Beautiful For Me.

What does it mean to be beautiful? 115 pounds, a size 0?  It disturbs me so much to hear girls today say that they're not beautiful because they do not look like the people they see on TV and in this month's Allure magazine.  I also struggle with this daily.  I pick myself apart and see what I could do to look like the girls I see in the media.
However, when I really listen to my heart and to God, it is a sin to think all of these things.  First of all, the girls in the media do NOT really look like that, and if they do, they have personal trainers, chefs, etc.  Second of all, God made us and we are His masterpieces.  It is insulting Him when we insult ourselves.  He loves us so much and is so proud of his creation.  He thinks we are beautiful and truly cherishes us.  I love the song, "Beautiful For Me" by Nichole Nordeman.  It is from Veggie Tales (I work with preschoolers! ; ) ) but it has such an amazing message!  Remember girls, you are BEAUTIFUL!  Do not let the social messages in this world influence what God thinks about you.  He is The Truth.  Here are the lyrics:

Every girl young and old has to face her own reflection
Twirl around, stare it down
What’s the mirror gonna say
With some luck, you’ll measure up
But you might not hold a candle to the rest
“Is that your best?” says the mirror to the mess
But there’s a whisper in the noise
Can you hear a little voice
and he says

Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?
You might agree if you could see what I see
Oh
‘Cuz everything about you is incredible
You should have seen me smile the day that I made you beautiful for me

If it’s true beauty lies in the eye of the beholder
What my life and what’s inside to give him something to behold
I want a heart that’s captivating
I wanna hear my Father say

Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?
You might agree if you could see what I see
Oh
‘Cuz everything about you is incredible
You should have seen me smile the day that I made you beautiful for me
Close your eyes
Look inside
Let me see the you that you’ve been trying to hide
Long ago, I made you so very beautiful
So I ought to know you’re beautiful

Has anybody told you you’re beautiful?
You might agree if you could see what I see
Yeah
‘Cuz everything about you is incredible
You should have seen me smile the day that I made you beautiful
You’re so beautiful
Beautiful for me
So beautiful for me
Has anybody told you?

The King

I haven't done one of these in a while! I've been really busy with a new job  and haven't been able to get on and write. But I felt really inspired today so here I am. Today is my dad's birthday.  Happy Birthday, sweet daddy! You have been such a source of strength and leadership in our family and I love you so much! : )

So recently I ordered a copy of "The Message."  It is a bible written in a more modern version.  I absolutely LOVE it! I have been reading it as much as I can.  I suggest it to everyone, especially newer Christians, because it's so easy to understand.

Something that God has really tried to show me lately through reading His word and obstacles in life is that this world is not about me.  So many times I will not stand up for what I believe in because I think that people will think I'm weird or they won't like me as much.  (I am a huge people pleaser.) It's not about that.  It's about showing as many people as I can who Jesus is and sharing what He has done with my life.  He has changed my life drastically and shown me what true love is.  I am incredibly blessed to have so many amazing people who are there for me, but none of them could ever be there for me like Jesus is.  God knows me better than anyone ever could and He has been there for me when no one else has.  So who am I not to take His side when He has done all of this for me?  I need to stop trying to be "politically correct" and stand up for the Truth with love and compassion.  It's not about me feeling comfortable in a situation, it's about bringing glory to His name.  So this is what I'm working on right now in my life and I know God will walk with me through it, because he always does.  I love this quote from the movie Narnia:


"Is He safe?" 
"Safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But He's good. He's the king I tell you."

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."-- Philippians 4:13

     This bible verse has always been a favorite of mine.  Whenever I am in a tough spot in life or feel like giving up, it gives me such strength.  As I think about the timeline of my life thus far, I see this verse show up again and again through obstacles I have overcome.
     I have moved a lot in my life.  When I was in third grade my family moved to Florida.  I was completely devastated.  I had to leave my best friend in the world and make all new friends.  It was a very difficult experience.  However, when I did move to Florida I ended up making some wonderful friends.  I grew up there and when I was in 10th grade my family moved to Alpharetta, Georgia.  Now this was the hardest move of all.  Beginning 11th grade was extremely difficult in a brand new city.  I remember the first day of school feeling so nostalgic for my old life in Florida.  I called my boyfriend that afternoon that lived in Florida and cried on the phone with him.  I felt so lonely.
     After a while I finally began to make some amazing friends in Georgia.  I joined the Cheerleading squad and we found a wonderful church.  It was through this move that I actually was able to become closer to God.  I went on a couple church retreats and started to nurture and grow my relationship with Him.  Since then I have drifted away from Him again and again, but every time that happens I realize that I can't do life without Him.
     As I have been writing and rereading my story, it really stands out that God was with me every step of the way.  I can do all things through Him.  He gave me the courage and strength to make new friends and actually learn who I was meant to be through His eyes.  I am so thankful for everything He has done for me.  He has always been able to give me the extra push I need in life.  Moving a lot has not only shown me this but has also helped me become extremely adaptable in unknown situations.  I have so much more confidence and my relationship with Christ has grown tremendously through my previous experiences.  This is another way in my life that God has pointed out to me that I can trust Him and can do all things through Him.

God is in Control.

    First off, I am a huge Auburn Football fan and some of you may know they won the National Championship! So I have to start with a huge WAR EAGLE! Just had to do it! : )

     So the past couple of days, in Huntsville Alabama, we got quite a bit of snow! Around 9 inches! I can't believe it! My husband and I were watching it out the window and were amazed (We've lived in the South our whole lives.)  It is so beautiful.  All of the families have been outside building snowmen and taking pictures of their children having snowball fights.  It has also been great because my husband's office has been closed so I've been able to spend a couple days with him, which is always the best! : )
     As I was watching neighbors clean off their cars and shovel their driveways, I realized that this also illustrates that God is always in control.  This time last week people were planning doctors appointments or meetings with work or outings with their families.  Little did they know Huntsville would be taken over by snow and all of their plans would be cancelled.
     God speaks to everyone in different ways.  For me personally, He speaks through nature quite a bit.  Any time I am sitting on the beach, or driving through gorgeous mountains, or even when I just see the leaves falling off the trees, it really touches me.  It helps me see that God not only made all of this beauty for us to enjoy, but He is in control of everything on this earth.  He takes care of the birds in the sky and He can hold the ocean in the palm of His hand.  I'll never forget one time at church the pastor pointed that out--that God can hold the ocean in the palm of His hands.  It blew me away and has stuck with me ever since.  If you actually think about it, He's probably even bigger than that! Can you imagine? Anyway, I think God spoke to me through this recent precipitation--He said to me that He is in control and I'm not.  He controls my life and He wants to hold the reigns.  It doesn't matter how much I plan or how much I try to pave the way, He will always make the final decision.  Personally, I love knowing that! I don't have to stress and worry about the future because He will take care of it and He is in control always.

"Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of Your name, lead and guide me."
Psalm 31:3

His love is Infinite.

     I have heard many people say that religion is something one feels they must participate in to get to heaven; that maybe if I do this list of commandments, God will be pleased with me and reward me.  So a lot of people do that.  They go through life trying to do good things for people.  They go to church or volunteer.  In fact, this isn't even just a God thing.  It is like this with many other religions as well.  Most religions say "If you do this..." or "If you do that....." However, what most people don't realize is that God is not like that at all....
     His love is unconditional.  In fact, He wants a personal relationship with you.  Isn't that crazy?! The Creator of the universe wants a personal relationship with every person in this world.  But why would He want that?  Because He loves you! And He wants you to choose that relationship.  Isaiah 30:18 says, "So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion.  For the Lord is a faithful God.  Blessed are those who wait for His help."  He wants to feel like you want and need Him in your life.  Don't you want to feel needed and wanted by people you love?  It's the same way for God.
     I am sure some of you may have heard of Andy Stanley.  He is an unbelievable pastor at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia.  My family and I used to go to his church and absolutely fell in love with it.  He is such a godly man and you can just feel His passion and excitement for the Lord every time he speaks.  I am reading his most recent book, The Grace of God.  I highly recommend this book to everyone. If you have been a Christian for years or are a complete skeptic, it is so helpful and clearly shows the grace and amazing love of our Savior.  In this book Andy goes through the Old and New Testament and shows what God could and should have done, but chose not to do because He loves us so much.  After people have betrayed, hurt, and disrespected God so much throughout the Old Testament, He sends His son to take on the sin of mankind and forgive us.  That is love.  And as much love as you may feel from your family, spouse, or friends, their love will never even be close to the love that God has for you.  God will never let you down or hurt you.  He will grieve with you and listen better than anyone could ever listen.  He can even heal you and make your pain disappear.  All you have to do is choose a personal relationship with Him. Now I think that's someone to trust!

A New Year's Resolution

    I honestly never thought I would start a blog.  I am not the most talented writer and just not the blogging type, I guess.  However, recently I have had the strongest urge to pursue this. I have considered it my New Year's Resolution.  So here goes....

    I guess in my first post I should introduce myself.  My name is Carol Ann Hangartner.  I recently got married in October to an amazing man! We are loving newlywed life and learning about each other more and more.  It has been the most wonderful experience and I feel so blessed to have him as my husband.  He is my ROCK!
     Now for the most important thing about me: I am a Christian.  I grew up in a Christian home with unbelievably loving and amazing parents.  I always knew what it meant to be a Christian--believing Jesus died on the cross for your sins and admitting you're a sinner.  I became a Christian when I was six years old.  My parents prayed with me and I remember looking at them and seeing the joy in their eyes afterwards. It was a wonderful moment.  However, if I am being completely honest, that is not the moment that I felt closest to God.
     As I grew up, I experimented a little bit and strayed away from my morals and values.  I was easily influenced by others and did not stick to what I believed in.  One day, I decided to open my bible and read a little bit about God because sadly, I had not attempted to learn who my Savior was and discover His wonderful grace and mercy.  As I started to read scripture in Psalm, I became emotional because I realized that someone loved me perfectly.  Someone has shown me grace and compassion in my life when I did not deserve any of it.  From then on, I decided to live my life for Christ alone.  I realized that I am part of this world to bring glory to HIM.  And since then, my life has drastically changed.  I have wanted to please Him in any way I can.  My main goal is show His love and compassion to others.  I mess up every day but I know God loves me no matter what.  So this is what my blog is about.  I realize that some people reading this may have grown up believing what the world tells them about God...which let's face it....the world does NOT make God sound like your best friend.  The world sometimes makes God seem like a selfish and hateful being.  I hope by reading this and hearing some of my story it will help you at least become more open minded about God. I feel his love EVERYDAY and can't imagine being without it. I want to end my first blog with probably one of the most popular bible verses.  The reason I chose this one is because I remember memorizing it as a child for church, but never realized the true meaning of it until I was older.  Hope everyone has a happy and blessed New Year!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16