So excited to kick off 2019 with a new blog post! First blog post of 2019 and I actually have a guest writer. My dear friend Ashley reached out to me about taking photos of her youth group girls as a part of their all nighter, she had an idea of what photos we wanted to do first and the rest of the time we just took a bunch of photos for fun. It was an absolute blast to be a part of and I enjoyed every second of it. No more talking from me though, enjoy the words that Ashley wrote and the photos of the girls that I took:

New year. New you, right? Every January a new year rolls around, and every year we make big resolutions. We want to look in the mirror and see a slimmer toned version of ourselves looking back. We want to watch our bank accounts grow and our homes suddenly become less cluttered. We’ll attend church every Sunday, pay attention the WHOLE time and walk out with an amazing stronger relationship with God. We’ll climb that mountain or take that trip we’ve been planning for years.

New year, new goals. But at the end of the year it’s the same old story. We rarely accomplish these goals or overcome our burdens. Once we realize that we’re not making progress, we hit our knees in prayer. We plead, “God please give me the body I desire.” We bargain, “God, if I win the lottery, I promise I’ll come to church every week.” We come to God, as if he has a magic wand to suddenly make us richer, more fit, or smarter. I know that’s what I was doing.

After having my son Foster, my whole life changed. I was deliriously happy over the sweet ridiculously handsome little man I was blessed with. But with motherhood also came new insecurities. For the first time in my life, I looked in the mirror and hated what I saw. Between formula, diapers and child care, it seemed like we’d never get ahead financially. As soon as Foster was sleeping, my husband and I would mindlessly stare at the TV, to tired to speak much less enrich our marriage in any way. When I remembered to pray, I’d just ask God to give me my body back from college or to send us a windfall. I would think about making changes, but instead I’d put all the actual work in God’s hands.

Then a teenage boy, of all people, changed the way I was thinking and praying. It was simple, really. He was giving a testimony about how much smaller he was than his peers. He was picked on for it, and everyday he would pray to God asking Him to make him bigger. Everyday he looked in the mirror and was so unhappy, a feeling I was becoming acquainted with. The summer after his freshmen year, he attended our youth group mission trip. He confided in an adult chaperone about his body image issues. The chaperone introduced him to the Serenity Prayer. He realized that instead of asking God to change him, he needed to ask God for acceptance.

In that moment I realized I didn’t need my old body back or to win the lottery. I needed the motivation to seek out ways to achieve those things myself! God isn’t an ATM or my personal plastic surgeon. He has given me the tools I needed to fix my insecurities, but I just needed a little push from Him to get started.

This all came to me on a day when we had a super-secret girls night planned for our St. Pius X Youth Group. We were planning to whisk the girls away to Wealthy Studios where Elisabeth would be waiting to do an Instagram perfect photoshoot. I wanted the girls to see themselves the way I do. Gorgeous, silly and completely wonderful. I knew Elisabeth would be the perfect photographer for this, because that’s how I have felt during every shoot I have done with her.

Inspiration struck again when we asked the girls to think of a goal they wanted to achieve or a burden they wanted to overcome. Then we asked them to think of one thing they needed from God to make it happen. One adult leader realized she needed the courage to publish her finished novel! We challenged them to ask God for this instead of asking Him to complete the task for them.

We had the girls write what they needed on a chalk board and take a picture with it. Each girl needs something to accomplish her goals or let go of her burdens. We ask that as you enjoy these wonderful photos you send up a prayer of support for them.

(written by ashley, youth director at St. Pius X in Grandville, photos by Elisabeth Marie Photography)