I Am Beautiful

Do you believe in affirming yourself?  Do you know what I mean?  That whole school of thought that promotes self-affirmations like standing in front of a mirror and saying to yourself things like:  I am smart.  I am talented.  I am caring...so on and so forth... Anyway, I have NEVER gone for that.  I don't believe in it.  I think it's foolish.  And I think it is useless...until today, that is...

This morning, one of my devotional readings wrapped up with the following prayer:

"Dear God, thank You for forming me in the garden and completing me on the cross.  Today, I choose to believe I am beautiful simply because I was created in Your very image. In Jesus Name.  Amen"

I have to tell you, this prayer struck a chord in my heart.  It encompases the full-circle truth of our creation:  we were formed in the garden, and like our forefathers, Adam and Eve, we fall...but then Jesus' sacrifice on the cross completes us...therefore His final words:  "it is finished..." nothing else is needed.  Jesus did it all and paid it all...in Him, we are a new creation.  And, it reminds us of the other crucial element of our creation:  we were wonderfully and fearfully made to bear the image of Our Heavenly Father. 

I mean, really?  What else do I what?  I AM BEAUTIFUL!  There is no way around it!  And so are YOU, too!!!  We are not being conceited, we are being grateful.  We are acknowledging the fact that our beauty is not of our own or of this world.  Any beauty that is in us emanates from the One whose image we carry.  We are beautiful because HE is beautiful!  Any other reasoning is a lie!  Just like the images of beauty that fashion magazines present, the world's concept of beauty is a total fabrication! 

The enemy attacks us by pushing the buttons of our insecurities every time we see ourselves in the mirror and dislike what we see.  It is an old-age tactic designed to separate us from the truth...to separate us from God...to make us doubt His love.  Add to that the ignorant comments and ill-intended actions of others, and it's a miracle we ever get out of bed in the morning!  Our insecurities distort the image on the mirror.  Our lack of trust in the One who made us makes us feel unloved.

So...what can we do?  Remember the truth!

Proverbs 31:30 - "Charm can be deceiving, and beauty fades away, but a woman who honors the Lord deserves to be praised." (CEV)

1 Samuel 16:7 - "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. A man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (NIV)

Open up your Bible and trust the Holy Spirit to guide you through Scripture to find the truth of God's Word affirming you and reminding you about your value, your beauty and your worth.

Let's stop paying attention to the voices of this world which do nothing else than bring us down, and start listening to the voice of truth!  The only one worth paying attention to.  That's how we will be able to stand in front of the mirror and confidently say:  I am beautiful, yes I am!