As women today we are bombarded with the images of perfection. From the fashion or home magazines, perfectly curated Instagram feeds, or Pinterest boards. Everywhere we go we are faced with the unattainable standard our culture portrays is the “perfect everything”.

the perfect body

the perfect husband

perfect kids

perfect home

perfect car

The perfect EVERYTHING!

Many women have bought into the lie of perfection and that leaves us feeling inadequate, discouraged, and insecure. The lies we believe impact how we live which is why many women today struggle with self-worth, feeling like they don’t measure up, or that they just aren’t enough. 

My guest today Missy Lewis has struggled with feeling like she is not enough, and is on a mission to tell women that through Christ we are enough. 

Friends, the truth is on our we will never be enough, we will never live up to an unrealistic standard of perfection. But praise God when we are weak Jesus is strong. When our identity is rooted and grounded in the love of Jesus Christ, we learn that in Jesus we are enough.

The problem begins when we compare ourselves to others. Comparison is a trap and a joy killer. It takes our eyes off of Jesus and puts our eyes on what we perceive we have or don’t have, or what others have. And that will leave us coming up empty EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Comparison takes our eyes off of Jesus, put our eyes on what we perceive we have or don’t have, or what others have. And that will leave us coming up empty EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Click To Tweet

Instead, we should laser focus on Jesus. Not on our friends, our sister, our family, our kids, our neighbors, our social media profiles, our bank accounts, our stuff, our house, our cars, our problems, or anywhere else but Jesus. Jesus is the only one who can satisfy, and meet all of our needs. 

We love the Olympics in our house and always watch them. Different family members like different events. My son Connor loves watching the swimming and was a huge Michael Phelps fan. He would go around the house imitating his arm motions and starting position. When Michael Phelps swims he doesn’t look at the swimmers in the other lanes to see what they are doing. He is focused on doing what he is supposed to do. I think this is a great visual for our lives. We don’t need to worry about what others are doing, we just need to focus on swimming hard and fast in our own lane. Keeping our eyes laser-focused on Jesus.

In the book of Hebrews Chapter 12:1-2 states, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

In these verses, our Christian life is referred to as a race, and that we should look to Jesus, the founder, and perfecter of our faith. Fully man but fully God, Jesus did what only He could do. He is the perfect sinless, spotless lamb, that died that we may live. On our own, we will never be enough. But because Jesus paid the price of our sin on the cross, and defeated death, hell, and the grave, we are made enough. 

Here are a few thoughts from my guest Missy Lewis on being enough.

Not Enough… by Missy Lewis

Is there anyone else out there who feels as if you are never enough?  Not pretty enough.  Not athletic enough.  Not thin enough.  Not smart enough.  Not old enough.  Not young enough.  Not funny enough.  Not outgoing enough…

You get the picture.

I have spent a lifetime in this state of “un-enoughness,” and I’m fed up with it!  I invite you to join me and, on the count of three, we can all yell, “ENOUGH ALREADY!”

Ready?

One!

Two!

Three…

ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

Doesn’t that feel better?

You are enough already!

I am enough already!

We’ve had enough already!

Enough of listening to the enemy whisper those vicious lies into our ears about how we can never be enough.  Because you know what the Truth is?

We. Are. Not. ENOUGH!

Not alone, anyway.

God knew this, though, and He never intended for us to stay that way.  He made a way through Jesus so we can be enough.  The choice is ours, though.  If we choose Jesus, we are made complete in Him.  If we deny Him…we will never know enoughness.

Missy Lewis is a wife, Momma, and “Minnie” (that’s her grandma name) from rural West Texas. When she’s not playing with her two precious granddaughters, she blogs at themissylewis.com. She is a scribe and a messenger with one urgent message – God loves you just as you are! You are ENOUGH already!

Friends, we are in a battle. We have an insidious spiritual enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He is a liar, and a thief and he is bent on our destruction. That is why we must take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ. We need to know the truth of God’s word because the truth sets us free. The truth combats the lies that try to derail us from being all that we were created to be!

I challenge you to get into the word of God, study it, know it, believe it, and use it to combat the lies.

Much Love,

Are you looking for a fun new way to connect with your hubby, just in time for Valentine’s Day? Then you are going to want to check out this fun new application LoveNudge App!

The LoveNudge app for couples from Moody Publishers Limited is the official 5 love languages application based on the best selling book by Dr. Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages®. We have apps for all kinds of things, to organize our day, track our food intake, and fitness goals. So why not use an app to be intentional with your spouse?

A playful, engaging tool that helps couples experience love more deeply. It's like a fitness app for relationships. Click To Tweet

Peter and I had fun playing with LoveNugde app. Once you register and set the app up, you can add a picture of yourself and then take the 5 love languages quiz. After taking the love language quiz I learned a lot about both myself, my husband and what makes us feel loved!

The Love Nudge App is an insightful tool to help you create a connection with your spouse by knowing their love languages. I was surprised to find out that my #1  love language was Words of Affirmation, but I wasn’t too surprised that Peter’s top love language is Physical Touch.  Quality Time was my #3 love language, but it is Peter’s number #2. Understanding our love languages can help us be intentional in filling one another’s love tank.

The 5 love languages are Physical Touch, Acts of Service, Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, Receiving Gifts. There is a brief description of each of the five love languages, and a short video that accompanies each love language. The allows you to set goals and reminders to do various activities like go on a picnic, date night, or send an encouraging text. Send messages aka love nudges to your spouse through the app. You can rate and measure your love tank, and there is even a stats page to track your love tank progress over time and measure your love goals.

Download the Love Nudge App and be entered to win Dr. Gary Chapman’s #1 New York Times bestseller The 5 Love Languages®, The 5 Love Languages® for Men, AND The Love Languages Devotional Bible (hardback)! To enter and for more details see the giveaway.

Hope you enjoy the Love Nudge App and be sure to share it with your friends on social media!

Much Love,

What happened in New York is a tragedy. Elections have ramifications. Who you vote for matters! This week New York passed a law allowing late-term abortions up to nine months. There was thunderous applause when the law passed, and then the One World Trade center light up pink to celebrate. Unbeleivable.

At the end of last year, I was asked to speak at an abortion recovery retreat. I was excited to get to share the grace, forgiveness, and freedom available to all in Jesus Christ.

I posted something on my Facebook page about voting for pro-life candidates in the upcoming election. This is when I found out the person in charge of the retreat and I have differing political ideologies and experiences. She contacted me explaining her stance and offered to allow me to back out. After much prayer and consideration, I decided to let the election pass and tried to reach out to her in love and compassion to explain why I believe it’s important to vote for pro-life candidates. 

Our God created life. Life is important to God, and it should be important to us as Christians. Click To Tweet

Then a few weeks ago she uninvited me to speak because of my unwavering pro-life political stance.

I hadn’t planned on saying anything about it to anyone, even though I had already posted on social media that I would be a speaker at this event. But in light of the legislation that passed in New York this week. I can’t be quiet. Not because I was invited to speak and then uninvited to speak, but because what we stand for matters. As Christians, we have a duty and a responsibility to stand for what is noble, good, and true. 

I am not ashamed of the gospel. 

I will fight for Christian values and morals to be upheld whether it is popular or not.  

Who we put into office matters. We can’t call ourselves Christian, and pro-life and then vote for pro-choice candidates. 

Last week I attended the March for Life in Washington, DC with the http://Savethe1.com team. It was so encouraging to see hundreds of thousands of people peacefully marching for the unborn. Save the 1 is a non-profit organization that advocates for 100% percent pro-life laws, with no exceptions for rape or fetal abnormality. At Save the 1, we believe everyone deserves a chance at life. 

My son Ian and I arrived in Washington, Dc on Thursday and went straight to the Law and Life Summit, and the March for Life Expo. Thursday evening we attended the Save the Storks Ball. http://savethestorks.com Save the Storks is revolutionizing the pro-life movement with its fleet of over 40 buses equipped with mobile medical units and ultrasound machines to help mothers make the choice to chose life. They partner with local pregnancy resources, and up to date have helped saved the lives of over 4,000 babies. 4 out of 5 women who board a Stork bus chose life for their baby.

We had an amazing evening complete with a fantastic line up of pro-life advocating guest speakers, including Vice-President and Second Lady Pence. A highlight of the evening was hearing the Vice-President quote scripture and proclaim the importance of life. Other special guests and entertainers included;

• Kirk and Chelsea Cameron
• Eric Metaxas
• Allie Stuckey
• Matt Hammitt
• Steven Curtis Chapman
• Bob Lenz

Friday morning we assembled on the National Mall to hear conservative radio host Ben Shapiro live podcast to advocate on behalf of the unborn at the March for Life rally. The March feature an incredible lineup of pro-life speakers.

While in Washington, DC Save the1 filmed a documentary. After a series of pictures, and interviews with the Save the 1 team we gathered to take a photo in front of this jumbotron that tells the story of several Save the 1 team members. I am humbled to serve alongside such brave men and women who have chosen life in the most difficult of circumstances. 

We made our way to the end of the line near the supreme court and stood on the corner holding our signs and thanking people for marching for almost 4 hours. I was overwhelmed and in awe by the incredible sea of people that flowed through the street for hours on end. There was easily at least a million people in attendance. Men, women, teenagers, children all peacefully assembled to stand for the unborn. 

The March for Life ignited a spark within me. This weeks news is both horrific and unsettling, but it makes me want to shine my light brighter for Jesus. Many Americans are deceived and need to know the truth and hope of Jesus Christ. Please be in prayer for our country, and pray about how you can make a stand.  Matthew 5:14 ESV declares, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” As our world continues to grow darker, I encourage you to you shine brighter.

Much Love, 

This week on the By His Grace Podcast I talk to Gena McCown about living with a chronic illness. Gena suffers from Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. After Gena surrendered this illness to the Lord as a thorn in her flesh, God took over to do what only He can do. By the grace of God Gena is a powerhouse women’s ministry leader and doesn’t let chronic illness slow her down. Listen to podcast here

She wrote this super insightful post about Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis awareness. Please welcome Gena McCown to the blog this week.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis Awareness 

by Gena McCown

If you are reading this, it’s because you ARE or you LOVE my people, those of us who suffer from a thyroid disorder.  My specific disease is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

And I am taking back my life, one step at a time.

What Is Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis:

Some people who have thyroid disease, have a simple explanation… their thyroid is working too hard or not hard enough.  They take medication daily to manage it.  Others may have NO thyroid at all because of cancer or by removing the thyroid to manage the symptoms better.  These people also take medication daily to manage it, but at a higher dose because there is no thyroid function at all.  Then there are people like me, who have an Autoimmune based thyroid disease.  This basically means that my body is actively trying to KILL my thyroid.   Some days, it is a more brutal assault than others.  Unlike other thyroid diseases, I can swing between being HYPER (too much) and HYPO (too little) thyroid from day to day.   I am given the same medications as other thyroid conditions because honestly, modern medicine has no clue how to treat my disease.  They treat the thyroid the best they can but ignore the autoimmune aspect.

How Does Hashimotos Thyroiditis Affect A Person:

In the years since I have been diagnosed I learned a hard, cold, truth.  Hashimotos Patients and their symptoms are like snowflakes.  There are no two alike.  My sister and I, both have the disease and our symptoms are VERY different.  I chose the image above, because it’s a good start.  Hashimotos sufferers will fluctuate between hyper and hypo, so you can have symptoms that fall on either side, or both of that graphic.

Additionally, it is becoming more recognized that once you have an auto-immune disorder, you are more likely to develop MORE AI diseases over your life time.

Hashimotos alone has over 300 symptoms that can affect a person, on any given day… at any given time.  To most, Hashimotos is considered an invisible illness. We look ok, but we are very much NOT.  We struggle daily, it’s just that some days the struggle is easier than others.  The following chart has the most common:

What Are the Biggest Obstacles for Someone with Hashimoto’s?

1. Lack of Adequate Medical Care – due to the general lack of information and research on our disease, most Hashimoto’s patients are receiving sub-par care.  Doctors will look at our blood work results, adjust our medication, and send us on our way.  They do not look at the root cause, the autoimmune disorder.  Unfortunately, most of the doctors that will are not covered by insurance.  This puts many Hashi’s patients at a disadvantage for getting proper care.
2. This Disease is, in Many Ways, Totally Out of My Control – many Hashi’s patients will suffer from symptoms that come and go as they please, which can lead to us canceling plans last minute because we are having a flare-up.  Other symptoms stick to us like glue and are at times an impossible hurdle to overcome, like our weight or fatigue.   The medications that are currently on the market are not curing us, and often not even making us remarkably better.  They are really just helping us get by from day to day.
3. This Disease is Invisible, Which Means We Get Judged A LOT – by family members, friends, coworkers, and even health professionals.  You would be amazed at the cruel things people will say to us because they lack any understanding of what we go through.  We get accused of cheating on our diets or mocked for changing our diets, accused of being lazy, making excuses, blah blah blah.  These judgments hurt us to our core because see number 2.
4. This Disease Affects My Entire Body – head to toe, it is apart of my everyday life and nothing is left untouched.  Hashimoto’s will affect your mental faculties, your hair may fall out, you will have issues with your dental health including bone loss in your jaw, you will experience swelling and discomfort in your neck, heart palpitations, your body will swell and diuretics won’t stop it, you will most likely suffer from some sort of food sensitivity, your libido will decrease, your muscles will ache, your skin will hurt to be touched, you may end up with balance and coordination issues, it can impact fertility, and the list goes on and on.  In fact, there are over 300 possible symptoms and no two Hashimoto’s patients are alike.
   

What Are We Learning About Treatment?

• Integrative, Functional, and Holistic Doctors seem to have the best approach because they look at the whole body.   However, most insurance companies do not cover these doctors leaving patients to foot the bill.  I have been fortunate that our insurance covers my doctor.
• We need to ensure the proper blood work is being done which includes testing for thyroid antibodies, food allergies, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, hormonal changes, adrenal fatigue, and other autoimmune disorders.
• Every patient will be different in regards to the severity of disease, deficiencies, food allergies, symptoms, etc.  Thus our treatment will differ from each other, and this is figured out one step at a time.  Often we are throwing things at it, simply to see what sticks.  Therefore patience through the healing process is imperative.

• Exercise affects our body differently, high-intensity workouts can actually be detrimental to our weight loss because it puts our body under stress, which increases our cortisol levels, which affects our thyroid function.
• Most Hashimotos (and autoimmune sufferers) will have LEAKY GUT and repairing the balance and health to your gut will help you feel better.  This often involves the removal of gluten, sugar, dairy and sometimes soy, corn for at least a year.  Your doctor (and your body) will help you know when you have healed.  Additionally, the addition of certain probiotics will help the process move along faster, including the addition of lacto-fermented foods to help with inflammation (sauerkraut, kimchi).

Currently, I am seeing an INTEGRATIVE DOCTOR.  Under her care, we are addressing my Hashimotos from a whole body approach.  We are not just treating my thyroid, but also addressing the autoimmune component.  She is covered under my insurance, although my co-pay is a smidge higher than my primary.   Since every patient is different, just because this protocol is working for ME… it doesn’t mean it will work for you.  So please be sure to work through your condition with your doctor.  You are welcome to share my protocol with your doctor to discuss if any of these suggestions will be beneficial for you.  Please also note, that all of the following have been discussed with my integrative and are under her monitoring.

Integrative Protocol:

• Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar-Free diet.
• UPDATE:  Thyrovanz 100MG  (I was on Armour Thyroid 90mg, before that 125mcg of Synthroid) 1xd
• Hydrochlorothiazide 25mg 1xd
• Potassium CL ER 10meq  1xd
• Selenium 200mcg 1xd
• 2500mcg Sublingual B12 (radiance brand) 1xd
• 50mg Vitamin B6 (radiance brand) 1xd
• 400mg Tumeric (radiance brand) 2xd
• 5mg BioPerine (black pepper fruit extract) 2xd
• 2000IU Vitamin D3 2xd (Sports Research brand w/ coconut oil)
• Women’s MultiVitamin (Radiance Brand) 1xd
• Calcium 600 w/ Vit D3 (Radiance Brand) 1xd
• 1000mg Fish Oil (Radiance Brand) 2xd
• Glutathione 50MG 1xd
• Black Cumin Seed Oil 500mg
• Myo-Inositol 2000mg 1xd

*Radiance Brand is gluten free, preservative free, sugar-free, dairy free, artificial color/flavor free, salt-free.

* There is some crossing of supplements…. my Multi V, D3, and Calcium all have D3.  Since I am supposed to get 5000IU daily, between these 3 I get as close to that number as possible without going over.   Same with Selenium, it’s in both the Selenium supplement and in my Multi V.  However, combined I do not exceed the dosage amount my doctor desires.

Blood tests included thyroid levels, food allergies, vitamin/mineral levels, etc.

I am adding in iodized salt, b/c my iodine levels are the cusp of being too low.

Root Cause Suggestions:

• Magnesium:  I currently use Jordan Essentials Magnesium Lotion and Magnesium Soak.  JE Products are all natural, family friendly, and gluten-free.
• 

Protocol Suggestions from other Sources:

• Kefir Water, Probiotic Water – OR – Kombucha Tea   (min. 2 oz daily, up to as much as you like.  It is recommended to work your way up b/c too much too fast gives a bellyache)
• Saukerkraut or Kimchi (Lactofermented)  1TBS – 1/4C daily

Midwife Suggestions:

• Jarrow Formula’s Adrenal Optimizer 1xd
• Acidophilus 1xd

Acupuncturist Suggestion:

Root Cause suggested that acupuncture works for some Hashimoto’s sufferers.  I tried it for a few months, and I didn’t notice any improvements.  I’ve decided to delay further acupuncture treatments at this time.

• 1000 plus Bee Pollen Complex (Radiance Brand) 2xd

Things I’ll Systematically Add This Year:

• 3omg zinc
• 1mg copper
• 40oIU vitamin E
• For when I travel and may not have access to Kefir Water or Kombucha, I’m going to purchase Food Science Mega Probiotic-ND.

This year we are also looking into whether or not I am salt sensitive which could be having a huge impact on my weight.  God blessed me with a divine appointment by seating me next to two women who both suffer from thyroid disorders.  Each of us in a different stage of our fight to beat this disease.   The woman who was ahead of me, and able to shed a lot of her weight utilized “The Waterfall Diet” written by Linda Lazarides.  It is a book on how to control your water retention… swelling… and shed that water weight.  It’s a diet that is not lifelong, but rather a process of eliminating to their diet, with slow introductions over time.  I’m only a few chapters in, and I am checking off all of the signs and symptoms of water retention, and it even mentions in the book thyroid conditions causing water retention.  Unfortunately, if you are following the rules… you must read the book and not start the diet until you get to the end.  So, I have no results to share yet.

There are the books I have used in my own research, or have been recommended to me:

These are not affiliate links, I do not make money off of their sale.  I like to give visual references to help with shopping and direct links when possible.

I hope you found Gena’s post helpful. This is a resource, but you should not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any condition. This intended for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your physician.

For more from Gena McCown visit her website www.womensministrycouncil.com

If you battle chronic illness, I know it can be a long weary battle. But remember you are never alone. God is always with you, He loves and cares for you, and He’ll be there to see you through.

Much Love,