_: Love

We often find ourselves searching for "the one". You know, the Ideal man who looks like a cross between the best features of Channing Tatum and James Franco and has a voice like John Legend, trotting in on a white horse with a bouquet of flowers and a diamond ring the size of your fist. Okay, maybe that illustration is teetering on the borderline of fantasy and narcissism and if that's what you're looking for, you're probably going to be searching a mighty long time. But have you ever stopped to think on the fact that maybe, just maybe, you haven't found "the one" yet because you yourself aren't ready for him? That maybe God has "the one" in a waiting room, while he prepares you to be the best version of yourself possible by growing in your relationship with Christ and yourself first? Let's take a look into the Bible and see what it classify's as a "Woman of God".

PROVERBS 31: 10-31
"A wife of noble character who can find?

She is worth far more than rubies.

Her husband has full confidence in her

and lacks nothing of value.

12
She brings him good, not harm,

  all the days of her life.
13
She selects wool and flax

and works with eager hands.

14
She is like the merchant ships,

  bringing her food from afar.
15
She gets up while it is still night;

  she provides food for her family

  and portions for her female servants.
16
She considers a field and buys it;

  out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17
She sets about her work vigorously;

  her arms are strong for her tasks.
18
She sees that her trading is profitable,

  and her lamp does not go out at night.
19
In her hand she holds the distaff

  and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20
She opens her arms to the poor

  and extends her hands to the needy.
21
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;

  for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22
She makes coverings for her bed;

  she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23
Her husband is respected at the city gate,

  where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24
She makes linen garments and sells them,

  and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25
She is clothed with strength and dignity;

  she can laugh at the days to come.
26
She speaks with wisdom,

  and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27
She watches over the affairs of her household

  and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28
Her children arise and call her blessed;

  her husband also, and he praises her:
29
“Many women do noble things,

  but you surpass them all.”
30
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

  but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
31
Honor her for all that her hands have done,

  and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

Hmm, nope, I don't see "Must Look Like A Victoria Secret Model" anywhere in the description. According to the bible, the ideal woman is measured by her character, her strength, her heart and most importantly her love for The Lord; not how well she can flip pancakes or how good she looks in a two piece, but how faithfully she loves and serves God and the people around her. A lot of times the bible speaks metaphorically, therefore, you must look deeper into the meanings in order to properly apply scripture to your life, for example, "When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet." is alluding to the fact that when "storms" or hardships come, a woman of God will not fear for she knows she has prepared herself and her loved ones well, they are protected under the covering of God. It's not telling you that you're a terrible woman if you're entire family isn't wearing red robes every time it snows.

Think of it this way, when you go into a relationship, there are two possible outcomes:
1. You Break up
2. You get married
And to prevent option number one from happening, you need to be sure you are with whoever God intended you to be with and that you have developed into the woman God has intended you to be. The only way to do so is to spend time in his word and pray for not only clarity, but for him to guide you daily in the right direction towards becoming a Proverbs 31 woman. Also, keep in mind your future soul mate, although you may not know exactly who he may be, keep him in your prayers as well, that God will mold him into the man he intends for him to be.

"As you pray for your future husband, don't just focus on your own desires, but on how your prayers can help shape him into the mighty man God has called him to be. If you pray diligently for him every day and carry this practice into your relationship, you will be amazed at how God molds and shapes him into the man your heart desires." -Worshipgifs.com

Remember, as you grow closer to God, You will grow closer to the Man he has lined up for you, for you two will grow closer together if you are both seeking The Lord first, here's a cutesy diagram to tie everything together and show how this all makes scene:

God is the ultimate meeting point, the more you seek and grow in him the closer you are to your knight in shining armor, (he might just come in riding on a Honda Civic and khakis rather than a horse and silver breastplate).

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek him just to find her" - Max Lucado

~ Nathia

So I've decide to take my artistic abilities and put them to good use.... Not that I misuse them, I just usually use them for recreational purposes.

Lately I've been hearing a lot of "wow she's so beautiful" "she's perfection" "I wish looked like her" when speaking about celebrities. What many of us forget, is that, that is about ten pounds of makeup, heaven-sent lighting and hours of Photoshop editing. I am in no way saying these women are not beautiful, of course they are, with or without the touch-ups, but to compare yourself to these unattainable standards of beauty that you see on television, photos, magazines etc. is absolutely absurd, you'll only discourage yourself.

For this reason, I've taken one of my not so flattering photos and created a mini transformation documentary titled "FLAWS". In this documentary, I am amateurly filming the process it takes to eliminate what some may find as "flaws" from one of my own photos. In actuality, blemishes, acne, sun spots, freckles, wrinkles and so on are just proof that we have lived. These things should be cherished, for they are what make up the beautiful being that is you.

This video is to prove a point that if I, a high school student with no degree in graphic arts, can make such a transformation to a photo, imagine what someone with years of experience and the educational and professional tools can do in order to re-create the people society seems to idolize.

Here are a few things I want to clarity before you watch the video;

- This video is in no way, me portraying what I "wish" I looked like.

I love myself. I've spent so many years figuring out how to love myself and have succeeded. I'm actually pretty happy I don't resemble the end result of the video because I am just fine the way I am. This is who I have learned to love. In the video, I am eliminating what people may perceive as flaws while I, on the other hand, see them as everything making someone even more worthy of a pencil stroke.

- No. I do not do this to my photos.

This was a one time thing which took a couple of hours. If I took that much time to edit all my photos before I posted them, well that would just be a foolish waste of time. I did this for a purpose, to portray a message which was worth the time spent.

Love yourself just the way you are, find the beauty in what bothers you. Stop comparing yourself. I cannot emphasize that enough. If you constantly compare yourself to others, how will you ever expect to be satisfied with yourself? You are more than enough. You are beautiful.

Psalms 139:14

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,
I know that full well."

Without further adieu, I present to you, FLAWS:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO FROM YOUR MOBILE PHONE

What does a Woman of God look like?: Preparing yourself for "The One"

FLAWS: A transformation documentary.