You Are Beautiful

When you hear the words,"You are beautiful", how do you react? If you are like me, you turn your head away and pretend like you didn't hear. Why is it so hard for us to accept the fact that we were created beautifully, in the very image of God himself? There are many events in our lives that shape our self esteem. We might have grown up without a loving father, who would tell us every waking hour how beautiful we were. You might have been taken advantage of and told you would never be worth anything to anyone. You might have grown up with outward flaws that were constantly brought to your attention which made you believe that you could never be beautiful.

No matter how your past has shaped you, this does not change the fact that You were created and still are beautiful (inserting note to self). We were created in the very image of God, and to accept ourselves as something less than how He sees us is an insult to Him. Every time I come at myself with self-degrading remarks, whether it be about my appearance, weight, etc., I am basically telling the God of the universe that He didn't know what He was doing when He created me, and that I am not good enough. That pains the heart of God.

I have been studying the Song of Solomon. One of the things that I keep going back to is how often the Groom (Jesus) tells the Bride (us) how beautiful she is:

Songs 1:15
Look at you! You are beautiful, my true love! Look at you! You are so beautiful! Your eyes are like doves!

Songs 4:1
Look at you! You are beautiful, my true love.

Songs 4:3
Look at you! You are so beautiful.

Songs 4:7
You are beautiful in every way, my true love. There is no blemish on you.

Songs 6:4
You are beautiful, my true love, like Tirzah, lovely like Jerusalem,

Songs 7:6
How beautiful and charming you are, my love, with your elegance.

God's heart is for us to come into a full understanding of who we are in Him, and to accept the fact that we are beautiful. We aren't beautiful because.....we simply are! True beauty is not reflected by outward appearance, but rather by what is found on the inside and the character that we walk in. For me, if I am walking in the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control) than I am truly portraying beauty to others. True beauty is only found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Only by knowing him are we free to accept and love ourselves as well as our shortcomings. Even in our imperfections and unfinished state, we are still beautiful. We need to learn to be patient with ourselves....God is not finished with us yet!

If you are having trouble accepting your God-given beauty today, I would encourage you to begin to ask God to show you. Seek out the truth of who you are in His Word. It is His love letter to you and will give you a better understanding of your beauty.