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 want to walk boldly in God’s word to break free from my doubts and insecurities about myself from weight issues, looks etc! To let my heart become so filled with God’s words and promises that it fills the next person and the next!!
Pre-Approved sounds amazing! I have always battled with my self-image and this book would be a blessing! I also battle with not feeling I could possibly be good enough for God to love me and also use me in furthering His Kingdom!! I would love to win this giveaway!! Thank you, Renee, for telling me about this book! To Cod Be The Glory!!!!
Talk about confirmation! This is the 4th time in less than a week I have read something about how I am beautiful. It is so easy to look in the mirror and see a flaw or two, something which we would like to see differently. We must know that we are made in God’s image: fearfully and wonderfully made. Amen? Amen!!!
I have always struggled with self-esteem issues ever since I was a kid. I’ve never felt good enough or pretty enough. I didn’t finish college when I started years ago and now have daily regret about that because if I had finished, I would have a much better job (better pay, benefits, etc.). I am always comparing myself to others and now seem to find myself in the middle of a mid-life crisis. I am in a constant state of panic over not so much growing older as looking older. I am uncomfortable around others as I feel like I never fit in. I’m just not where I thought I would be by now in my life and its very disheartening.
I appreciate your message today as this is something I really need to focus on. Thank you!
Would like to see myself as beautiful as I know God sees me as beautiful… Thanks for the this opportunity to win the book.
I want to learn to be secure in God alone and not keep thinking that what I do, how much I know, what I know, how much I do… that those things will ultimately make me feel important! A lie from the past with which I wrestle to this day!
good enough in my Dad’s eyes.
I’m a new wife, and a fairly new Christian, happy and hopeful, but scared to death that I will fall short. With no role model of healthy relationships, I’m pre-approved to be a godly wife to this husband who chose me? Oh, Lord, I want to believe that.
This is just what I needed today! Thank you! My biggest struggle is truly seeing what God says about who I am. Battling with depression since my teens, I am having a hard time believing it. I tend to feel like I am not good enough in my mothering/homeschooling and as a wife. The more I study His Word, the more I can see who He says I am; now I just need to believe it.
I would like to be reminded of my worth and value to Him. Reminded that He finds me beautiful. After 25 years of living with a verbally abusive alcoholic and raising 3 kids in that environment I don’t feel that way about myself and am second guessing everything I do now that we divorced add another woman as the icing on that cake and enough was enough. Now I’m still living with parents and feel pretty useless most of the time.
One area….wow. I am a perfectionist and I am also my own worst critic. Yes, lets start with the circles under my eyes.lol
Struggling sometimes with feeling rather socially dysfunctional.
Love love love this reminder! I struggle with the way my body looks now after having 3 kids in 3 years. (Wouldn’t trade it for the world though) I will be telling myself “He calls me beautiful” when these thoughts creep up on me!
Renee, I do feel loved by God always and often when I am “beating myself up” it is because I have made choices or behaved badly because I have lost my focus on Him. It is definitely like moving and losing my balance. I either stumble or fall. Asking for forgiveness is automatic but feeling forgiven can sometimes be another story. So I would say my greatest area of struggle is remembering that I am forgiven. My Jesus gave His life in place of mine. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that all who believe in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life!” I would love to read this book. Thx for sharing!
I would love to be enough in my own family. Just like God sees me as enough & chosen in His family.
Thanks for reminding me that I have been pre approved.
I would love to see myself as God sees me in the area of my weight. It’s so hard to not love the person I see in the mirror because of how I look and feel. Even when I know GOD LOVES ME FOR ME!
I would like to see myself as good sees me in relationship. Relationship is a struggle for me.
It always feels like I’m not enough.
It’s really hard to just pick one area about myself that I seek approval for. Unfortunately it seems like I seek approval for everything I say, do or even the way I look. I try not to show how insecure I am or how hurt I feel that I don’t have any true close friends. Many people tell me that I’m a sweet person but then I ask myself if I’m so sweet then why can’t I make and keep a really close girlfriend. I ask myself what is wrong with me? Did I do something wrong or say something wrong? My sister-in-law told me one time for somebody who is so insecure about them self you sure hide it very well and all I could do is agree with her and tell her you are absolutely right. I beat myself up enough that I can’t afford for others to beat me up too. So I have to appear strong. Then my sister and I were talking and I was telling her that I wish I had a close girlfriend and she said but you’ve always liked being alone why are things different now. That comment hurt because I told her I have never liked being alone but I had no choice but to be alone because I could never make and keep a close friend and I didn’t want to appear needy because people don’t like that either. Still till this day these are things I battle with and I ask God to change in me because I have a daughter and she says a lot of things that I used to think but have never said to her. I don’t know where she gets that from. Well I think I will stop there I could just keep going and going but I won’t because God is working on me.