Light and Zest

Women Cultivating Mindful Beauty: Body and Soul

At the bottom of every woman’s heart, I believe God has planted the desire to be beautiful: body and soul. The seed has been planted in the raw materials of our hearts, minds, and deep within our beings to be the best God has made us to be. We are both physical and spiritual beings and our bodies and souls are like gardens that need tending. It is our pleasure and great reward to cultivate and curate both. Although we may see these two as separate parts of ourselves, our physical and spiritual selves work best hand-in-hand. They marry like music; harmony and melody.

 

A Practice of Christian Mindfulness: Body and Soul

Therefore, we will step up, value, and take care of the precious materials we have been given as we meet life’s challenges with both grace and determination, acceptance and stewardship. We will do this with patience for ourselves and in Christ’s strength as we hone in our identity as sacred and accepted followers of Jesus. Redeemed, precious, and valuable our worth is non-negotiable, hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3 NIV). Grace motivates us to do and be our best and whispers to our hearts that dignity is God-given and not man-made. We will carry this as a shield into the unknown and the daily drama of the mundane.

 

Light and Zest Nuts & Bolts

Find articles and helpful resources, here on the Light and Zest website, on cultivating an active and growing faith by applying God’s word, heightened mindfulness, balanced and enjoyable fitness, and mindful eating. As you travel your own path, I hope these resources culminate and encourage you to grasp the unique and mindful beauty God has planted in each and every one of you (body and soul).

 

Connect with women on a similar life path within our Balanced and Beautiful Women’s Facebook Community or gather in some extra inspiration–almost–daily on the Light and Zest Instagram.

 

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” – 1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV

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Quotes

  • The truth ends every conversation.

    - Jerry Seinfeld

  • "Being brave enough to risk intimacy, to risk rejection, to risk failure; all of the best things come when you do that."

    - Cheryl Strayed

  • "You have to be in a state of play to design. If you're not in a state of play, you can't make anything."

    - Paula Scher

  • "Take the first step of faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

    - Martin Luther King Jr.

  • "What small changes can you make to feel more rested, happier, more connected, more inspired?"

    - Mallika Chopra

  • "The body doesn't fuel how we live our lives. Instead, it is a mirror of how we live our lives."

    - Lissa Rankin, MD

  • "Call it the life-changing magic of tidying up your own thoughts."

    - Mary Elizabeth Williams, Why Every Mind Needs Mindfulness

  • “It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. Once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.”

    - Muhammad Ali

  • Creativity is intelligence having fun.

    - Albert Einstein

  • The impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely & abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe & find ashes.

    - Annie Dillard

  • Creativity - like human life itself - begins in darkness.

    - Julia Cameron

  • Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.

    - Vincent VanGogh

  • People are not machines. They are looking for something to feed their souls.

    - Bill Hendricks

  • Artists don't get down to work until the pain of working is exceeded by the pain of not working.

    - Stephen DeStaebler

  • Art is like beginning a sentence before you know its ending.

    - Art & Fear, Bayles & Orland

  • Light, space, zest—that’s God! So, with him on my side I’m fearless, afraid of no one and nothing.

    - Psalm 27:1 MSG

  • “Creativity takes courage.”

    - Henri Matisse

  • "In the spirit of excellence and not in perfection."

    - Kimberly Moore

  • "Creativity is an act of defiance."

    - Twyla Tharp