You are beautiful

Oh my gosh, people -- two in one week!  Can you stand it???

I am posting this from a book I have recently read.  I hope it helps you all as much as it helps me.  I have printed it out and plan to put it on my mirror in my bathroom.

You are beautiful.  You are a handcrafted treasure in the eyes of your God.  He loves first and foremost your inner beauty.  He is captivated by the ways you have sacrificed for your family.  He finds you breathtaking as you cook yet another meal, as you bandage a scrape, nurture a friend or take care of a sick husband or child.  Even when you are frustrated and not at your best, He delights in how you compose yourself, smile ruefully, and try to honor His ways.

Physically, He loves the way your smiles reaches up to your eyes, the way you laugh out loud when something strikes you as funny.  He adores the curve of your face, the way you dress up, and the way you dress down by donning your favorite pair of old jeans (or stay in your pajamas!)  He chuckles with pleasure when you wake up with “bed head,” and He can’t get enough of the beauty you expose when you are feeling playful.

You are His delight.  Read for yourself:

The king is enthralled by your beauty.  Psalm 45:11

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.   I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.   

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  Psalm 139:13-16

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11

How beautiful you are, my darling!  Oh, how beautiful!  Your eyes are doves! Song of Songs 1:15

…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning. Isaiah 61:3

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 2:10

Not only does God find you captivating, He is also able to take the hurt, the “ashes” of your dreams, and turn them into something beautiful as well.  He is good, and He is absolutely crazy about you.  Hold on to that, cling to His truth.  Especially when you feel overwhelmed by the voices and feelings that try to whisper something different.  You may think, well, it’s great that God thinks I’m beautiful, but I want my husband to find me attractive!  That makes total sense, so of course you do.  But know this, if you believe what God says about you, your sense of personal beauty won’t be tied up in your husband actions, it will be founded on the truth.  That, in itself, will give you freedom to smile, freedom to be confident and freedom to walk through any situation with your head held high.

Coming out on the other side

When I left off last time, I was in a pit of pain and sorrow.  I won't go into details, because those really aren't important.  What's important is what has happened since.  I know it's been a while since I posted last, but it's been an interesting journey.  I have wanted to tell you all where I am, but I just never quite found the words.  I pray that what I have to say now will make a difference in someone's attitude, but if it doesn't, that's okay.  Because I've seen where I was and I know where I am now, and I know that God is proud of me.  Heartbreak is devastating, no matter the circumstances.  It can stop you cold in your tracks or it can give you the energy needed to make changes.  Heartbreak can end your life as you knew it.  That's what happened to me.  Going merrily along only to get stuck in a pothole.  No fun.  

God, in His infinite wisdom, opened my eyes to what He wanted from me.  He wanted me to demonstrate His love, His forgiveness and His mercy.  In doing that, I turned someone who thought themselves unworthy back to Christ.  Back into the loving arms of the Heavenly Father who has held me up and poured His strength through me so I could be strong when it was needed.  God also poured out His mercy and love, again, flowing through me to show that He was always waiting for this person.  He showed me forgiveness and the gift it was to someone who thought they were unforgiveable.  He also showed me, in ways that only I understand, that my faith was not misplaced. 

God calls us, in all our relationships, to show Christlike behavior.  What does that look like to me?  Well, I am reminded that when Jesus was in the Garden praying that if possible, would the Father please not make him follow through; but in the end, Jesus said, "Your will, not mine."  I am pretty sure that if Jesus didn't have his Heavenly Father, he probably would have run straight from that Garden as fast as his sandals would carry him.  I know I would have.  I mean, in my own Garden, I wanted out . . . NOW!  But God held me tight, shaking and crying with me, He held me firm to what He knew needed to be done.  He encouraged me and gave me the power to follow through with His will, not mine.  In the end, my reward thus far has been beyond my wildest dreams.

I have a long road ahead of me.  I'm not there yet.  And I hope to keep working hard and honoring God.  I can't believe what He has done for me because I have been obedient and honorable.  I am so thankful that I don't have to do this trek alone.  I am thankful that He puts things in my path to show me what to do, things to read to improve my soul and my heart, people to give me encouragement and support when they don't even know they are doing that.  I have a loving and faithful God.  I am blessed beyond measure at the gifts He bestows on me, a sinful person certainly not deserving of any of them.