Fear

What is something that you fear? Is there something that just the thought of can make you get the chills? 

Maybe you are afraid of deep water, or maybe the dark. Maybe you shudder at the thought of spiders, or clowns. But lets be honest, there are multiple types of fear. The fear of physical objects, such as spiders and clowns. The fear of your surroundings, like being in the dark, or being in really deep water. 

But what about the fears that go deeper then that? Where do they come from? Where does the fear of loss come into play? The fear of rejection, and the fear of failure? What caused those fears to surface? 

At some point in our life, someone with an opinion on the matter either told us about an experience that formed an opinion, or we had an experience that formed an opinion. Maybe you got bit by a spider, or your cousin told you about how scared she was at the circus because of the clowns. 

But the deeper fears.. that's what is alarming. The fact that so many people can relate to each other through their deepest fears. We suffer a loss, or heartbreak. We fail something, or we get left behind. That's the fear that will define us. The fear of spiders is nothing compared to the fear of rejection, and the fear of deep water seems so acceptable next to the fear of failing anything. 

I think that fear is something that is instilled in us from day one, and though we know that some fears are completely irrational (like the fear of monsters under the bed), we still believe with all our might that they are real.

 2 Timothy 1:7 says "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline."  

We learn as we get older that the fear of monsters under the bed is phony, there is nothing to be afraid of. But we hold on to deeper fears. Our fears don't diminish, they just get older with us. Somehow, they take root. But as 2 Timothy says, God is not the creator of fear. He doesn't fill us with fear, and He doesn't make us timid. Once we grasp the ability to be able to trust God with our fears, I think is the time when we realize that God can release us of the fears. 

Hey, there.

Hey, there. 

Yes you. 

The person reading this; 

I want you to know something very important. 

I am always here for you. Day and night. Whether you feel it trivial, or complex, I'm here. I don't care if I am in a dead sleep, and I get woken up with a call, email, text, facebook message. Anything. I am here. 

Especially in the middle of the night, when your eyes are heavy from either crying, or lack of sleep, or both, I will be there. 

You don't have to walk alone. And I think I've made it clear that I might not have a worded answer to give you, but I can help. I can listen, and I can encourage. 

One thing that I want Beautifully made to be, is open. I don't want anyone to feel like Ii'm saying something I want to help, but in reality, I'm completely inaccessible. That happens all to often. They will tell you, but they are never truly there to help. 

Well I will be :)

Listen To Me

There are somethings that you just can't explain. You can't find the words to express some of the things that need to be addressed. You can't always help if you don't have an answer to something. I have found this true in the work Kaylie and I do. It's hard for us to always have words ready when someone comes to us. You never know what they are going to say, so you never know what your response will be.
I want to stress how important just listening is. Sometimes all you have to do is sit back, and allow the person to use you to get all they need to say out. All you would have to do is be there, show you care, listen. Just listen. Your listening ears can be the most important things to people. I can't describe the power of just having listening ears there. It can make so much of a difference knowing that you have someone there to help and listen when you need it. People are dynamic creatures, and sometimes all they need is the power of knowing you're there. You're there.

From the time my parents got divorced, until around the time I was 14, I went through a really strong period of depression. I shut people out. I caved in around myself. You don't know the total feeling of loneliness until you are alone. I made myself that way. When my world fell apart I did too. Rather then admitting I needed help, I walked away from people who wanted so desperately to help me. I still do that to this day. I was guarding myself, so when people would ask how I was doing, I would say fine. But I needed someone to look me in the eyes and really ask me, 'are you okay?' and know that I wasn't just fine. I needed  them there. I needed them to talk. I needed them to listen. People go through this everyday. There are people out there who need someone so bad that they could be on their breaking point, and all they need is someone. You can save someone by listening to them. You can help them avoid so much pain by listening to them and being there.

I know that there is a lot going on for people right now. There is hurt everywhere. People are broken daily, and you may be thinking 'I can't listen to everyone' . I'm saying you need to allow yourself to be open to the person you are meant to help. You have to allow them to go through the processes for themselves.  You can't ever hinder someone from grieving. You may not have the right words for everyone, but you have the right words for someone. It may be a friend, family member, someone you have barely talked to before. But there is always someone out there who can use a listening ear. There is someone out there who needs you. You're person will come.

And if you're someone who is waiting to talk, waiting to find your listening ear, reach out. We are here, and there are many many other organizations out there meant specifically to listen. If you need someone to be your person, and if you need to just get things off your chest, reach out. Allow yourself the time to decide when you're ready, and what help you need. You are strong enough to do this. Find someone who will love you and listen no matter what you say to them. It's surprising, but there are still people like that out there. You can find them.

Listen

Teen Suicide

Through starting Beautifully Made, I have been opened up to so much more. Some has been good, and some has been bad. There have been things that I have never even thought about that I have had to learn to deal with.

One thing that we have come across is the prevalence of teen suicide. The rate of teen suicide is alarming. There are teens who  hide their pain and their problems all the way until the day they snap. We have seen this more and more through what we are doing. We have learned about more of the causes that sometimes people don't see.

We want to extend our hand to all of those who have been effected by this. But we have a challenge for you as well - watch what you say. Be careful of what you tell people, how you say it and what you do to them. You never know if you're their breaking point. I'd hate to think that I could be the reason someone didn't want to live anymore. I can't even imagine.

I hope that you take these words into consideration the next time you speak with someone. Make sure your words are pleasant and won't cause anyone harm.

xoxoxo

A day like today

Sometimes, I wonder where I would be if I hadn't been given a second chance. I wan't to tell you a part of my story that isn't easy. But it's real.

When I was young, I went through period of time where I felt alone. I didn't have anyone, and I barricaded my heart, and turned out the light. I ran out of things to tell myself, to try and cope with  a wound so big, I never thought it would heal. I was silent. I stayed silent for years. I let people go. I ruined relationships, and gave up on the wrong things. On a day like to day, I think back to then. I think back to when I would have rather caved in then faced the days again. I think to a day where I fought so hard to seclude myself from my struggles, I ended up secluding myself from the outstretched arms willing to help me. 

On a day like to day, I relive every single moment from the time my world fell apart. I relive the anguish, and the heartbreak. On a day like today, I allow myself to grieve for the time I lost myself. I lost who I was, what I stood for, who I loved, and everything I had wanted. I allow myself to be angry, sad, joyful, and content. But I always remember one thing; I was given a second chance. 

On a day like today, I have to remind myself exactly how good I had it. I have to allow myself to be able to enjoy every moment I have now, so I have to remove myself from the past. On a day like today,  I look around me and see all the new beginnings, and all the new changes. I see a brighter future, and a stronger me. 

On a day like today I stop and think, I could have ended it all before I got to a day like today. 

Our Schedule

So, as you guys know, we recently filmed a movie. We flew to Tulsa to take part in the CIY Kingdom worker movie. Ever since then, we have been really, really busy. We have been so excited for our upcoming projects, and we want to be able to do as much as we can.

Over the last few weeks we have realized how much we want to work for this. When we went to Tulsa, and got to talk with other students about what they did to stand up for what they believe in, and when they stood up for their faith, we were inspired to put more effort into what we do.

On March 14th, we took place in the #NOMOREday. It was a giant day were we all stood up to say no more to violence. We did this through social media, contacting governors, congress, and many other political leaders to ask for their support, and we even got the White house to sign  an extension on the VAWA document. It was a big day for us, and all the other organizations that stood with us. We couldn't have had more people willing to help, and we were so blessed with the support we got.

On March 17th we hosted the #SilenceEndsHere campaign on twitter to help spread awareness for women who are pushed into silence all around the world. We focused on the women who are in human trafficking, who are threatened, and who are scared into silence. It was a huge success, and we even had participation from the Verizon Foundation. That was a big hit for us!

On March 20th we launched the Gold Canyon Candle fundraiser, and it is a big hit! We will be selling the candles for the next 2 weeks, so make sure that you get them fast! We are using this to help with a violence awareness conference we will be holding. All the money will be used to spread awareness. (To order, email beautifullymade@violencenomore.com) We hope that this is a success!

We both have been so blessed by you guys, and by every one who has stood by our side. We hope that you all know how much you mean to Beautifully Made



                                        xoxoxo

Promise

I want to promise you something.

I can't promise that life will always be easy or pleasant, I can't promise that you will always have the most amazing memories. You will have really rough patches. You will loose faith, and you will get mad at the world. You will fight God, and you will walk away. I can't promise that you won't feel alone, and I can't promise that you will feel alone. I can't promise that you'll always be happy, and I can't promise you'll always be sad. There will be people that leave. I can't promise any one will stay. But that doesn't mean every one will leave either. You may not ever like the way you look, and you may not ever be flawless like the girl on the cover of Vogue. But you are beautiful. And the definition of beautiful doesn't include the word flawless.

I can only promise this. As long as there is a beat in your heart, and air in your lungs, you have a purpose. You have a God-given power within you that will allow you to over come the impossible. You are worth something. As long as there is pain, there is happiness. You will find someone who loves a beautiful heart not just a beautiful body. Patience will come to you, and you will find joy. You may not have the most money, or the best things, but you have enough to pull you through. No matter how little you have, there is always going to be someone with less then you. No matter how much you have, you will never buy your way to happiness. The key to success is selflessness. You won't be measured buy how nice of a car you had, or how many bedrooms your house had. You will be measured by the number of people you helped, and the amount of love you gave. Wisdom comes through experience, and you will use that to help people who are in your shoes. I can promise that you will always have a home, and your home will be where YOU make it. God will be there, waiting, even if you never come back. I can promise that you are worth something.