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	<title>Comments on: Through My Looking Glasses</title>
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		<title>By: Doris Beck</title>
		<link>http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/comment-page-1/#comment-5903</link>
		<dc:creator>Doris Beck</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2007 21:56:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tmdevotionals.com/women/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/#comment-5903</guid>
		<description>What a blessing to read the devotional today and be reminded that God not only made us but loves us just as we are! Prescription Glasses and all! I too have struggled with self esteem most of my life and am always glad for the reminder to see myself thru the eyes of my Heavenly Father! Thanks Melissa and all you wonderful ladies who took time to post today!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What a blessing to read the devotional today and be reminded that God not only made us but loves us just as we are! Prescription Glasses and all! I too have struggled with self esteem most of my life and am always glad for the reminder to see myself thru the eyes of my Heavenly Father! Thanks Melissa and all you wonderful ladies who took time to post today!</p>
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		<title>By: dee</title>
		<link>http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/comment-page-1/#comment-5902</link>
		<dc:creator>dee</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2007 17:44:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tmdevotionals.com/women/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/#comment-5902</guid>
		<description>I am so glad God made us all the same yet different!He says we are wonderfully made!!!...how encouraging to read Psalm 139 pertaining to that,,,we all have some (or think we have) flaw that we are not satisfied with,,,what if we were all the same??Inside and out? It takes all kind and however we are is how He made us,,,each one has something the other need,,,isn&#039;t that wonderful?? Let&#039;s keep the faith and thank God for our &quot;flaws&quot;, our differences,,,for it keeps us strong and depending on Him.God bless you all,,,these devotionals really minister to me,,,I am blessed by these and so many of the responses,,,it really helps in my daily walk,,,,Stay faithful,
dee</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I am so glad God made us all the same yet different!He says we are wonderfully made!!!&#8230;how encouraging to read Psalm 139 pertaining to that,,,we all have some (or think we have) flaw that we are not satisfied with,,,what if we were all the same??Inside and out? It takes all kind and however we are is how He made us,,,each one has something the other need,,,isn&#8217;t that wonderful?? Let&#8217;s keep the faith and thank God for our &#8220;flaws&#8221;, our differences,,,for it keeps us strong and depending on Him.God bless you all,,,these devotionals really minister to me,,,I am blessed by these and so many of the responses,,,it really helps in my daily walk,,,,Stay faithful,<br />
dee</p>
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		<title>By: Karen</title>
		<link>http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/comment-page-1/#comment-5901</link>
		<dc:creator>Karen</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:25:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tmdevotionals.com/women/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/#comment-5901</guid>
		<description>I read this message today with great awareness that I myself need to stop and think before I criticize myself before God. As a child, I always felt far removed from others, never really fitting in..I didn&#039;t know then that I was never alone, that God had plans for me..I became an alcoholic at an early age and after many years of drinking, I  conquered that demon, only to become addicted to food. I struggled with it for years and finally made headway ..but then I was still never satisfied and when the pounds would creep back on I was tell my husband that I hated my body and I would constantly tell myself that I was not acceptable because I carried extra weight.. I see though through todays passage from Psalm 139 that my Heavenly Father loves me and that I am hurting Him when I think less of myself than I should..I was made by Him and the package I come in is First Class mail, not junk so when I have thoughts of complaining about some particular part of my appearance I will be reminded that if my heart is pure and trusting in Him, there is not greater love than the love He gives me..it is all I need...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I read this message today with great awareness that I myself need to stop and think before I criticize myself before God. As a child, I always felt far removed from others, never really fitting in..I didn&#8217;t know then that I was never alone, that God had plans for me..I became an alcoholic at an early age and after many years of drinking, I  conquered that demon, only to become addicted to food. I struggled with it for years and finally made headway ..but then I was still never satisfied and when the pounds would creep back on I was tell my husband that I hated my body and I would constantly tell myself that I was not acceptable because I carried extra weight.. I see though through todays passage from Psalm 139 that my Heavenly Father loves me and that I am hurting Him when I think less of myself than I should..I was made by Him and the package I come in is First Class mail, not junk so when I have thoughts of complaining about some particular part of my appearance I will be reminded that if my heart is pure and trusting in Him, there is not greater love than the love He gives me..it is all I need&#8230;</p>
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		<title>By: Karen</title>
		<link>http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/comment-page-1/#comment-5900</link>
		<dc:creator>Karen</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:15:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tmdevotionals.com/women/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/#comment-5900</guid>
		<description>I can identify with this writing..although I didn&#039;t wear glasses as a child, I always felt far removed from everyone else..it was as if I were invisible...as I became an adult I still struggled with these feelings of not existing..and then I developed an addiction to alcohol and after conquering that, I started a new addiction to food and have battled it ever since..and when I tell my husband I hate my body, I feel a twinge of quilt creep over me because I know that God made me special and although weight problems can be dealt with, it seems like I have never been satisfied with my body..but after reading todays message and Psalm 139, I finally realize that the package that I come in, is first class mail ...not junk mail...I have to accept who I am and be delighted that our Heavenly Father was gracious and kind enough to give me the body I have, free from sickness and disabilities...so when I start to criticize myself for the few extra pounds I carry, I will remember the weight of the cross that Jesus carried and the comparison is so ridiculous that I will laugh to myself and put my whole trust in the Lord..for I am his child and He loves me just the way I am...Blessings to you all..Karen</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I can identify with this writing..although I didn&#8217;t wear glasses as a child, I always felt far removed from everyone else..it was as if I were invisible&#8230;as I became an adult I still struggled with these feelings of not existing..and then I developed an addiction to alcohol and after conquering that, I started a new addiction to food and have battled it ever since..and when I tell my husband I hate my body, I feel a twinge of quilt creep over me because I know that God made me special and although weight problems can be dealt with, it seems like I have never been satisfied with my body..but after reading todays message and Psalm 139, I finally realize that the package that I come in, is first class mail &#8230;not junk mail&#8230;I have to accept who I am and be delighted that our Heavenly Father was gracious and kind enough to give me the body I have, free from sickness and disabilities&#8230;so when I start to criticize myself for the few extra pounds I carry, I will remember the weight of the cross that Jesus carried and the comparison is so ridiculous that I will laugh to myself and put my whole trust in the Lord..for I am his child and He loves me just the way I am&#8230;Blessings to you all..Karen</p>
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		<title>By: Mary C</title>
		<link>http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/comment-page-1/#comment-5899</link>
		<dc:creator>Mary C</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:52:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tmdevotionals.com/women/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/#comment-5899</guid>
		<description>What a wonderful reminder for us to love ourselves as we are because God doesn&#039;t make mistakes!  This message must be directed to me as we had a sharing time in our ladies Bible study yesterday morning and the last message was about this exact same thing.  Thank you for reminding me again how I need to love myself just as I am and not be so critical because of what others might think.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What a wonderful reminder for us to love ourselves as we are because God doesn&#8217;t make mistakes!  This message must be directed to me as we had a sharing time in our ladies Bible study yesterday morning and the last message was about this exact same thing.  Thank you for reminding me again how I need to love myself just as I am and not be so critical because of what others might think.</p>
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		<title>By: Monica</title>
		<link>http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/comment-page-1/#comment-5898</link>
		<dc:creator>Monica</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:46:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tmdevotionals.com/women/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/#comment-5898</guid>
		<description>I had lazy eye surgery when I was 2 years old and then again when I was 15.  I was fortunate though that I could switch focus from one eye to the other so I grew up thinking that was how everyone&#039;s eyes worked. Around age ten I began to understand that my eyes were &quot;different&quot; and my Mom told me about my operation.  I confided this in some friends and was horrified when a rather nasty boy retold the story as, &quot;you had to have an operation because one eye was down by your nose&quot;.  Melissa is so right - those comments stay with you forever.  It hurt but I tried not to let it get to me. I had an older brother who picked on me and so his friends always did too.  I already had pretty thick skin. When I got to high school the &quot;lazy eye&quot; ... how I hate that term! ... was bothering me so I went to the surgeon who had done my first operation.  There I learned a whole new experience - being spoken about like an animal or medical specimen. I remember clearly how this medical professional turned to my mother and spoke about me as if I wasn&#039;t there saying, &quot;it&#039;s a good thing she had the surgery when she was 2 or she&#039;d be the most walleyed kid you ever saw&quot;.  A new word to add to my list of labels - charming.  This went along with all the labels for being left handed, clumsy, short, etc.  I had the second operation and was blessed to have a doctor in the hospital who spoke kindly and explained the details of the procedure to me.  For a brief time as the swelling subsided I really had binocular vision (my new term to describe my eye condition is that I don&#039;t have binocular vision) but moving the optic nerves wasn&#039;t exact science and so when the swelling was gone completely it was better but again not perfect.  A few years ago before I turned 40 I got glasses to make the vision in each eye equal.  The years of using my left eye more had caught up with me.  I remember clearly the day I got my first glasses. I was at the table with my children and looked at them marvelling at how beautiful they were.  How clearly I saw them!  Every detail! I thank God for that day for letting me see with &quot;new eyes&quot; how I had been blessed.  It is so hard growing up to see ourselves as God sees us and to have self confidence - I know I struggled with that with much more than my eyesight or the look of my eyes.  As adults we need to encourage kids - ours - everyones - to love themselves as God has made them.  Join me in prayer for all the young people who are struggling with self image: Lord, I ask for your blessing today on all of the young people who strive for acceptance based on appearance. Give them the wisdom and confidence to focus on the internal and the eternal. In Jesus&#039; name, Amen.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I had lazy eye surgery when I was 2 years old and then again when I was 15.  I was fortunate though that I could switch focus from one eye to the other so I grew up thinking that was how everyone&#8217;s eyes worked. Around age ten I began to understand that my eyes were &#8220;different&#8221; and my Mom told me about my operation.  I confided this in some friends and was horrified when a rather nasty boy retold the story as, &#8220;you had to have an operation because one eye was down by your nose&#8221;.  Melissa is so right &#8211; those comments stay with you forever.  It hurt but I tried not to let it get to me. I had an older brother who picked on me and so his friends always did too.  I already had pretty thick skin. When I got to high school the &#8220;lazy eye&#8221; &#8230; how I hate that term! &#8230; was bothering me so I went to the surgeon who had done my first operation.  There I learned a whole new experience &#8211; being spoken about like an animal or medical specimen. I remember clearly how this medical professional turned to my mother and spoke about me as if I wasn&#8217;t there saying, &#8220;it&#8217;s a good thing she had the surgery when she was 2 or she&#8217;d be the most walleyed kid you ever saw&#8221;.  A new word to add to my list of labels &#8211; charming.  This went along with all the labels for being left handed, clumsy, short, etc.  I had the second operation and was blessed to have a doctor in the hospital who spoke kindly and explained the details of the procedure to me.  For a brief time as the swelling subsided I really had binocular vision (my new term to describe my eye condition is that I don&#8217;t have binocular vision) but moving the optic nerves wasn&#8217;t exact science and so when the swelling was gone completely it was better but again not perfect.  A few years ago before I turned 40 I got glasses to make the vision in each eye equal.  The years of using my left eye more had caught up with me.  I remember clearly the day I got my first glasses. I was at the table with my children and looked at them marvelling at how beautiful they were.  How clearly I saw them!  Every detail! I thank God for that day for letting me see with &#8220;new eyes&#8221; how I had been blessed.  It is so hard growing up to see ourselves as God sees us and to have self confidence &#8211; I know I struggled with that with much more than my eyesight or the look of my eyes.  As adults we need to encourage kids &#8211; ours &#8211; everyones &#8211; to love themselves as God has made them.  Join me in prayer for all the young people who are struggling with self image: Lord, I ask for your blessing today on all of the young people who strive for acceptance based on appearance. Give them the wisdom and confidence to focus on the internal and the eternal. In Jesus&#8217; name, Amen.</p>
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		<title>By: Ann</title>
		<link>http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/comment-page-1/#comment-5896</link>
		<dc:creator>Ann</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:15:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tmdevotionals.com/women/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/#comment-5896</guid>
		<description>Please tell Melissa that i read her piece rapt -- not because of the eyeglass issue, simply because it was interesting and well-told -- and then I got this part 

Then God pointed me to Psalm 139:13-14: &quot;For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother&#039;s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.&quot;

and I cried, knowing I had considered myself unmade and deficient.  After reading this I realize I am jsut as God made me and that is sufficient!

Thank you for a lovely, simple yet powerful article.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Please tell Melissa that i read her piece rapt &#8212; not because of the eyeglass issue, simply because it was interesting and well-told &#8212; and then I got this part </p>
<p>Then God pointed me to Psalm 139:13-14: &#8220;For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother&#8217;s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.&#8221;</p>
<p>and I cried, knowing I had considered myself unmade and deficient.  After reading this I realize I am jsut as God made me and that is sufficient!</p>
<p>Thank you for a lovely, simple yet powerful article.</p>
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		<title>By: Nicole</title>
		<link>http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/comment-page-1/#comment-5895</link>
		<dc:creator>Nicole</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:54:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tmdevotionals.com/women/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/#comment-5895</guid>
		<description>This was a blessing to read this, I am struggling at this very moment with self esteem. I have high prescription glasses and feel very self conscious when someone stands close to me. I too have been afraid to go out sometimes. I occasionally read psalm 139, but prayerfully I can read it everyday to get it deep in my heart. God created me, I should love myself as he loves me. It is easier to say than to do, but hopefully with God&#039;s grace I can.
I am going to print the devotional out so I can continue to go back to it. Thanks, God Bless</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This was a blessing to read this, I am struggling at this very moment with self esteem. I have high prescription glasses and feel very self conscious when someone stands close to me. I too have been afraid to go out sometimes. I occasionally read psalm 139, but prayerfully I can read it everyday to get it deep in my heart. God created me, I should love myself as he loves me. It is easier to say than to do, but hopefully with God&#8217;s grace I can.<br />
I am going to print the devotional out so I can continue to go back to it. Thanks, God Bless</p>
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		<title>By: Chris</title>
		<link>http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/comment-page-1/#comment-5894</link>
		<dc:creator>Chris</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2007 09:54:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://tmdevotionals.com/women/2007/04/27/through-my-looking-glasses/#comment-5894</guid>
		<description>I have had to wear glasses since I was 4 years old due to a lazy right eye. It wasn&#039;t caught intime to have corrocetive surgery done on it. As a kid, I hated waring glasses because I was always called 4-eyes.
Not 46 years later, I have had catoract surgery done on both eyrs, and lazer trratments to get rid of the hazing( not everyone gets this as an after math of the surgery. On top of this I have been using bifocals for 12 years as well. 
I am so use to putting on  my glasses anymore that nothing anyone says anything I walk away . Whenever anyone ses anything now, I THANK GOD, i CAN SEE, THE BUEATU OF GODS WORLD</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I have had to wear glasses since I was 4 years old due to a lazy right eye. It wasn&#8217;t caught intime to have corrocetive surgery done on it. As a kid, I hated waring glasses because I was always called 4-eyes.<br />
Not 46 years later, I have had catoract surgery done on both eyrs, and lazer trratments to get rid of the hazing( not everyone gets this as an after math of the surgery. On top of this I have been using bifocals for 12 years as well.<br />
I am so use to putting on  my glasses anymore that nothing anyone says anything I walk away . Whenever anyone ses anything now, I THANK GOD, i CAN SEE, THE BUEATU OF GODS WORLD</p>
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