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 struggle with worth. Those I know have great jobs, families etc. I struggle on the back 40 feeling I have nothing of value- a ho-hum dead end job and a slow slide to retirement. I would love to see things differently as my Lord must see them. I feel there must be more to life- I would love the Lord to show me what it is.
Thank you for the reminder of reminding myself who I am in Christ. One of the things I need to remind myself is that I am enough, so “preapproved” is a fitting word to remind myself of! Love that word :0)
Every area right now. Not coping. Everything in my life has come crashing down at once.Would like a new life or to be someone else for once or be able to handle all the mess this time one more time1
Rene I thank God for your passion and dedication to help women!
I been blessed! Everything you write about is like taken from my own life story. Since I’m reading the Confident Heart Devotional I’m experiencing hope.
Now I pray that the head knowledge of being approved makes its transition to my heart by God’s grace and infinite power.
Such a privilege to share the message with so many
and be Blessed with an opportunity to win Love Idol
This is a subject that is so needed in my life to bring that healing only Christ can bring!
So many areas……parent, wife, teacher, daughter, etc…
My parenting and my work.
I’d love to see me as God sees me as a Mom. Preapproved sounds wonderful.
The mirror can distort our image and make us view ourselves as defective and inferior to others. God has pre-ordained us to become transformed into His image and what we see should reflect His glory. This is so reassuring to me and gives me hope and joy during my journey with God. I would enjoy reading this book to gain more of Jesus.
Once a conference speaker, worship leader & pastors wife, but shame came to my family, and I hid from all the embarrassment that we went through. Reading some of the printing in your book, has reminded me, that God’s not done with me. I feel each day a tug at what God is calling me to do and I know that from my beginning I was pre-approved, and the enemy came into my camp to only destroy what God was doing through us. I look forward to reading your book. Thank you for sharing.
Work. I constantly have to fight the battle of needing some kind of approval and/or affirmation that I’m on the right track. New management style pretty much has none of that. God is teaching me that all I can do is the best I can and that He will give me the strength, patience and affirmation necessary whether in this job or another. In the meantime, my role is more than enough if co-workers feel comfortable coming to ask for prayer, encouragement or to share a smile. The bigger picture is why I’m here or anywhere. Steeping myself in Christ!
I’m a few days behind in reading e-mails but think God had that in mind to see this today! Just got back from a 5:30 a.m. meeting with a friend @ the hospital, prepping for surgery. She wasn’t allowed to wear mascara because her eyes will be taped shut. Vanity welled up in my as thoughts ran through my head “Oh my… hopefully I never have surgery – I look bad without mascara, etc”. At 58, it doesn’t typically bother me – but today Jesus revealed there’s still insecurity. I’d love to have the book, not only for myself, but to share it & the Truth in it with others.
I am so glad that I took the time to read this. However, I would love to have the book. I want to get into the swing of things and help all of the young women at my church. I see a big need in our community. We don’t have any mentors that is doing it. So I would love to start this session with a group. what a great way to start with this book. Everyone still needs a little in couragement in a lot of areas. Today there are a lot of people going through several trials without hearing these kind words which lead to suicide. I would love to win this book if it isn’t too late. Thank you.
i would like to see myself as someone good enough to love.
Yes, I’ve always wondered whether I am “approved” by people around me.
Am I ok doing this, will this make them happy, etc
🙁
There are so many areas of my life that I would love to see myself as God sees me. I don’t even like myself most times and often wonder how others can like me if I can’t like myself.
There are too many areas that I need God to work on in my heart. Through the OBS I am learning so much and God is beginning to work in many areas and I am slowly relying on him to be my everything. I still have a long way to go, but with God’s help I’ll get there.
I need a constant reminder that God has preapproved my personality and my appearance.
“Preapproved”? I never thought of myself that way. I am so self conscious about the way I look how much I weigh, etc. I forget that God knows and loves me just as I am.
I am chosen? Treasured? Redeemed? Loved? Cherished? Enough? I am Pre-Approved? Really?! It has taken 47 yrs just to begin to understand that I AM all by HIM! So hard to walk daily moment by moment wanting to believe that I, me, am really one that God chose and loves me. How can He when it’s so hard to truely believe in myself. Every day it hurts less than the day before. Yes I become stronger but a very difficult road to walk. Having been through a valley of so many trials in my life, still trying to keep my head above water and just believe in HIm! Every day is a yearning to know more about my Lord and Savior. On this walk Proverbs 31 has been with me. Thank you. Hearing speakers…or reading your books or websites, I know this is God showing and leading me. I want to know Him more and serve Him to be able to serve others.
I would love to see me as God sees me in the area of balance. His balanced woman, not dealing with depression, able to do what He calls me to do.