What if this week, every time we look in the mirror and think … “Uggh, I need to ______ {lose weight, do something about these wrinkles, get rid of those dark circles under my eyes, etc.} you say this out loud:
“He calls me Beautiful.”
Because it’s true. He does!
What if we surrounded our hearts with truth seekers and truth-speakers, who told us these truths again and again? Friends who point us back to the One who calls us Beloved, Known and Valuable.
This week I’m honored to be joining a community of women that do just that, everyday. Speaking courage, truth and Hope into the hearts of women around the world through their words, blog posts, community groups and more. Oh how I’d love for you to join (me) there as I join the contributing writers team of:
Perhaps (in)courage is a place you already know? Or maybe it’s a community waiting for you? I’ll be sharing more in the weeks to come. But I hope you’ll hop on over this week, and find out more about (in)courage, see me with bed-head (in my favorite place on earth), and meet the other new writers here. BUT BEFORE YOU GO be sure to ENTER TO WIN (Sorry, the giveaway is over, but would still love to hear from you)!
To celebrate the (in)courage-ment, and the fact that this week will be different because we’re going to tell ourselves the truth every time we look in the mirror… I’m giving away Love Idol: Letting Go of Your Need for Approval and Seeing Yourself through God’s Eyes, by my friend Jennifer Dukes Lee. Jennifer is also a newbie (in)courage writer along with several others and me who joined the (in)courage team today!
Jennifer wrote “Love Idol” for women like us—who’ve had “enough of the not-enoughs.” This book is her journey toward freedom from the approval-seeking-cycle where she invites us to a place where we can lay down every mirror, every tally sheet, every report card — everything that tells us we aren’t (____) enough.
ENTER TO WIN by leaving a comment sharing one area of your life where you would love to see yourself as God sees you: loved and pre approved. (Sorry, the giveaway is over, but would still love to hear from you)
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I have hit rock bottom. I would love to see myself thru God’s eyes. Thank you.
There is so much about me I question. My weight, my looks, my abilities. I already wonder how other people see me and usually think the worst.
I think one area of my life that I would like to see myself as God does is that I am good enough. So often I don’t feel good enough because with health issues I can’t do everything everyone else seems to do and I am not a super energetic person so I lack the energy to keep up with everything like others do and my husband seems to remind me often that I don’t measure up although those words don’t directly come out of his mouth but the words spoken definitely let me know. I know God made me and this is me and in His eyes I am loved unconditionally.
love that concept- never heard it put that way before
thank you for the reminder, God has chosen me and pre approved me for his kingdom. I need to live that everyday
Wow, how about every area! I recently have been working on feeling more worthy and beautiful as I am my own worst critic. Would love to win the book but thank you either way!
Honestly, I need to see myself as God sees me in every area of my life! This book sounds amazing!
I would like to see myself as God sees me in everyday life and be able to smile without worrying and wondering what I didn’t do or did do and if I am where and what I am suppose to be.
To See Myself as GOD sees me, To Love Myself as GOD Loves me:)
Need to learn to not always worry so much about what others think of me and know that I am preapproved in Gods eyes 🙂
There are so many areas in which I want to see myself through God’s eyes. I definitely long to see myself physically through His eyes. As I approach 40 and my body is changing…wrinkles appearing, pounds showing up…I am very hard on myself and trying to remind myself that I am not supposed to look like I am still 18. And that it is okay, I want people to love me whether I am a size 6 or a size 16 because that would mean they are seeing through to my heart and loving the important parts of me. I need to see as He does and only worry about His approval and ideals of me…not the opinions and thoughts of others. As an imperfect human that is very hard, but I long to love myself the way I love Jesus and the way I love others. Thank you for doing this giveaway…what a blessing! I think this book would help me SO much! God bless!
I so needed this just now. I’ve had a busy week so far and it’s going to get busier as mom & I plan for our vacation to Germany in May. I seem to lose sight of myself and what’s important when I get so busy. Thank you!
I want to see myself as preapproved for many reasons, but one of them is performance-based value. I’ve always struggled with basing my worth on my job, my volunteering, or other things I “go go go” doing every day. I would love to read this book!! 🙂
Accepted just the way I am. I think deep down I feel I need to change to have others and God love me even though I know that’s not the case.
Daily struggle with feeling loved and chosen BUT God is so faithful to his daughter…. when he hugs me daily and reassures me that HE is with me every minute of the day…..i am not alone….and HE carries me in the palm of HIS hand!! Thank you Lord!!
Loved, known valuable and pre-approved – that sounds so wonderful! Thank you for your message today and for reminding me that I am enough because God’s love is enough. I’ve never thought of myself as a good enough daughter, wife, mother, friend or employee and so many of my life circumstances have caused me to doubt whether I can ever be good enough, but the good news is that I don’t have to do anything to be good enough for God. I struggle to keep my focus on what the Lord says about me and not let the world cause me to doubt. Thank you for this message – it brings renewal and hope.
Thank you for this beautiful truth. I know this in my head but I know that I need to get it in my heart. Sometimes that just seems a little more difficult. Thank you for the reminder.
Thank you for the reminder that I am preapproved. As a rebellious teenager I was told I would never have anything or amount to anything. Somehow that stick with me most of my life and I don’t think it has truly ever been removed. I know I am loved but it’s always in the back if my mind am I really this enough. I too as the previous lady said have a few pounds to lose and when I look in the mirror don’t line who I see. Thank you for the words and reminder may they stay in my heart and soul day and night !!
I am not sure that I can pick just one area. Like so many women, I tend to see myself differently than those around me do. I find myself wondering if I am good enough as a mother or wife. I feel fat and frumpy simply because of a few pounds while those around me keep telling me that I do NOT need to worry about those few pounds. At school, I attend workshops with other teachers who have fewer years of experience in the classroom, yet I feel inadequate and somehow a disappointment to my students.
It isn’t ALL of the time, of course. There are those glimmering, shimmering moments when a parent tells me how much I have helped their child, when a colleague commends me for some activity or unit and asks for help, when my daughter says, “You know I love you, don’t you?”, or when my sweet husband lets me know that I am still beautiful to him. I simply need to remember more often that I truly am ENOUGH in God’s eyes…. and that is more important than how anyone else sees me.
Chosen. Redeemed. Loved. Cherished. Enough. And Pre-approved indeed! I remember the first time I met you. It was in a book-signing line at The Relevant Conference. And to be honest, I’d never heard of Renee Swope or Proverbs 31 ministries. And to be totally honest, I really only stood in the line to get a free copy of your book! (Sometimes being clueless is a helpful thing 🙂 But you know what I found? A humble sister in Christ who had a big smile and a welcoming heart…who treated this new girl like she was the most important person in the room. And then, to top it off, after I figured out who you actually were, YOU visited my tiny blog that next month and left a comment…a comment for ME! { sigh} YOU, Miss Renee, live Jesus gospel. Real and true. And you shine the love of Christ with beauty and radiance. And I can not be more thrilled for your wisdom, and elegance, and grace to be a part of (in)courage. No guilt, my friend. God knows, and THIS is from Him. I am celebrating with you tonight my friend, cake and all!! xoxo
Thank you for the reminder that I have been pre approved 🙂
Vicki
I love the title “pre-approved”. What a wonderful reminder that we are all loved with an everlasting love. I’ve shared several copies of a “Confident Heart” and feel sure this book will be another of my favorites.
God has redeemed me from any bad things that I may have been through in my past even before coming to know His my own Lord and Personal Savior. I ♥ just how He can redeem me f…rom anything that Imay have previously done before.”What if this week, every time we look in the mirror and think … “Uggh, I need to ______ {lose weight, do something about these wrinkles, get rid of those dark circles under my eyes, etc.} you say this out loud:
“He calls me Beautiful.”
Because it’s true. He does!
You are chosen. Treasured. Redeemed. Loved. Cherished. Enough. You are Pre-Approved!!
What if we surrounded our hearts with truth seekers and truth-speakers, who told us these truths again and again? Friends who point us back to the One who calls us Beloved, Known and Valuable”Renee Swope
I ♥ this incredible thought tonight. God sees me as a valuable person in everything that I may do throughoutmy life. What I’m not really good at means absolutely nothing to God, even if other people around me may think that I’m supposed to be good at just about everything I try to do. “Enough chosen children dearly loved treasured FREE redeemed whole Lord cherished pre-approved beloved valuable.” Ultimately, what this quote is saying is that we’re God’s chosen ones, and He has pre-approved our purchace before the devil even had a chance to collect us for his own distructive purposes. Though I’m not certain I got the quote worded correctly because of having difficulty reading it. I ♥ knowing that I am redeemed from whatever sins I may have done.
Knowing how God sees me and seeing me as God sees me are hard to see in the same light. But beleiving is what he tells me makes it so much more beleivable.
sounds like a wonderful book!
One area of my life that I’d love to see myself as God sees me is in my parenting. In today’s society there is such a tug-o-war that goes on. There’s this lure to be successful and accomplish things in the work force and yet this desire to be home with your children, pouring into them, and taking care of your family/home the way that I believe God intended. There’s this guilt for me that accompanies my position as a professional in the work-force. I desire to be the best mom that I can be and yet at times I’m discouraged, tired, and stressed by the multiple demands and competing obligations of work and home. I desire to see myself as forgiven for my short comings and mistakes, granted mercy and grace each day. I desire to feel loved unconditionally by a God who created the universe and has numbered my days. I desire to be the mother that God has created me to be.