I know you sometimes feel ordinary but you’re not.
You are one of a kind ~ a unique and beautiful blend of all God wants you to be.
You may feel invisible … like you’re just one of millions of others.
But there’s no comparison. God sees you friend.
And when God sees you, He sees someone He loves.
Listen as He whispers…”You are precious and honored in my sight …. and I love you.” Is 43:4
He also sees someone He knows.
“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.” Ps 139:1
Since God knows you, has a purpose for you and loves the way He made you, I’m confident He wants you to feel the same way. Watch, listen and let Him sing these truths over your heart today. {And if you’re reading this in email, click here to watch it online.}
You really are…
Beautiful
Loved
Cherished
Chosen
Treasured
Sacred
You are His!
May God’s sweet affirmations replace all those comparisons. As you identify, understand and embrace who HE created you to be, I’m praying that like the psalmist, you can learn to say with confidence, “Lord, You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb, I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Ps. 139:13-14)
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Want to find out more about who God created you to be?
Here’s a link to a FREE Spiritual Gifts Assessment to see what your gifts are!
It’s FREE for everyone!
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Today’s GiveAway: I’m giving away 5 copies of the personality assessment that I talk about in my book A Confident Heart, In chapter 8, I share an in-depth section about personalities and how our unique traits play a key role in our God-given purpose. Today’s giveaway is called Wired That Way Personality Profile and includes a time-tested profile with definitions, instructions to eliminate confusion, a detailed explanation of your scores, and a handy team-building chart that shows how the different Personalities interact.
Enter to win: Share a little bit about what God is speaking to your heart or showing you today through my P31 devotion, this blog post and/or music video. Can’t want to hear from your heart. Simply click “share your thoughts” below. {And if you’re reading this in email, click here.}
Read my Encouragement for Today devotion The Comparison Trap.
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I would love to find out what my gifts are and more of how I can use them for the Kingdom of God. Right now I’m having a lot of depression and anxiety and having been participating or volunteering as I have previously. Thanks for all the Goodness you and Proverbs 31 do.
This chapter has been the one that has really hit home for me. I constantly compare myself to everyone and I never feel like I measure up. I beat myself up all the time. I suffered from clinical depression for years and even attempted suicide as an adolescent and spent time in serious therapy because of it. I still struggle with comparison and feeling inferior to everyone around me even though I’ve grown up in church and know I am created by God. I am really trying to take this chapter and this whole book to heart and make some major changes this time. This song has always spoken to me, but it does so even mroe now. Thank you for writing this book and doing this online Bible study. It has helped me more than you know.
“Beautiful”, Renee these written words will forever be engraved in my heart: “(You are) God’s masterpiece. He has created (you) anew in Christ Jesus, so (you) can do the good things he planned for (you) long ago.” Eph. 2:10 You do things the way you do because it is part of your unique, God-shaped purpose. I too have compared myself to others, and when I do by asking why or what if, I feel insecure, confused and discontent just like you stated Renee. This has been part of my week, I found out that I have another adopted sister late one night after a ladies church function. During the next few days all I could hear and think about was how I had been robbed from growing up with my 2 sisters that had been placed for adoption. My thoughts where: why, what if, why now 8 years after finding out about the 1st sister, needless to say: satin had stepped in and I was focused on me. After a few days of much crying and praying, my thoughts turned to “Wow” I have a bigger family and I began to think about what my mom had endured all these years especially the pain. We have talked heart to heart and I now know that this too was all in Gods plan and His timing. As I told my mom, that I will love her and my sister forever, we are family no matter what, and it is not my place to hinder hard feelings or judgement. This situation of why or how come is between her and the Lord. Even though I did have questions she was truthful with me with her answers and for this I love her even more if that is possible. I also shared with her that this is a great testimony of how life is and how God works in our lives and in the end it is all for His purpose. I have peace not that I have looked at the situation in another light, and I pray that both my sisters will also open their hearts to the new journey in life that we all can become one family especially in the family of Christ, to include forgiveness and unconditional love. God Bless
I love that song. I need to put that on repeat and listen to it again and again when I’m feeling like a hot mess failure of a woman, mom, wife…
The Confident Woman Bible study is confirming things God is speaking to me. I’ve been broken and abused, but that is not my future. I am God’s chosen treasure, He loves me, wants me and has a beautiful future planned for me. I can’t compare myself to someone else’s outside, I don’t know their inside. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, Psalms 139:14. God designed me, formed me in my mother’s womb, He doesn’t make mistakes. I am a one of a kind original who can’t be compared to anyone else.
The statement about how when we compare ourselves to others we will never measure up because we are comparing our insides to their outsides rang so true for me. So often I am comparing myself to an idealized image that I see without noticing any of the other person’s challenges or imperfections. I want to learn to live a life free from comparison!
I played the comparison game last night listening to moms at my daughter’s softball game. This one has her daughter on the swimteam, this one is sending her daughters to camp, this one seems to have her children disciplined well and then there’s me, thinking I do everything wrong. I should have had them in swim lessons constantly since they were little, they should listen better, I should be more organized, I should be able to “let them go more” and send them to camps to give myself a break. Not to mention the fact that I am out of shape, disorganized and always full of worry. Yes, anxiety rules my life. I realize I have been missing God and am being ruled by fear. Help!
Renee, the part in your book, Uniquely You, made me realize the love God has for us~~~we are precious and honored in His sight and He loves us, we are Gods prized possession and a valued treasure of great worth~~~~~~~WE ARE BEAUTIFUL ~~~ as the song says, loved the song, to think that Jesus died so we could spend eternity with Him in heaven is something to just wrap your mind around and should bring joy to our hearts and bend our knees in honor to HIm. As to the comparison trap, I also get hooked into that one too, so when you mentioned to look at what you have and not at what you don’t have, and I think that thanking God for what you do have brings you closer to the One who cherishes you so much, and our thanks to HIm is music to HIs ears!
Sometimes I don’t think that I can endure my circumstances at work anymore, but then God gets through to me with a song that reminds me that I am so much more than I think I am in Christ.
The song Beautiful brought tears tI my eyes! Sometimes I don’t feel worthy of His love. I’m learning through this study that He adores me and wants to use me, even if I don’t feel usable at times. I am so thankful to have God in my life!!
It continues to amaze me how you seem to have a direct link to my thoughts. I have been very challenged in seeing myself the way God sees me. And with that challenge comes all manner of other struggles such as confidence, self worth, understanding the Love of God and how He loves me. Your devotionals and emails always minister to me and for that I am very grateful. I am looking forward to gaining some direction from the Spiritual Gifts Analysis…thank you for making that available. You are truly a treasure, God bless you.
Renee bueatiful song! I loved that! I’ve never heard that song before! I listened to the words! and whenever I get discouraged, I’ll just think of the lyrics to that song! I love mercy me! They are a great band! Thank you! and thank you for your encourageing words!
I have a hard time seeing the beauty of within that God has given me to reflect on the outside my whole life. I have compared myself to so many people that it isn’t funny anymore and I am having a hard time know who I really am as a child of God and what God has for me to do. I have been an approval seeker all my life also, feeling not good enough for even myself. My husband is slowly trying to help me, but I have always had a hard time thinking for myself at times 🙁 Things are getting better. After the third child had come and staying home with her it has made me do a lot of thinking to find out who I really am. Slowly but surely some things are becoming clearer.
I love how God works and puts what He wants us to hear front and center in our lives. This study is exactly where God wants me right now. He has been working on my heart for a long time with breaking the comparison trap and I finally feel like I am having my “aha” moment. I am getting it! Thank you for sharing God’s truth!
I can’t tell you how much I really needed to hear this right now. You know those times you have pitty parties because things aren’t working towards your favor? Well that’s just the way life goes for me some times and right now that’s how my life seems to be. The boyfriend of 4 years ( a rocky relationship at that) has yet broken up with me again to only apologize and want me back to give my those promises that I have always wanted. I know I have those beautiful, kind loving caring insides. I show them all the time. Sometimes I wonder just what my faults are for my relationships not to happen. 1st my marriage of 14 years then my boyfriend. I now know I need to concentrate on me and my relationship with God and everything will fall into place. God see’s my beautiful self and that is all I need.
Thanks for this.
Deanna
I am made for so much more than the circumstances that I’ve let myself become part of, and I am more than what is hurting me today…thank you for sharing this song!
I love Mercy Me & that song has always spoken to me as one who never thought of herself as beautiful. One point really jumped out at me in your devotion, “The Comparison Trap”. I never realized I was comparing what I felt on the inside to what I saw on the outside of someone else. Wow! What a difference that makes in perspective. I am going to remember that when tempted to compare myself again. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I grew up never feeling good enough for anyone and always trying to be like everyone else. I never gave myself my true identity. I always find myself trying to compare myself to others rather than just being happy with who I am. I really do not know who that person is but I am trying to find her with God’s help. This devotion really spoke to me. Thank you Renee.
THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL VIDEO. SO ENCOURAGING. THANK YOU FOR SHARING. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS KAY
I want to cry as I read the different posts because I am realizing more and more that I am not alone in this. I’ve struggled for many, many years with self-doubt and low confidence and as I read Renee’s Day 1 Devotion for the 7-day Doubt Diet, I realized that I covered up those real feelings with fear and worry. I want to be all that God has created/called me to be, but there are days when I simply don’t know where to begin. I often have a difficult time looking at myself in the mirror because of the guilt and the shame of my past and present. I can’t understand how anyone can love me, even when they say they do. The other day I asked my husband if we could go to a particular place and he responded, “Anything for you,” and immediately I believed he was only saying it because he wanted something from me or that he was being sarcastic. I have to admit–I don’t know how to let anyone love me for me. My children tell me all the time and it makes my heart melt because I know they mean it, but it has been hard for me to show them what true love is. Before I started reading a Confident Heart, God woke me up one night and gave me 1 Peter 4:8 and 1 John 4:18 to read and I immediately applied it to the way I haven’t been loving others, but I believe now that it was God’s way of showing me how much He loves me. Most people are criticized by others, but I am my biggest critic (about everything), which in turns makes me very critical and arrogant toward other people. I have believed so many of the enemy’s lies and I want a way out. Please keep me lifted in prayer as I become the woman, wife, mother, and daughter (of God) that He has called me to be.
Blessings,
Lakeeia