Self Love – Sing Pray Shop

5 Self-Care Tips for Fashionistas

Written by Shakira on July 30, 2019. Posted in Personal Style, Style. Leave a Comment

Self Care is defined as any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. I can’t say when, but within the last 5 years we’ve all become obsessed with self-care. Although it’s become synonymous with spa days and mimosas for some, the practice of caring for oneself is something to be cherished. In a world where anxiety is higher than ever and women are dying at alarming rates from heart disease, we all need to prioritize ourselves. While there’s a plethora of information about self-care practices online, I thought I’d try offer something for my fellow stylish ladies. Here are five self-care tips for fashionistas.

1. Donate Your Clothing

We all know that you can earn a pretty penny by reselling your preowned clothing and accessories online. Ebay, Poshmark, and consignment shops are awesome when you want to boost your bank account. But you know what’s equally awesome? Helping a woman who can’t repay you. Now don’t trip, I know this is a “self” care list but being a blessing to someone else is sowing seed that will produce a good harvest. Trust me, be a blessing and watch God bless you in return.

2. Stay True to Size

Wearing properly fitting clothes is totally a form of self-care. You honor your body when you treat her with respect… which includes honest sizing. Fashion is not a numbers game. Don’t get hung up on the number on the tag. Every woman knows her weight fluctuates depending on the time of month, lifestyle, etc. So be kind to yourself and stay true to size.

3. Dress to Express

Remember when you were a kid having fun playing dress up? Get back to that place! The business of adulting can sometimes stifle your creativity if you let it. Go ahead, wear your favorite color. Colors have the power to shift moods and evoke emotion. Feeling playful? Try that new trend you’ve secretly been afraid to wear. Don’t let your fear of others opinions keep you in fashion bondage.

4. Ditch the heels

Believe it or not, it’s okay not to wear stilettos every day. You only have two feet and they’re pretty necessary. Show your tootsies some love by taking care of them. Wearing flats is not corny (pun intended) or reserved for little girls and elderly women. There are tons of fabulous flats and sneakers out there waiting to be styled. By all means be comfortable, but make it fashion.

5. Treat Yo Self

A true fashionista knows how to look fabulous whether her budget is one hundred dollars or one million. Why? Because she knows that style isn’t about labels but about execution. I used to be a fan of “retail therapy” until I realized I was actually just impulse buying. Spending money unwisely is never a fashion do. However, treating yourself to something on your wishlist can be self-care. Buy the one of a kind purse or those red bottoms. Just don’t drain your savings.

Top//H&M , Pants//Ross , Shoes//Wild Diva , Earrings//Aldo

The Love Letters: Dear Bride to Be

Written by Shakira on February 12, 2017. Posted in Inspiration, Life. 2 Comments

Phillipians 4:6 says “Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God.”

Whether you have 8 weeks or 18 months until you say “I Do” you may currently find yourself getting overwhelmed. If so, let me say this plainly, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Having been engaged for a year this Sun, I’ve been there and even as I write this I may have obstacles yet to overcome. However, I want you to pause for a minute and meditate on the scripture above. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that you don’t have to succomb to the madness. You can delight yourself in the Lord and receive His peace.

Even if you’ve planned your wedding in your mind since the age of 6, nothing compares to the actual task of planning a wedding. There are so many details to consider, so many decisions to make, so many people to accommodate, so many pieces to the puzzle… It can honestly become stressful. You may find yourself disagreeing with your fiancé or having an all out fight. The ideas of family and friends may sometimes drown out your own voice, not to mention the task of blending two families and two sets of expectations. Opinions, however well intentioned, may hurt your feelings and sabatouge your self-esteem. Lastly, you and your fiance will no doubt frequently consider running away from everyone to elope. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing so, please be sure it is your genuine desire and not a reaction to the stress of your engagement.

So how can you defeat or avoid overwhelm and manage to make your engagement a time of joy? First things first, you must remember why you said yes. The goal is for both of you to use this season of engagement to receive wise counsel and allow God to uncover, discover, correct, or re-direct. Believing you’ve found the one is not enough. This belief must be confirmed and your profession of love must be proven. I promise you that your love will be tested. However, use those unexpected challenges and hurdles to strengthen your love for each other and forge an unbreakable bond.

There will be those whose comments about the institution of marriage make you second guess your decision to committ. Those who tell you you’re losing your freedom or wasting your time since 50% of marriages fail. There will be those who are jealous (both openly and privately) and their lack of support and their absence during this season may hurt, but stay focused. Let your love for God and your love for each other be your motivation, not the desire to stunt on “haters”. After all, we’ve all been jealous of someone currently in a season we wish to enter. Maintain an attitude of grace and humility. Use this time to beautify your spirit and your appearance. Be like Esther and pamper yourself as you prepare for your king. Seek the Lord for wisdom on how to properly love your Groom. Ask God to reveal the purpose of your union and how it will impact the Kingdom.

It is my prayer that as you transition from girlfriend to fiance to wife that you will do so with grace and discernment. Refuse to be a bridezilla and an ego maniac. Contrary to popular belief it is not “all about the bride”, it’s about the couple. Lay a strong foundation during your engagement built on love, trust, honesty, and integrity. Do this and I promise you’ll be your own #RelationshipGoals !

With love,

Kira

Total Surrender: The Beauty of Brokenness

Written by Shakira on June 21, 2016. Posted in Inspiration, Life. Leave a Comment

Can you recall times in your life where you felt completely alone? Perhaps there was a situation that left you overwhelmed? Sucks right? It’s never easy to go thru seasons of intense pain such as heartache, depression, mourning, or even illness. Our natural response is to run and hide or curl up and die. However, these times are usually when we cling to God the most. Think about it, when you broke up with [ insert former bad here] or lost your job at [ name of company ] didn’t your prayer life shift? I’m willing to bet you that during those seasons of your life you saw a lot of spiritual growth.

I remember this time a couple years ago being in the ER once a month from April to June in excruciating pain from several large kidney stones. If you’ve ever had a kidney stone you know that it feels like the wrath of God, no seriously. During post-op recovery it hurt to move, let alone use the bathroom. I had to learn all about taking better care of my health. It was during this time I decided to draw strength from my gift, worship. So many days I spent reading God’s word and meditating on scriptures about health and healing. I came across Hillsong United “Oceans” at one point and that song changed my life. It was a reminder that in every season, God requires my trust.

Without faith it’s impossible to please God and seasons of pain will test our faith…but you can push through! You see, beauty begins where self – reliance ends because we must learn to depend solely on our Father. When we come to the end of ourselves, in complete surrender, we become beautifully broken and God can use our situation for His glory. Scripture tells us God is close to the brokenhearted ( Psalm 34:18 ) so if you’re currently hurting allow Him into your pain and let him make beauty from ashes. Don’t try to cover up the pain with makeup and pretty masks. What’s more important, your image or your impact?

Satan would love for your pride and shame to keep you from sharing your story with others, those who are experiencing the same trials. It’s his desire to make you feel like a hypocrite when you look at your past ( or present struggles ) compared to your confession of faith. Remember this sister, we overcome by the word of our testimony. WE ALL overcome…not just the one who was tested. Your testimony could stop another woman from experiencing the same hurt, so allow God to use you as He sees fit! Romans 5:3-4 states: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Be encouraged love, all things are working for your good…even this! XO – KIRA

Pretty Hurts: The Distorted Reflection

Written by Shakira on June 6, 2016. Posted in Inspiration, Life. Leave a Comment

Would you rather be described as beautiful or pretty? (Ask yourself and answer honestly) Now ask yourself, Is there a difference between the two?

This is one of the initial questions we are asked to ponder in Beauty Begins: Making Peace with Your Reflection by mother/daughter team Chris Shook & Megan Shook Alpha. Chapter One entitled The Distorted Reflection invites us to discover the beautiful truth about God’s word concerning us, his precious daughters. But first, we must confront the lies we’ve accepted about ourselves via the OG liar himself, Satan. Jesus sheds some light on Satan’s entire agenda in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

See, the enemy of your soul wants to rob you of your self-worth, self-image, and your self-esteem. If Satan can get you to believe the lie that you are inadequate & cause you to hate your reflection, he succeeds in getting you to declare war on yourself. Why? Because he would hate for you to realize how fabulous you are or how fearfully & marvelously made you are…or that you represent God’s artistry. If you ever came into the knowledge that you are distinctly unique & important to God, you’d be unstoppable! Unfortunately, many of us accept the lies without question and the quest to be pretty and perfect begins.

In the song Pretty Hurts Beyonce poetically describes the ugly truth about our societal obsession with pretty: “Pretty hurts, Shine the light on whatever’s worse. Perfection is the disease of a nation. Pretty hurts, Shine the light on whatever’s worse. Tryna fix something, but you can’t fix what you can’t see. It’s the soul that needs the surgery.” After listening to such lyrics, one has to ask, If pretty hurts why bother? Well, as Chris & Megan point out in our reading, over time our culture has confused the concept of pretty with true beauty. With each decade changes in fashion & beauty impacted our overall perception of what was desirable.Pretty varies from culture to culture & is constantly changing within cultures.

In American society we’ve shifted from curvy to slim to waif thin back to curvy again. Hemlines have gone up an down, changing every decade as much as our fad diets. When women rely solely on the inconsistency of cultural ideals, it promotes insecurity & a need for man’s validation. The remedy for our national disease is the truth of God’s word and a willingness to embrace our true reflection in Christ. Beauty begins at the Cross! God took the ugliest event in history and used it to produce death defying, earth shaking, unconditional love.

It’s time to turn away from the images staring back at us in the media & see our true reflection in God’s word. Don’t believe the lies that you’re too fat, too skinny, too dark, too pale, too weird, too nerdy, etc… You are a masterpiece, God’s work of art! If you haven’t already, grab a copy of Beauty Begins and join Kira’s Krew as we finish up our 2nd quarter study of Self Love this month. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Rest in this truth all week long and allow God’s love to cast out all fear. This week, make a list of beautiful traits you would like to build into your character, based on the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galations 5:22-23. Allow the seeds of love & righteousness to produce fruit!

Love you to life, XO

Tag: Self Love