Who Runs the World? GIRLS!

Sometimes I think there's a bit of a thin line between expressing gratitude and bragging. And sometimes I just straight-up cross it. But it's not necessarily because I'm prideful, I'm just so grateful that it fills me up and then spills out in obnoxious ways!

Usually I'm pretty good about keeping it to myself. But then I'll get on my blog and start writing, and I'm all like, "Guess what, guys! My life is awesome!" and the bragging ensues.

That's not to say that my life is perfect. Obviously we have struggles. Ben is gone a lot because of the military. We've been dealing with infertility for 6+ years. We live far away from family, which is hard on us. But in spite of the bad stuff, my life is awesome!

See? He's so handsome!

I was just thinking today about how lucky I am to be married to Ben. He's honestly, 100% the best guy I've ever known. I was always attracted to tall, skinny, nerdy types with sweet, fun personalities. And Ben fits that description. But more than any other guy I ever dated, he's crazy handsome, too! I mean, don't get me wrong, the guys I dated were cute. But Ben is definitely on a whole other level of attractiveness. It kind of baffles me that he's attracted to me, too.

Then after I snagged the catch of a lifetime, we were blessed with an angel made flesh to be our very own daughter. Seriously, she's one of the kindest, sweetest, funniest, smartest kids I've ever known! I realize that I'm totally biased, but it's true all the same. This is a girl who will see a kid get knocked down on the playground, and she will go over and help them up and take them to the nurse if they're hurt. Even if she doesn't know them! She's such a good kid!

Bat-Dog and the Purrpetrator

And she's so pretty! Which is crazy, because she looks a lot like me. And while I think I'm fairly attractive, she's so pretty!!!! I figure having her Daddy's awesome genes just put the overall effect over the top.

So, yeah. I brag sometimes. I just can't help it. I'm SO blessed.

That's kind of an aside from what I really wanted to talk about today, but it ties in. I just had to put all of that out there, because my heart was filled up with all of it.

Ben is amazing, Evie is amazing, and in a lot of ways, I think I'm pretty awesome, too. And I'm thankful that I genuinely have pretty good self-esteem.

I don't think I'm conceited about it. I'm very aware of my flaws, and they are certainly numerous. I don't really believe that I'm as gorgeous as my husband seems to think I am, and I know I'm not as good a mom as my sweet, forgiving daughter likes to tell me. But as far as people go, I think I'm probably one of the good ones.

I'm reasonably attractive, in a weird, round kind of way. I attribute a lot of that to my talent with hair and makeup, and my good sense of style. I'm pretty good at hiding my physical flaws. Not all of them - there's a little too much fluff on me to hide it all completely! - but a lot of them. I can look at myself in the mirror and feel pretty good about my appearance, and about who I am as a person.

(As evidenced by my fondness for goofy "selfies")

And in this day and age, that's huge! The world is constantly bombarding us with stereotypes of what women "should" look like and how we should behave. And, like the vast majority of women, I do not fit that stereotype at ALL. But I've learned that the world is full of crap. True story. "The world" is just another word for Satan. He wants all women to devalue themselves, so that he can sneak into our minds and hearts and bring us to despair. And he's so good at it! There's a huge percentage of women who have NO IDEA how amazing and beautiful they are! I would venture to say that MOST women don't realize how amazing and beautiful they are. Satan has launched a full-fledged attack on women, and so many people are letting him creep into their own perceptions.

Motherhood: Most important job in the world!

Why is he attacking women? Because they're the heart of the family unit, and families are the heart of society. If every mother raised her children in love and righteousness, there would be almost no crime, no war, no hunger. The world would be such an amazing place. That's the power of women. They influence and shape the lives of children, and help them become the adults they turn out to be. Most of that is done in the home, obviously, but even women who don't have children can be a huge influence on kids. Most teachers are women, for example. Most nurses are women. Most of the nurturing jobs in the world are filled by (mostly) women.

Women have such incredible power. Our potential - and our worth! - is amazing. And Satan knows that. That's why he's attacking us. Because we are a force to be reckoned with. 

I'm grateful that I recognize that truth. I'm grateful that I'm able to look at myself in the mirror, and like myself in spite of my fluff and flaws. I'm grateful that I know that I'm a daughter of God, and that I have incredible potential to change the world as a righteous mother.

My plea to the women who read this is that they will truly try to understand this concept as well. Don't let "the world" tell you who and how you should be. You are a daughter of God! You are a princess! You are a force for good! You can change the world through your influence! You are amazing, you are powerful, and in every conceivable way, you are beautiful!

Women: Just superheroes in disguise

And if you ever forget how incredible you are, just give me a call. I'll set you straight. ;)