands your hands. I am thankful that I am starting to really delight in people.

DUDE! (oh man. I really get excited when I talk about this!!) I mean THINK ABOUT IT. REALLY. Think about this... every single person was made in the image of God. EVERY PERSON. That flipping blows my mind. What a mighty God we serve and how humbling it is to think that me... little old me... little blair christie was made in HIS image and so was everyone reading this. And every annoying person that is slow in the asile at walmart. Or the person digging in their purse at a green light or doing whatever it is that urks you. I love God so why not love people. Thank you, Jesus for working in my heart.

Anyways- at camp joy, I really got to sit back and delight in young people. It was incredible. I kind of got to sit back and be more of an observer and it was such a blessing to my heart. I just love people so much and it is such a testimony to God and his mighty power and creation. I got to start new relationships and build so many relationships with such people of beauty-- people who God was so evident in their hearts. I am tremendously blessed. I got to build strong Christian relationships and share my heart and what God has been doing with incredible women such as Julianne Cruce, Olivia Belk, Elise Harbin... man I could go on forever. And I was so so so blessed to create a new deep relationship with amazing people like the Lasso family. Sarahbeth Lasso, I swear, is my long lost soul mate. What an incredible woman with such a big heart-- and her kids... oh, man. They just melt my heart away. I sit here and pine over when I'll get to be back with them. They just fill my heart with so much joy. That will be a post for tomorrow perhaps. Then I got to delight myself in the campers, of course which have always had such an incredible place in my heart. The picture up top is Katie Hill. She and I have been at camp joy together since I have worked and she is incredible. What a perfect example of Christ's beauty and grace. She is one of my best friends and speaks to my heart about Christ's love. I wish I could be around her more-- she melts my heart. LOVE HER!

Anyways-- like I said in previous posts...this is going to start being about me and how God is transforming my heart, mind, soul and body so its no longer exclusive to my weight loss though i will definitely give an update on it because I know you guys have been such faithful supporters! I really am going to try to be better about updating again! I appreciate you and love you more than you'll know. God is good and gracious!