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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Thanks for the encouragement. In a world that paints pictures of “perfect” women (the ones who seem to have been blessed which some superhuman abilities that the rest of us missed out on), it’s very hard to see ourselves as God sees us. It’s a daily struggle for me and I know I’m not the only one. I crave the day I’m able to feel worthy just as I am, to be able to let my guard down, to stop feeling like I need to overachieve and overcompensate for the areas that I feel flawed (physical and otherwise).
Can hardly believe I’m posting this but all these brave women who are sharing have inspired me to share.
May God bless you and your ministry and to all the ladies who have posted, may we be able to see ourselves as God sees us.
This book sounds amazing. I could use a boost in that department for sure.
I would love to be able to be comfortable in my own skin with my health. However, I am very self conscience about it. I am on oxygen and in a wheelchair and to me it’s embarrassing and frustrating because I caused it (smoking, overweight) and while I don’t smoke anymore, I cannot exercise in a great plan, because of my lungs/heart, therefore, don’t loose weight. It’s a vicious cycle, and I know that God will one day heal me.
But now, for now, in the present, I am very overwhelmed with it!
I need this because I still struggle to really see myself as God sees.
I am so desperate to know that I am enough in every area of my life.
I love the way that sounds… just the word preapproved makes me excited. I guess that is what God’s grace is; it’s preapproval. He loves and approves of me, not for anything I’ve done or will do, but before I have even attempted to earn His love.
We have been looking at real estate during this chapter in our lives and a preapproval letter is a part of that process to having an offer accepted on a house. How wonderful to know that I have God’s preapproval written through the story of Jesus’ death on the cross and life that He gave for me. He did that so long ago, before I was even born, but He did that for ME!
I would love to take this message of preapproval to heart and share it with the girls I meet with at our youth ministry. Each week they come and talk about how they aren’t good enough, smart enough, funny enough, skinny enough, etc. I see how amazing they are, but like them, I often fail to see how amazing God thinks I am and really how amazing His love is for me. I would love to read this book and gain more insight on this. Thanks for the info!
The one area in my life where I would like to be reminded that I’m pre -approved is in how I view myself, as a whole, that I don’t have to BE anything, or DO more, or HELP more, or even REACH out and care/take more. I’m loved and pre approved already, so just relax, and rest assured that I AM enough, follow where He leads me and relax in the loving arms of our savior who ALREADY loves ME! Thanks for this opportunity and for the reminder, now if I could just hold on to that……! God bless, Lori T.
I would love to see myself as a wonderful mother and role model to my kids. I feel like I fail them constantly when I know deep down that is not true.
To summarize, I don’t feel I’m good enough of a woman – spiritually, physically, intellectually, mentally…the list doesn’t end! But God is enough & His Love is more than enough! Can’t wait to read thing book!
I am a 45 year old womanI have 4 beautiful boysage is 22, 12, 8 and 5. I am married to a wonderful man. I’m completely bald due to alopecia and recently made the tough decision to have all my upper teeth extracted after years of dental work & thousands of dollars. My hope is to one day rely soley on my true identity in Christ & not the worlds view. Being bald as a woman has been one of the toughest challenges. I pray my story can help someone. I would love to gain Godly insight into dealing with this on a daily basis. I want to see me & love me as Christ does. I whole heartedly believe this can help me. This is my third attempt at writing this. Praying it works this time. I thank you for this opportunity.
Blessings.
I was raised by an over the top critical parent and needless to say the disapproval has unfortunately been a struggle for me as an adult . I know GOD loves me and all my imperfections but I need to find a way to let that thought sink way down into my soul.
Thank you Renee for being such a blessing and encouragement to myself and so many others !
GOD BLESS you Sister 😉
This is an area The Lord has been dealing with me about. Thanks.
I would love to see my past the way God does, as part and parcel of a plan working for my good.
I would love to look in the mirror and see what He sees, instead of criticizing what He as Creator loving made.
I always hold something back because of my weight. I would love to just be able to be me and not be so self-conscious.
Thank you for reminding me that I need to live for an audience of One. Not good enough is an “AM” thought I struggle with a lot. esp. when the house never seems to get cleaned and I just can’t get the kids to listen, in limbo w/job search and lack of confidence…just feeling overwhelmed.
Bless God! I am thankful that God makes me worthy.
Needed to hear this reminder today…. preapproved and valuable…. thankyou!
Just what I needed to read for confirmation and reconfirmation of seeing myself through God’s Eyes.
I am a mother of 6, a grandmother, have been married 3 times(almost4), was brought up with alcoholism, verbal abuse and my parents were separated when I was 9 and my mother verbal abused me blaming me for the brokenness and discouraged everything I did. I ended up being an extremely rebellious teen, an alcoholic and drug user, and looked for love and to be love with anyone willing to give it.
God has moved so much in my life, and looking back with new sight I see where He was throughout.
Now in what seemingly is another failing marriage having experienced verbal abuse, emotional & mental infidelity, being denied intimacy including sex, told I’m overweight, being ignored, disregarded, avoided, blamed, resented, disrespected, and the list goes on. I Praise God through it all, seeing myself through His eyes is what pulled me through it all and continues to pull me through it all, especially with His Divine appointments of affirmation and confirmation through other people, blogs, emails, Devotionals, etc. He is such a GREAT Father, God, Savior, Friend, King, my everything.
I AM BEUTIFUL.
I LOOK ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS FOR HAVING 6 KIDS AND BEING A GRANDMOTHER.
I AM SMART.
I AM CREATIVE,
I AM LOVED.
PRAISE TO GOD THE ALMIGHTY!
I am not sure that I can pick just one area where I wish I could see me as He sees me. 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 wish I had a beautiful smile so I could take pictures with my kids. I wish my hair wasn’t thinning at such a rapid pace that a wig doesn’t sound ideal. I feel fat and out of shape simply because of a few pounds I put on while nursing a broken foot and broken collarbone. However, those around me keep telling me that I do not need to worry about those few pounds as they will shed. I would just like to look in the mirror and see what He sees.