I met Shari Braendel this summer and knew my female readers would love her. She is fun and informative. I’m looking forward to her 40 Days to Fabulous. She’ll tell you more about that.

Now here’s Shari…

The Israelites wandered for 40 years and it was only supposed to take them 11 days!”

Why was I awakened in the middle of the night with this thought?

As I lay in my bed and considered it, I feel like the Lord reminded me that just like the Israelites, there are many women who have been trying for 40+ years to learn to feel confident in their outer appearance. Simply going shopping to buy new clothes brings on a level of frustration and anxiety that runs deep, let alone the angst caused by looking in the mirror and finding new wrinkles.

I’ve been in the fashion industry for a very long time. When I became a Christian things changed for me regarding how I looked at my vocation. At the time, I was writing dress codes for companies and speaking in the corporate arena while assisting female executives to build wardrobes that helped them get ahead in their careers. But as a new Christ-follower, I began to see women in a whole new light, paying attention to what they were saying about themselves and their outer appearance.

Renew Your Mind

In Romans 12:2, this Bible verse tells us we are to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds.” Yet when it comes to our outer appearance and the words we say about ourselves, that’s not what we do. Instead, we say, “I hate the way I look,” “I don’t like my thighs,” “I’m so fat” or “I look so old,” just to name a few.

According to research by Dove, only 4% of women around the world find themselves beautiful. If God made each of us in His image, then why is that?  I’m not saying we should be vain about it, but we should have a realization that we ARE beautiful, that God did NOT make a mistake with the way He made us, and we should speak loving words about the way we look. But, over and over again, I hear Christian women knock themselves with hurtful words that put themselves down, and we’re raising daughters who are following in our footsteps. Ouch.

As my ministry to women grew, I began speaking to Christian women and girls about how to feel confident in the body God gave us. I taught simple steps to dressing with easy to follow guidelines. I saw women’s mindsets change regarding this very important issue.

40 Days to Fabulous

When I awoke with the thought of the Israelites wandering for 40 years, the idea of 40 Days to Fabulous was born. My idea was to combine fashion and faith lessons into a 40 day journey where, at the end of it, a woman would truly feel beautiful with an action plan!

I asked some of my favorite Christian authors and speakers to join me for on this 40 day adventure. I truly believe what we have in store will help you transform the way you think about yourself and give you practical help to do so.

Do you need a renewed mindset over how you look and dress? If so, I invite you to join me on this fun journey that begins August 21^st. And hey, you’re already FABULOUS, I just have to get you to believe it!

(Here’s the link to sign up: https://fashionmeetsfaith.mykajabi.com/p/40-days-to-fabulous)

Question: What area do you hope Shari addresses in 40 Days to Fabulous? Comment here.

Shari Braendel is the founder of Fashion Meets Faith, creator of the 27 Hanger Online Program and the Women Matter Initiative. Author of Help Me, Jesus, I Have Nothing to Wear!(Zondervan), she speaks to thousands of women each year to instill confidence in their outer appearance. She resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband Dave. Find her at www.FashionMeetsFaith.comor email her at Shari@fashionmeetsfaith.com  for more information about 27 Hangers or to have her speak at your church, conference or non-profit organization. She’d be honored to hear from you!

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash