You're Worth it

I find it particularly amusing as I watch my own daughters play dress-up. Adorned in high heals, feather boas, and party dresses, my daughters feel beautiful and grown-up as they strut confidently around the living room. They are not inhibited by their dress size and they are not embarrassed about their hair style or color. Embracing their unique beauty, my daughters celebrate their individuality. May it always be so.

Watching them takes me back to another time. How I long to see myself with the eyes of a child. "When did I forget who I am?" I wonder silently as I watch them in awe. Somewhere along life's journey, I started to see myself with eyes of criticism and self-loathing. Relentlessly, the world bombards me with images, conceived by my enemy, and designed to erode my self-worth. My eyes deceive me. Commercials for weight loss plans, exercise regimines, and cosmetic procedures all point mercilessly at my many flaws and shatter my confidence. Some days, it is enough to send a girl straight to the candy aisle!

UNLESS...I choose to see myself with new eyes. God's eyes. Now is the time for me to lift the veil of lies designed to hide God's perspective on my identity. And my daughters will learn by my example. There is no time to waste. I must begin to see myself with new eyes. So, that is what I have been doing this week. During the quiet hours of the day, before the kids rush through the door and the afternoon crazies begin, I have been lifting the veil in search of my true identity. And this is what I have discovered.

I am...
precious (Isaiah 43:4),
beautiful (Song Solomon 1:15),
chosen (John 15:16),
redeemed (Psalm 71:23),
forgiven (Ephesians 1:7),
accepted(Romans 15:7),
equipped (2 Timothy 3:17),
protected (2 Thessalonians 3:3),
secure (Romans 8:38-39),
and loved. (Jeremiah 31:3)

I am His beloved, "worth far more than rubies." (Proverbs 31:10)

He knows all my ways. (Psalm 139:3) The good. The bad. And the ugly. And still, God calls me "His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand." (Ephesian 2:10 NIV)

God sees His children. Our faults. Our weaknesses. Our selfish tendencies. And He loves us anyway. In mercy, our Heavenly Father sent His only Son to die for each one of us, as Christ took our sins to the Cross so that we might know eternal life with Him.

In humble gratitude, we look towards Heaven and we proclaim, "How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings." (Psalm 36:7 NIV) And in response, God looks upon us and whispers lovingly, "You're worth it."