In a world full of images and perceptions of beauty. Does it ever leave you wondering,
"How do I measure up against the opinions of myself?"

We all have them know matter how we feel or think about ourselves. Those emotions can lead to a healthy approach to improving our self image or it could take us spiraling down into a ditch of depression........

Depression is a slow moving parasite of a spirit that sucks the joy, energy, self esteem, self worth and purpose for living right out of its victims....It's dark and debilitating...it isolates a person from everything they love and cherish as a human being....It cripples and attempts to press the life right out of you......

In my battle with this spirit of depression, I found myself fighting to simply breathe...There were moments I felt like I had been lowered into a deep ditch filled with water....if I stopped thinking of the things that brought joy in my life like my husband & kids, it felt like I would sink and drown in this massive trench of a hole surrounding me....

Two long years I battled to find myself again....the images I saw looked nothing like who I had become....I was absorbed in the notion that my life as I knew it was no more...you're in an unfulfilled marriage, you're a slave to your kids, you're a blade of grass withering in the sun...
These thoughts ran continually like clock work in my head, not giving me a moment of peace...

With everything I knew and every scripture I memorized the only thing I uttered was Jesus, I plead the blood over my mind...I felt a stillness like a hush quiet my thoughts and a gentle breeze calm the atmosphere. In those precious moments of peace, I took the time to ask God to forgive me of my poor use of idol time...Allowing other peoples opinion and ideals to compete with what I knew to be contrary to God's word for me.......

When you take your eyes off of your source of support...you open yourself up to things designed to bring you down....negative things & people will become attracted to you like never before...every forward step will appear backward.....That is the only way depression can hold you, by pulling you back into defeat, worry, complacency and neglect.....

My source is God and He brought me out of despair to bear witness that He can, and He will deliver anyone who calls upon His name...ANYONE...I don't care what you may find yourself caught up in, He can save you from it or from the vices you place on yourself........The gage is in the hand of God...Who will determine how you measure up.

If you don't believe in you, because you've failed so many times before, I challenge you to take a step that you never thought to before. "Your faith will never rise above your confession" Go some place quiet and have a private chat with God...Let Him know how much you're hurting and how desperately you need His help...apologize for not coming to Him sooner. When you've said all that you can...be still and let Him restore your heart and remind you who you are again...

You will never look at a tape measure the same way again, when you realize you were created to set things in order and to have dominion.