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)
Discover more from Renee Swope
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
My area is my parenting I’m pretty happy with the rest of except my parenting I always feel I’m failing at the most important job. I know God has my back but I fail anyway . Thank you for the blog it does help some days.
I would like this book because I would like to see myself as a woman that is positive about herselk. I am always wondering if people like me for me or are saying hello just to be courtiest to me. In my heart I know that God loves me how I am suppose to be. It is hard for me to see this in myself.
Thank you for listening to me. God Bless You
I’ve struggled with low self esteem since I was young in school. I finally conquered it for a while after my divorce back in 1989. I’d lost 100 lbs. in the year after that at age 40 and started a new life.Keeping the weight off was always a struggle, I gained 50 lbs. back and then took it off again, but I have osteo arthritis in my knees and was unable to walk on one of them until I finally had a replacement done last Dec. Now I’m trying to get that 50 lbs. off again. At 66, I do have lots of wrinkles and sags and bags that I didn’t have when I was younger. I always looked about 10 yrs. younger than I was, so I look in the mirror and don’t like what I see. This book would be a good self confidence builder for me, I’m single and live with my dog. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life without a mate to share good experiences with.
Thank you, Carol
Every area of my life, I often feel not… skinny enough, pretty enough, smart enough, compassionate enough, not good enough to be loved… if I had to pick one are, it would be strong enough to be confident in God’s love, to know I am enough in all those area’s because I am enough in his eyes to be, do and achieve what he has always had planned for me.
I would love to see me as God sees me in a lot of places in my life. Recently I learned something that really knocked my self-confidence and how I see myself. If I were more this, if I was more that would this have happened. It has been really hard but I know that I am a good person but at times I feel that I am not worthy of His love if no one here loves me.
I’ve had the priveledge and honor of being one of the three organists for the churhc that I attend. I usually play 2 times a month and I am know as the “Hymna’s Lady” I am 59 years old, and used to play for my Mom and Dad. They had adopted me at 3 1/2 months old, and they were in their 40’s. So I learned to play many of the older hymns. When I would play “Leaning on The Everlasting Arms”, my Dad would get out his fiddle and play with me. We would play it many times as it sounded so neat. My Mom who dies 6 years ago at 95- loved all sorts but really liked “Trust and Obey.” So I have used them in my list of songs for the services. My Parents were so good to me, and I just loved them so much…I feel first when I play – I play for the Lord, and then, I play for my Parents. I have had difficulty with depression and am bipolar- which constantly challengey older parents to keep trying to learn and keep on loving me. I really miss them now. I figure that if I “foul up” once-in-a-while- I keep the Lord helping me and probably my parents ar sitting right beside Him saying …be sure to tell her “We love her.” The final hymn I played for each of the funerals was the song..”Victory In Jesus!” What a glorious life, memories, my life now, and I am so excited what heaven shall be like when Iget to see my Mom and Dad again. I do feel pre-approved!
I would love to learn to let go of the need to please others by always remembering that I only need to please One, and that One, our Lord, will always love me and accept me know matter what. Thank you for always sharing such positive messages.
This is something I tell others quite often yet lately I’ve forgotten this. I’ve been focusing on the weight I’ve put on and not how my God see’s me. I don’t share this because I’m a minister and feel others would not understand my struggle and judge me. Crazy I know. That’s for the wonderful reminder. For such a perfect timingin my life.
I can’t wait to read this book. It is just what I need.
Although I am a guy, I struggle with body image too. I need to always keep in mind that I am beautiful, because HE is beauty, and HIS opinion is the only one that counts!
How true this is – to remind ourselves of it everyday and the women around us. But not only the women in our lives but the young women as well – my 13 year old daughter needs this reminder everyday as well. God’s vision is more important than all others – how I wish someone had told me this so many years ago. Thank you for this and all your words of wisdom.
I would love to see myself as God sees me as being worthy; worthy of His love and grace. Sometmes it is difficult to remember that He does believe in me and that I am worth it. But, I look at all that He has given me and continues to give me and it helps to remind me. My self worth is wrapped up in God’s love, His kindness, His forgiveness, and His sacrifice of His Son so that I may live for a greater end. I thank God each and every day for all He has done and continues to do to help make me a stronger more confindent woman!
I know this is in my head. I believe it in my heart for all others. I try to convince others of this as much as possible. How do we make our own hearts believe it for ourselves? If I could do that, I think I could do anything.
Its Great to know that in spite of How I view myself or what others see, God’s Vision of who iam in Him reveals His Love, patience in the area of procrastination. I have been irritated that my writting has not been consistent. God has approved me , acknowledge that he has already made a way for me and I need not ever give up.
Thank you for this post. I am having trouble choosing just one area. The last six years have been a rough road for me and is hard to look in the mirror and see anything about myself that reflects how God sees me. I am coping, but I don’t feel that there is anything that I am doing really well at. Mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, teacher, co-worker — there are so many “hats” that I am trying to juggle right now, while trying to get some health issues under control. It is hard to let go of the person I used to be and allow myself to not only accept who I am today, but to embrace her and love her the way I know that I should. I find myself often comparing myself to the me of years ago –saying things like “I was a better ______ before I got ill”, “I could do _________ better before I got ill”, etc. I am a work in progress, and every day I am grateful beyond measure that He will never give up on me no matter how tempted I may be to give up on myself. I think tomorrow morning I will start the day by looking in the mirror, smiling, and saying “I am pre-approved!”
I just love that we are pre-approved! Just need to get my heart in line with what my head knows to be true and see myself how God sees me!
I would like to see myself in the sufficiency that God has provided instead of the lack the enemy tries to get me to focus on. If I remind myself that I truly am valuable to God, then I will realize that there’s nothing God will not provide for me. It reminds me of the reference in Matthew 6:25-26: 25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Yes, I am valuable enough to God for him to supply all of my needs!
Today was one of those days when I got up (slowly) and moved (painfully) to my knees, asking that God work His mercy and grace thru me that I might be a more acceptable person. That I might not dwell on the extra pounds, graying hair and achy body that follows me around daily. That I might stay focused on my loving Father and share Him with just one person today. Now that I am reminded that I am preapproved, it adds confirmation to my daily walk. He loves me any way shape or form and He will love you too if you let Him! Blessing for another day closer to His kingdom! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
I would like to believe that God is really using me. I always feel like He uses others, but not me. I have such a burning in my heart to do more, but need to learn that he is happy with me and what I am doing right now for Him.
I am “pre-approved”. Thank You, Jesus! I need to be reminded that He sees me through the eyes of love and acceptance. God sees Jesus in me! Amen and Amen!