Day 2: Confidently Beautiful with a Grateful Heart

 As I continue this challenge, I want to look at my own heart and mind and appreciate how the Lord changed these parts for the better.  This change was because of His word--- my ABCs, it was also my DEFGJKLs.   My day is not complete without receiving His word.  Therefore,  I want to share how grateful I am today by celebrating how beautiful I am in His eyes, and for me it was the most important thing, His opinion about me through His L, O, V, E, Y, O, U letters.  As I ponder on His message of love from Psalm 139, joy consumed me for I cannot thank God enough for making this shift possible.

I struggled with my identity, sometimes I still struggle for I met several traumatic experiences when I was growing up.  I also perceived myself as a second class citizen because I was a product of an irregular home.  We are not the original family of my father but despite of this, I can say that he was a very loving dad.   However, the Lord loves me so much that He does not want me to stay the same.  He made His words very accessible to me and  these powerful messages made a great impact on how I perceive myself, changing me, healing me little by little.

Psalm 139: 13-17

 13      You formed my inmost being;

you knit me in my mother’s womb.

14I praise you, because I am wonderfully made;  wonderful are your works!

My very self you know.

15My bones are not hidden from you,

When I was being made in secret,

fashioned in the depths of the earth.

16Your eyes saw me unformed;

in your book all are written down;

my days were shaped, before one came to be

17How precious to me are your designs, O God!

It was His words that prove how uniquely beautiful I am for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.   
My identity came from Him, as stated in Genesis 1:27, "God created man in His image".  He saw me unformed and carefully chose who my mother and father would be.   All things were carefully planned.  Every inch of me, every detail of my humanness was meticulously fashioned.   He was the ultimate designer!  It was just a matter of accepting things with my whole heart and that everything has a reason.  I cannot question the Lord's wisdom.

It gets sweeter even more for He is consistently guiding me to the amazing truth.  My soul, heart and mind is getting more and more beautiful each day for the Lord is transforming and renewing me constantly; I just have to be open to His messages.  I cannot thank the Lord enough whenever I am reminded of these things.  I know that the devil is working triple time to convince me to look at my old self-image but from time to time I turn on to God and  receive His words again.  Yes, it is a challenge but the Lord is more powerful than the enemy.   All I have to do is to remember again and again and afterwards be thankful to Him.  The secret to get in touch with my beauty is to have a grateful heart.  My confidence is coming from the Lord.   Let me tell you another secret,   I am destined to be grateful for it was etched in my inmost being, it was because of the letters of the alphabet that were so connected to me, my J, A, N, E.  I so love my name, Jane, because  it means, God is gracious. And Yes, He is gracious!

Do you have the same struggle?  I encourage you to look up to Him, receive Him in your heart and allow Him to show you how wonderful you are my friend! You can be confidently beautiful if  you know who you truly are, and surely, your heart will overflow with gratitude.

1/6/2016