beautiful
In 2011 I read a book by Beth Moore called So Long Insecurity and through it God transformed the way I view myself and the amount of insecurity present in my life. Don't get me wrong, insecurity rears its ugly head often (just ask my husband!), but much less often than before I read the book and allowed God to get ahold of me. This post is about His faithfulness to remind me where my worth is found and more specifically where my beauty is found. Please don't read this and feel the need to feel sorry for me or to feel the need to admonish my looks. God is taking care of that in His own way :)
Earlier this week a student at the middle school I work in said something quite rude about me...my physical appearance to be more specific. I'm sad to say that I let it cut a little deeper than I would have ever thought or ever wanted. This little 7th grader had just straight up hurt my feelings and made me question myself. I felt my face get warm and I knew if I didn't watch it I'd even get myself to the point of tears right there in front of a room full of 13 year olds. Yikes! Well, I held the tears in....at least for a little bit. It was at the end of the day (thank goodness!) and I quickly headed to my car after the bell rang, which is when I allowed myself to let it go. This all seems so silly, even as I type it, but as I was sitting there - a 26 year old woman, twice these kids age - in my car crying about a mean comment a kid had in ignorance spoken so harshly I found myself praying about the incident. I asked God to remind me of all the things I had learned from reading through the book and all the ways God had grown me in my security in Him.
Then, without really thinking, I turned on the radio and there was a song playing that I've heard several times. This song has never really effected me before and it's not even really one of my favorites, but that day it meant something. Corny, I know. The lyrics were there could never be a more beautiful you... and there I went again, tears! Interesting enough the song was ending and that was the only line I heard before the commercials bombarded me. I turned it off and just thanked the Lord for the gentle reminder that He created me and He thinks I'm beautiful because I'm loved and redeemed by His son Jesus. The beauty in me is not physical ...it's Christ. Thank goodness for that.
Now, that's not to say that words don't sting. The fact that my beauty is based on my worth in Christ doesn't take away the hurt that comes when a fellow sinner (no matter the age) chooses to say something less than kind.
Choose to be kind to one another today. Build up. Edify.
Love God and love people! Love wins.
Earlier this week a student at the middle school I work in said something quite rude about me...my physical appearance to be more specific. I'm sad to say that I let it cut a little deeper than I would have ever thought or ever wanted. This little 7th grader had just straight up hurt my feelings and made me question myself. I felt my face get warm and I knew if I didn't watch it I'd even get myself to the point of tears right there in front of a room full of 13 year olds. Yikes! Well, I held the tears in....at least for a little bit. It was at the end of the day (thank goodness!) and I quickly headed to my car after the bell rang, which is when I allowed myself to let it go. This all seems so silly, even as I type it, but as I was sitting there - a 26 year old woman, twice these kids age - in my car crying about a mean comment a kid had in ignorance spoken so harshly I found myself praying about the incident. I asked God to remind me of all the things I had learned from reading through the book and all the ways God had grown me in my security in Him.
Then, without really thinking, I turned on the radio and there was a song playing that I've heard several times. This song has never really effected me before and it's not even really one of my favorites, but that day it meant something. Corny, I know. The lyrics were there could never be a more beautiful you... and there I went again, tears! Interesting enough the song was ending and that was the only line I heard before the commercials bombarded me. I turned it off and just thanked the Lord for the gentle reminder that He created me and He thinks I'm beautiful because I'm loved and redeemed by His son Jesus. The beauty in me is not physical ...it's Christ. Thank goodness for that.
Now, that's not to say that words don't sting. The fact that my beauty is based on my worth in Christ doesn't take away the hurt that comes when a fellow sinner (no matter the age) chooses to say something less than kind.
Choose to be kind to one another today. Build up. Edify.
Love God and love people! Love wins.
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