I Am Beautiful

You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way. 
Song of Solomon 4:7

My daughter was standing in front of the mirror one day and I caught her admiring herself. I am ok with her doing this because she wasn’t doing it in a vain way. What made me notice her was how confident she looked in herself. She knows she is beautiful.

My daughter knows she is beautiful because it is something that has been instilled into her ever since she was born. We have told all our children how beautiful they are. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says, because what we say matters most of all.

I look at my daughter and I feel a slight tendency to be jealous of her. I’m not jealous of her beauty. I am jealous of the fact she knows she is beautiful. I only wish I could stand in front of the mirror and have that level of confidence in myself.

God tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, even before we are born (Psalm 139:13-16). But if our experiences in life have taught us something else, it can be really hard to grasp hold of this truth. In my experience, I wasn’t fortunate enough to hear the words “you are beautiful” until I was nearing my twenties. I chose to make a difference in my children’s lives because of the experiences I have received in my own life.

I still struggle though to accept what I see now. When I stand in front of the mirror, all I see are flaws and imperfections. However, God sees me in a completely different way.

Something to think about…

One of the ways I tried to overcome how I viewed myself was to embrace what God was telling me. I decided to achieve this by writing a letter to myself from God. Maybe this is something you could consider doing. You may be surprised with the effect it can have on your thinking. It can be quite breath taking. Here is my letter…

My dearest, beautiful daughter,
     I know the thoughts that go round in your head.  I know the deep longings you have in your soul.  Most of all, I know the aching within your heart.  I hear the cries you have, my lovely.  I feel the pain you are going through.  Why?  Because you are my beloved daughter.  I love you deeply.  
     You do not need to wait for affirmation from those you love.  You already have it.  From me!  You are good enough, just the way you are.  No more.  No less.  Stop beating yourself up.  You are beautiful.  Stop looking in the mirror and saying those things to yourself.  I don't see you that way at all.  
     You are so precious to me.  I want you to see you through my eyes because I love you.  You are everything I expected and more.  You certainly have not disappointed me.  
                                                All my love, 
                                                                     God

If you enjoyed reading my thoughts on today’s Bible affirmation then why not catch up on my other thoughts for previous days.