Guest Blog: Marvelous Meghan!

Dear friends, because I have had commitments all week and I go out out state in just a few hours with our vision team at church, I am thankful that my friends have shared with you this week, and I can tell by your comments that you've enjoyed it! See why I love them?! I am thrilled to be a part of what God is doing at FBC (click the 4734 link on the sidebar to learn more) but next week I promise to be back in full force! Until then, I leave you in the capable hands of Miss Meghan M., one of the most precious friends I have ever made. She contacted me a few months ago and since then she has been a precious cheerleader to me in this season of my life-seeking God on my behalf and I love her so!! I asked her to share and boy, did she! Blog Babies, get ready!
Love,
Lauren

Hi friends! This is my first ever guest blog post and I'm so honored that Lauren asked me to participate. I'm Meghan and I'm a full time student at UNC (GO HEELS!) and have followed Lauren's blog for a while now. Isn't she just the greatest?! I am so lucky to have her in my life. She has been a huge source of encouragement for me over the last few months and I have literally laughed so hard at her "That Girl" posts because I certainly have my fair share of moments. I just love her welcome message..."Living life and making a scene for the Kingdom of God. This girl loves Jesus so much and it shines through her amazing personality. She and I relate on so many levels and I am just so blessed to call her my sister.

I have my own recent "That Girl" moment to share so here it goes. So I've been trying for a while now to find the perfect wedding dress. Not one that I get all emotional over and cry like those girls do on "Say yes to the dress." (I love that show by the way) but just one that fits me well and makes me look downright skinny! So all you girls who have ever tried on formal gowns probably know that most of the time, the dress shops only have one dress in each style. Therefore, sometimes you may try on a dress that is not exactly your size and it's hard to envision whether the dress in the right size would actually accentuate your physique.

Well my dear friends, let me tell you that I was trying on dresses with my mom and sisters the other day. The lady at the dress shop was super nice and stayed open late for us so I could try on a few dresses. I told her what I liked and she told me that some of the dresses in the trunk show might be a good fit for me. She started handing me some of the most beautiful designer dresses off the rack and told me not to worry about the size (or price ha), just to try them on anyway. Well, don't you know that I tried and tried and tried on those dresses for about an hour. Some were good, others not so much. But, I get to this one beautiful dress. One that looks like it just might fit perfectly. I pull it on over my spanx and thought that it just might zip. It didn't but it was ok because I liked it and thought that it could be a strong possibility anyway. It was just what I was looking for, simple, dropped waist, beautiful fabric, and straps! Girls, I don't have much to hold up those strapless gowns if you know what I mean :)

Well, wouldn't you know that when I finally went to take that pretty thing off, my skin-tight spanx caused my foot to get caught in that beautiful dress and not only did I tumble over in the dressing room with one leg still in that beautiful gown, but my big foot got stuck on that beautiful dainty spaghetti strap and POP! It tore completely from that wedding dress. I was humiliated! I thought about pretending that everything was fine and hanging it back on the hanger (totally dishonest and wrong, I know) but of course, it would no longer hang back up and so I had to confess to that sweet lady who stayed late for me. I knew it was the right thing and bless that lady's heart, she hugged me and said not to worry about a thing! I offered to pay her for the damage but she told me that a bride should never cry...these things happen. I learned many big lessons that day.

1. Spanx are no fun. It's time to work on my bride body the hard way.

2. Always have someone else help you in and out of expensive wedding gowns, no matter how uncomfortable you may be in your spanx.

3. Most importantly, that lady forgave me for my clumsiness and thought I was beautiful and deserving of happiness anyway. I saw Jesus in that lady.

Scripture says this: "The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken in that day and they will say, surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation." Isaiah 25:8-10

I am reminded to rejoice in the Lord in all circumstances, even the embarassing ones. He is the ultimate author of our story and through all things, I strive to praise Him! What good news we have in Jesus, my friends. Our God created us before we were even born. He knows everything about us. And, His plan is perfect. Next time you are with a sister who is having a "That girl" moment or who just needs some encouragement, I encourage you girls to love her through her circumstances. Bring her up and hug her tight for our Lord forgives and is mighty to save!

Let us praise the One who first loved us. Enjoy today friends!