CIRCLE OF LOVE

MEET JENNIFER

of

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

http://belikeesther.blogspot.com/

I have only been acquainted with Jennifer for a short time. Jennifer is a frequent visitor and participant of the AT THE WELL meme. It is amazing how so many of us gather each week over at the well and share how God is molding and making us to be Titus 2 women. Jennifer is one of those women that is pursuing Gods heart as passionately as she can.

Jennifer shares all kinds of great things with us on her blog. It won't take you long to see that Jennifer is passionate about her family, she often blogs about her experiences of homeschooling and (one of my favorites!) cooking. Jennifer is one of those "visual" writers ... she not only shares a good recipe but she shares a picture also that will leave you drooling at the mouth!

Another passion that will leap off of the web page ... is Jennifer's passion for Christ. I love it when she shares personal testimonies of Gods love and changing power! Just recently, Jennifer shared one of those very moving kind of stories with her readers, you know, the kind that just gives you goose bumps and the kind that makes you want to just do a holy roller shout! Here is what Jennifer shared recently about how we as Titus 2 women should dress (or not dress) ...

Who Are You Dressing For?

Today's topic At The Well really hits home to me. It seems like only yesterday when I went through this very thing, and had to be snapped back into reality. Today I thought I would share this story with you and the insights that God showed me during and after this time.About 4 years ago, I got on this weight loss kick and lost about 30 pounds. I went from a size 14 down to a size 10 which really changed the way I looked. I was also going to the tanning bed at the time, and I
felt sexy. I will just be honest with you. My friend and I decided to do some
shopping and I talked myself into buying some rather questionable clothing to
wear to work. I mean, I was losing weight so why would I not want to dress sexy!

In the back of my mind, I kept hearing the Holy Spirit tell me that this was not the route I needed to go, that at the end of this road there would be death and destruction, but I blew that voice off. I wanted to look sexy!I did attract the attention of a certain man, who shall remain nameless. At first I was deeply flattered. Another man besides my husband thought I looked good.WOW! But then that flattery began to turn into thoughts. . . thoughts of being with someone other than my husband. This man would visit my office every day and sit and talk to me for hours. He emailed me regularly. He showed an interest. He even commented a few times about how sexy I had become in the few weeks.

After a couple of months of this, one morning when I was checking out my nice slim body in the mirror, my daughter walked in the room. Now remember.. this was 4 years ago. I was a Christian, a God fearing woman, who had blown off the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit. Kayla at the time was 7 years old. She stood there for a few moments and then she said, "Momma...why are you dressing like that?" I asked her, "Like what baby?" And she said, "Like that." and she pointed to my clothing. I looked in the mirror again still not seeing what she was talking about. And then she spoke again, but this time I did not hear her. I heard the Voice of My Savior speaking. She said, "Why are you dressing like that for work? Who are you trying to impress? Why do you want other men to look at you when you are already married? Daddy likes the way you look. No one else needs to like you that way mommy.

"SMACK! At that moment, I saw myself as the Lord saw me. I was ashamed, humiliated, and completely and utterly horrified that I had allowed myself to be pulled in that direction. I was so thankful that nothing had transpired with the man at work. I quickly changed clothes and bagged up everything I had purchased and threw them in the garbage! Mini skirts, tight tops, EVERYTHING and out it went.I went to work and emailed the man and told him that I could not talk to him anymore.

I quit my job within a month of this happening and took a different job which eventually led me to homeschooling my children.Now I am more aware of how I dress. Here lately I have been the sneakers and jeans kinds of girl, but slowly God is showing me just how feminine I am and that I can be girly and beautiful and modest all at the same time. As women, we have to be careful of what we wear. If we are wearing it so other people will notice us, we are wearing it for the wrong reasons! You have to dress for yourself and not to draw the attention of others.

If you find yourself doing that, then I suggest you spend some time in prayer asking God to reveal to you what your true motives are.If you have caused someone to fail because of the way you dress, then go ask forgiveness of that person.

Also ask God to forgive you and then CHANGE!I still look back at this time as a way of God opening my eyes to the problems of dress and why in His word He talks about all the reasons why He wants us to dress modestly. When the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, listen to His voice, heed His warnings and do what He is asking you to do. It is for your good.

YYYYYYYYY

I was so glad to see Jennifer write about this topic. I see so many women who struggle in this area, many of whom are not even aware that they are purposely dressing for another mans eye. I applaud Jennifer for her honesty and her openness to share her testimony of Gods love and changing power.

Recently, Jennifer shared alittle bit more about herself with me online. Please join me as we get to know alittle piece of Jennifer's heart...

1. PLEASE TELL US YOUR NAME AND WHERE WE CAN FIND YOU ON THE WEB?

My name is Jennifer Sikora. You can find my blog, For Such a Time as This, at http://www.belikeesther.blogspot.com/

2. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BLOGGING AND TELL US YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BLOGGING?

I have been blogging since October 2007. I started as a way to share my homeschooling journey and all the things we were learning, but it has turned into so much more since then. Now I share about life, faith, homeschooling, and Jesus!

3. WHAT ARE THE MAIN THINGS THAT YOU BLOG ABOUT?

Anything that we do. Homeschooling, devotions that I write, wonderful homemade recipes that I try, and our family life in general.

4. TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF...if you work ~where? ...have a family ~ tell us about them?

I am 34 years old. I work for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine as Social Marketing Assistant. I have been married to my husband for 15 years. We have two wonderful children, Robert age 14, and Kayla age 11. We have three rotten little spoiled dogs, Ruffles the Corgi, Puff the Poodle, and Tucker the Chihuahua

5. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN SERVING THE LORD?

I have been serving the Lord now for 10 years! It seems like only yesterday that He called my name and asked me to be part of His Kingdom!

6. CAN YOU GIVE US A TESTIMONY OF HOW GOD HAS PROVEN HIMSELF FAITHFUL TO YOU?

For the last few months, my husband has been out of work. We made a promise to God that if He would help take care of us like He promised in His word that we would be faithful to Him in following Him and not give up even when it gets hard. My husband is still unemployed, but there has not been a day that goes by that God has not provided for our needs. I believe that comes from the fact that we are following Him regardless, not only in the easy times, but in the hard times as well.

7. COULD YOU SHARE WITH YOUR CIRCLE OF BLOGGING FRIENDS YOUR FAVORITE SCRIPTURE?

My favorite scripture has always been and will always be Romans 8:28: "All things work together for the good of those who love Him, who are the called, according to His purpose."

8. HOW HAS THAT SCRIPTURE MINISTERED TO YOU RECENTLY?

With my husband being out of a job, I have to know that this is for our good. It is growing character in both of us and teaching us to be patient and wait on God.

9. WHAT ADVICE ABOUT BLOGGING WOULD YOU OFFER TO YOUR CIRCLE OF BLOGGING FRIENDS?

Blog about everything. What you think is uninteresting, can be the most interesting thing to all those bloggy friends of yours!

Great advice Jennifer! You never know who you might meet while blogging and how much you can become connected with them not only thru similar interests but thru a kindred spirit. Thank you Jennifer for being an encouragement to me and to all Women who Take a Stand! -LAURIE

PLEASE VISIT JENNIFER TODAY AND BECOME ACQUAINTED! click here

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