Off the Shoulder top •

If you follow any fashion bloggers or scroll through Pinterest, I know that you saw this top a thousand and one times. I know that I saw it three times this week on Instagram.

Well, I collaborated with the online store, SheIn, and caved with getting this off the shoulder beauty. Ladies, this top is so affordable and comes in a few colors that are all perfect for the spring and summer. Off the shoulder tops just make me happy and are hard to resist. Check out SheIn for so many stylish, spring options.

As I was prepping my outline for a MOPS {Mothers of Pre-Schoolers} meeting that I’m sharing at tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate for me to share with you a little glimpse of my journey in overcoming insecurity and comparison.

One of my biggest hurdles that I faced as a teenager and young adult was questioning my beauty, my God given personality, and my ability to be successful/talented. I constantly struggled with comparing my weaknesses with other’s strengths.
When I would walk in a room, I would always find that someone that was prettier, that was dressed cuter, that was more confident, and that was full of a better personality. It made me miserable and questioning my worth.

I resisted deep friendships, certain types of people, and anything that put me in the lime light. I lived life as a turtle always pulling away in moments of discomfort or intimidation because my insecurities were telling me that I wasn’t as skinny and pretty as Holly, I wasn’t as talented as Jennifer, I wasn’t as dependable as Amanda or fun loving as Amber….. Seriously, comparison handicaps us.

Finally, one day at the ripe age of 28, I came to the realization (God moment) that someone will always be prettier; someone will always be more disciplined than me; someone will always be more talented; someone will always be funnier; someone will always have what I think that I need, and that is okay!!!! It doesn’t mean that I am not all of things and more.

They have a quote that states:
“Admire someone else’s beauty without questioning your own.”
But, let’s be for real, this is hard when you focus more of your attention on your weaknesses than your strengths.

I seriously had to start recognizing my strengths {writing them down}. I had to challenge myself to focus my thoughts on what He says about me. I began thanking God for creating me in His image. I was one of His marvelous, hand crafted works of art.

“How precious are your thoughts of me, O God!! How great is the sum of them!”

Psalm 139

“Comparison isn’t just the thief of joy, it’s the thief of everything. Keep your eyes on what He says about you, Celebrate others. Celebrate progress not perfection. Cultivate gratitude over comparison. Gratitude turns what we have into more than enough.”

Lets don’t waste any more time comparing ourselves with others that we think might have it better. Let’s start being thankful for all of our beautiful attributes and qualities that reflect a perfect Creator. These thoughts of envy and jealousy will always try to pop up, but what we do about those thoughts is crucial to our freedom.

 
Hope that this encouraged you a little bit. I could go on forever about this topic. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

XOXO,
Angelle