Hello lovelies, and good Monday! Since this blog is about helping others, I wanted to share with you a personal story of mine. You’ve heard me talk passionately about beauty here, and here. So now, you are going to hear part of MY beauty story. I’m still not all the way there with feeling comfortable in my own skin, but with God’s help I’m getting there. And I want you to know that you will get there too.

Through high school, and even some in my adult years, I was use to a few guys just wanting something from me. Not interested in knowing my heart. Not interested in anything else except for their desires, and needs. After a while, when they figured out I wasn’t going to give in to what they wanted they would split, or I would leave.

After a while you start having a warped perception of love, and a warped perception of yourself. This perception carried into some of my other relationships, and I carried around a sense of mis-trust everywhere with me, and jealousy. You can pretty much guess how my relationships ended up with mis-trust, and jealousy thrown into the mix.

Then I found that people would like me when I did things that weren’t so, “stiff”, or when I wasn’t being a “good-two-shoes”, or “boring” in their eyes.  It wasn’t just guys that made me feel that way, but supposed friends of mine. After a while that took a toll on me, because I wasn’t being myself. I was doing things to please others, not God.

Through all of this there’s one secret I have found to feeling beautiful. One secret I have found to finding true worth. One secret to having lasting, and real friendships. And that secret is:

“To let go, and let God”.

Even now my heart is being healed from past hurts that have left big scars, and while there are some I don’t feel led to share with you God is consistently showing me what real love looks like, what real beauty is, and what real friendship is.

It is a journey everyday, to take these ashes of former hurts, and turn them into beauty for God.

“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.”-Isaiah 61:3

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This is where I want to encourage you all today:For my ladies

It’s easy to feel like you are not worthy when a cute guy comes by, and instead of paying attention to you he’s paying attention to your friend. Or when you meet someone, and their particular interest is what you can give them not getting to really know your heart. It’s easy to feel unwanted when a group of girls give you ugly looks in the mall, because you don’t look like them, or are not wearing the same clothes as they are.

And I know It’s not easy to feel so confident with the media sending mixed signals all over the place like, “Buy this, and you’ll feel beautiful, Or Look at this, and you’ll feel sexy”.

As you’ve seen part of my beauty story above, you know that I know what it feels like to have people make you feel less than what you are just because you don’t meet their standards. You can’t let anyone have the power over you to make you feel less, and yes, you can actually give people that power.

Don’t let someone else dictate your worth, or your beauty. Your beauty is your talent, your beauty is your compassionate heart, and your beauty cannot be measured by looks. Don’t give in to the pressures that are out there.

You are worth more than gold.

You were wonderfully made.

“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well”.– Psalms 139:14 

And that’s the thing that amazes me about God. No matter what you have done, or where you have been, or where you are now when you let Him come in, and when you ask for forgiveness He forgets what you’ve done.  Whether it be to sacrifice something sacred, and special just to be “loved” by someone, only to have them leave you. Just come to Him, He will take the pain, and give you peace, joy, and true love.

There have been things to pop up recently that I thought I was over, but I didn’t give it to God, and ask what He can give me back. Don’t take back that hurt, and hold on to it. God has joy, peace, love, forgiveness, meekness, humbleness, and more to give you.

Before I wrap this blog post, I want to leave you with this beautiful song by Britt Nicole.

Stay beautiful my friends.

Love,