Girl With a Purpose (GWAP)

You Were Created For Love!

The Bible, which I believe to be the written word of God...tells us that when God created Adam - the first human being...that He took absolute pleasure in doing this...to God, Adam and all His other creation.. was not only good, but very good (Genesis 1:31).

 

And since the Bible, even though written thousands of years ago, is still applicable today, we can interpret this to mean that God took absolute pleasure in creating you, too!

 

To Him, you are a beautiful gift and all He wants to do is to shower you with all His love...a secure love...one that never wanes, wanders...one that you can feel 150% safe in...a love that will not only shield and protect you, but renew you daily.

 

There are many places in the Bible where we're told that God so loved us... that He did, "such and such" for us...

 

E.g. in St. John 3:16, we're told that God so loved us that he Gave his only Son - Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins...so that we would not be condemned to eternal separation from God, but be drawn closer to Him.

 

We see a loving God who shows us that to love fully and completely, we must do something...give, yeah...give!

 

So, God the author and creator of love, as an example to us, of how to have fulfilling lives and especially (since we're in Valentine's month) how to have fulfilling love lives...shows us that total  fulfillment in our relationships is dependent on our ability to give.

 

...and herein lies the mystery of love - the ability to give love fully...totally, without fear...to the right person, someone who will cherish that gift...not abuse it.

 

So if you want to learn how to love - the Bible is a great reference point!

 

And I'm speaking to the younger and not-so young visitors to Girl With a Purpose (GWAP) Blog :)

 

...the Bible is a great reference book for any person who wants to know how to love...completely, wholesomely.

 

1 Corinthians 13 and Songs of Solomon (starting with Song of Songs 1) are just two examples of books in God's word (the Bible), where we learn about wholesome love and sensual love...

 

...Yep, God himself, in these and other books of the Bible, teaches us how to have totally fulfilling love lives.

 

When we understand that we are instruments of love....that we were created to love and be loved totally..fully...with abandon,

 

Then this centres us and makes our journey to finding our soul mate (life partner -husband/wife), that much easier.

 

(Yes, I do believe in soul mates - that some people are predestined for each other, that there are people whom God has chosen for us.

 

People whom He knows that we'll so sync and intertwine with, that our lives and theirs will be greatly enhanced as a result of their presence in our lives).

 

This journey to finding your soul mate is not for the faint-hearted.

 

To find true love requires faith in a God who knows what's and who's best for you, a willingness to listen to Him when he says "yes" or "no" re your choice of life partner; guts and determination...a determination not to settle for less than we truly deserve.

 

When we look at love from this perspective ...it make us open to it, but wise, as per category 5 in our post, "How Deep is Your Love?"

 

We will not allow people into our lives, who'll destroy us, but who'll build us up and truly be God's gift to us.

 

This will be the basis for all the other posts that we'll make over these two (2) weeks.

 

...That journey.

 

In these posts we'll teach, especially our younger ones, how to handle this awesome  and truly wonderful journey of love - that of enriching someone else's life and in turn, enriching your own.

 

As such, we'll start with our post tomorrow, "Should I tell someone that I really like romantically, the truth on Valentine's Day?"

 

Please stay tuned!

 

Gillian

 

Sources Include

1) Genesis 1:31 via Biblegateway.com,accessed February 1,2012

 

2) 1 Corinthians 13 via Biblegateway.com,accessed February 1,2012

 

3) Songs of Solomon (e.g. Song of Songs 1), via Biblegateway.com,accessed February 1,2012

 

4) Post, "How Deep is Your Love?", by Gillian Campbell, Girl With a Purpose (GWAP) Blog, February 13, 2008 (updated January 31,2012).

Bottled Water Left in Your Car, is Dangerous!

Marsha Blake via Facebook, has asked us to share this with you:

 

Bottled water in your car is very dangerous!

 

On the Ellen show, Sheryl Crow said that this is what caused her breast cancer.

 

It has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels of dioxin in breast cancer tissue..

 

Sheryl Crow's oncologist told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.

 

The heat reacts with the chemicals in the plastic of the bottle which releases dioxin into the water. Dioxin is a toxin increasingly found in breast cancer tissue.

 

So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.

 

Pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind we need to know that just might save us!

 

Use a stainless steel canteen or a glass bottle instead of plastic!

 

LET EVERYONE WHO HAS A WIFE / GIRLFRIEND / DAUGHTER KNOW PLEASE!

 

This information is also being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center ...

No plastic containers in microwaves.

No plastic water bottles in freezers.

No plastic wrap in microwaves.

 

Dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.

Dioxins are highly poisonous to cells in our bodies.

Don't freeze plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.

 

Recently the Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard.

 

He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating food in the microwave using plastic containers.....

 

This especially applies to foods that contain fat.

 

He said that the combination of fat, high heat and plastic releases dioxin into the food.

 

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food... You get the same result, but without the dioxin..

 

So, such things as TV dinners, instant soups, etc., should be removed from their containers and heated in something else.

 

Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's safer to use tempered glass, such as Pyrex, etc.

 

He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the styrene foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons....

 

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Cling film, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave.

 

As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.

 

Cover food with a paper towel instead.

 

This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life!

 

Thanks Marsha!!!

 

(I would like to thank karljeanjuene for the use of his Flickr inset photo above).

 

Gillian

 

 

World AIDS Day - Why Abstinence is Key!

Annually, December 1 is commemorated as World AIDS Day - when most countries in the world take time out to remind their citizens about safe sexual practices and to get tested for HIV AIDS.

 

[According to About.com article, "What is HIV and How Does it Relate to AIDS?", HIV is a virus that is transmitted from person to person through the exchange of body fluids such as blood, semen, breast milk and vaginal secretions.

 

Sexual contact is the most common way to spread HIV AIDS, but it can also be transmitted by sharing needles when injecting drugs, or during childbirth and breastfeeding.

 

As HIV AIDS reproduces, it damages the body's immune system and the body becomes susceptible to illness and infection. There is no known cure for HIV infection

 

The same About.com article describes AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome as "a condition that describes an advanced state of HIV infection.

 

With AIDS, the virus has progressed, causing significant loss of white blood cells (CD4 cells) or any of the cancers or infections that result from immune system damage.

 

Those illnesses and infections are said to be "AIDS-defining" because they mark the onset of AIDS. Like HIV, there is no known cure for AIDS"].

 

In Jamaica 32,000 people have AIDS but over half of these people don't know it. That's one in every 9 people. (Jamaica has a population of over 2.7 million people).

 

Although advancement in technology allows those persons living with HIV and full-blown AIDs to live longer, there is still stigma attached to having the virus.

 

I am appealing to our youth:

 

Your well-being is important to God.

 

He knows that sex outside of marriage destroys the human spirit.

 

For God created sex for one place only - marriage...

 

...Marriage between two people who love each other enough to weather the good and bad times together, remain faithful to each other to grow in love for years until one of them dies or until Christ returns, whichever is sooner.

 

Being naive about sex and safe sexual practices could kill you.

 

Sex isn't running away...

 

It will be there when you are ready to marry.

 

Concentrate on developing the total you: your spirit, your mind, your well-being and your body.

 

Abstain from sex until you find the person you can give yourself to, for life.

 

When you've found that person and when the time is right, marry that person - then have sex.

 

You have to answer to God for what you do with your body.

 

Don't ever let people use up, use up your body, then throw you away.

 

Most adults will tell you sex isn't anything.

 

Well, most adults regret their first sexual experiences, for they were totally unprepared.

 

Take the time to educate yourself about how the human reproductive system works.

 

Take the time to read the Bible - God's word, re what He says about marriage and sex.

 

The more you know, is the more you'll understand that you were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14).

 

Your body is on loan to you from God.

 

Remember you have to answer to Him re what you have done to and with it.

 

I leave you with 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 from God's word - the Bible:

 

^"18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.

 

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

 

²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies".

 

Gillian

 

Sources Include

1) CVM News, December 1,2011

2) Article, "What is HIV and How Does it Relate to AIDS?", About.com, accessed December 1,2011

3) Psalm 139:13-14 , 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 from the Bible, made electronic via BibleGateway.com, accessed December 1,2011

You Will Now Be Able to do Your Pap Smears at Home

 

BBC World Service's programme, Health Check, reported on November 4,  that women can now do their pap smears at home.

 

A pap smear (aka a smear test or  pap test) is a test done on females to test for changes in the cells of the cervix.

 

(The cervix is found in the vagina and serves as the opening to the womb/uterus).

 

Abnormal cervical cells indicate signs of cervical pre-cancer (this is the stage just before the development of cancer).

 

It was formerly thought that a smear test was the only way to detect  cervical pre-cancer.

 

But scientists have now realized that it is the presence of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in a woman's cervix, that causes cervical (pre) cancer.

 

Advances in medicine now allow women to test for the HPV at home, with a Do-it-Yourself (DIY) cervical smear test.

 

This is versus them having to go to a doctor/clinic  to get this test done.

 

The target market/audience is women in developing countries without ready access to clinics or doctors.

 

Please listen to the Health Check report about this DIY cervical smear test, here.

 

And please feel free to let us know what you think of it.

 

Is this something that you think you could make use of?

 

Please let us know. :)

 

Gillian

 

Sources Include

 

1) Pap test fact sheet via womenshealth.gov, accesed November 9,2011

2) BBC World Service's Health Check, November 4,2011

World Mammography Day Reflections

World Mammography Day was celebrated on Friday, October 21.

 

It's a day when women aged 40 and over, are reminded to do their mammograms.

(World Mammography Day is usually commemorated as a part of Breast Cancer Awareness month, which is celebrated in October, annually).

 

According the American Cancer Society," a mammogram is an x-ray exam of the breast. It is used to detect and evaluate breast changes.

 

Mammograms are most often used to look for breast cancer that is too small to be felt in women who have no breast complaints or symptoms. These are called screening mammograms.

 

Mammograms are also used in women who have breast symptoms, such as a lump, pain, nipple discharge, or who have a suspicious change seen on a screening mammogram. These are called diagnostic mammograms".

 

The purpose for doing a mammogram, is the early detection of breast cancer, as it is thought that the earlier the tumor is found, the easier it is to be treated.

 

In Jamaica, you can do your mammograms at the Jamaica Cancer Society at minimal costs of  JMD $700(US $8.08) if you have a health card, or JMD $3,500 (US $40.391) without the health card.

 

So,who should do mammograms?

 

As mentioned above, women who are 40 years old and over.

 

However, if you have a family history of cancer, e.g. your parents or siblings had/have cancer, then you should have your mammogram done, ten (10) years before your close relative was first diagnosed.

 

So if your close relative was diagnosed at age 45, you should really be doing your mammogram at age 35.

 

The Jamaica Cancer Society offers mammograms throughout the year. So you don't have to wait until World Mammography Day to do your mammograms.

 

You can contact them here for more information.

 

Please read our previous post, as it details just what happens during a mammogram.

 

The examination takes between 5-8 minutes - that's 8 minutes that could save your life,  so, please do it if you know you're due!

 

For women under 40, you should be doing your monthly breast self exams - please see this post re how to examine your breasts.

 

Remember, "prevention is better than cure".

 

Gillian