True self-worth, true beauty is seeing ourselves as God sees us,
reflected in the mirror of His word. See Yourself As God Sees You.
God doesn't play dice. -- Albert Einstein
You Are Not An Accident
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?
--The Wicked Queen
"Fat, Ugly, Old, Worthless" --This is often what we
think as we look in the mirror. There are days when we feel ugly no matter how we comb our hair or wear our clothes. There
are days when we feel like mistakes dressing up as people. Criticizing ourselves on the outside is usually caused by the way
we feel inside. When we measure ourselves by our physical appearance, we will always feel let down. No one can always be the
fairest of them all. Slowly we are beginning to understand how our real glow comes from the inside. We are meeting people
in recovery who aren't beauty contest winners on the outside but who shine because of their personalities and their positive
energy. Lord, today let me accept myself as a lovely person, inside and out.
Your birth was not a mistake or mishap, and your life is not a fluke. Your parents may not have
planned to have you but God planned your birth. He welcomed your birth. Long before your parents conceived you, God conceived
you. He thought of you first. It is because of Him that you are living and breathing at this very moment. You are alive
because God wanted to create you!
Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had
us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love. -- Ephesians 1:4a
The Bible says, "The Lord will fulfill his purpose
for me".-- Psalm 138:8a (NIV). It doesn't matter if your parents are good,
bad or indifferent, God knew those two persons would make the customized you. You are God's handcrafted work of art - custom
designed, a one-of-a-kind, original masterpiece.
We are better than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling
to settle for less. You are a wonderful, capable human being worthy of love and happiness. You have a gift to give
the world that can't be duplicated. No one else is exactly like you. The problem is, we don't believe it. We are used to thinking
about all our negative qualities and become experts at putting ourselves down. We have a hard time believing and accepting
our own goodness and gifts. When we have a negative attitude, only one person can change it - us. We have the power to choose
to change our thinking - if we want to.
It takes a courageous person to risk getting positive and
hopeful. You are at this website now looking for help and encouragement -- that is evidence enough that you have that
courage. "Today let me believe I am better than I know."
Poem by Russell Kelfer --
You are who you are for a reason.
You're part of an intricate plan.
You're
a precious and perfect unique design,
Called God's special woman or man.
You look like you look for a reason.
Our God made no mistake.
He
knit you together within the womb,
You're just what he wanted to make.
The parents you had were the ones he chose,
And no matter how you
may feel,
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,
And they bear the Master's seal.
No, that trauma you faced was not easy
And God wept that it hurt
you so;
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow.
You are who you are for a reason,
You've been formed by the Master's
rod.
You are who you are, beloved.
Because there is a God!
Think about this when you look in the mirror and don't like what you see - God arranged
EVERY detail of your body. He purposely chose every feature you have, your hair color, race, and your body shape! When I let
this finally settle in my head, I didn't see all those ugly features and fat anymore. He custom-made your body just the
way he wanted it! And He determined the natural talents you possess and the uniqueness of your personality.
What you are is God's gift to you;
What you do with yourself is your gift to God. -- Danish Proverb
"You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something". -- Psalm 139:15 (Msg).
God never does anything accidentally, and He never makes mistakes! He has a reason
for everything He creates. You were made as a special object of God's love. He made you so He could love you, and that's
what you should build your life on. He is Love, and that is the essence of His character. There is perfect love in the fellowship
of the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), so God didn't need to create you! He wasn't lonely - He wanted to make you in order
to express His love. God says, "I have carried you since you were born; I have taken care of you from
your birth. Even when you are old, I will take care of you. I made you and will take care of you". --Isaiah 46:3-4 (NCV).
Think about that! You may be very sick right now, with no support from your
family, thinking you are in a hole so deep you can never get out. You've been through various treatment programs and they
didn't work - there's nothing left. I'm here to tell you that's not true! God is here for you now! He'll get you through this
because He loves you so much, and has a very purpose for your life.
What is impossible with man, is possible with God, if you just let Him in! We
are products of our past, but we don't have to be prisoners of our past. God turned a murderer named Moses into a leader,
and a coward named Gideon into a courageous hero. So why can't He do the same for you? He can. He can do amazing things with
the rest of your life.
God specializes in giving people like us a fresh start! Your past is past. Nothing
can change that. Your are only hurting yourself with any bitterness. For your own sake, learn from this experience and then
let it go. The Bible says, "To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish, senseless
thing to do." -- Job 5:2. It's time to forgive.
Feeling hopeless? Hold on! Wonderful changes are going to happen in your life
as you begin to live it with God. He said "I know what I am planning for you...'I have good plans for
you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future'" -- Jeremiah 29:11
You may feel that the future is out of control, impossible, but the Bible says "God...is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of - infinitely beyond our highest
prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes." -- Ephesians 3:30
The Lord accepts us fully, knowing that we will need time and
experience to work out our imperfections. Our failures do not surprise Him. If they surprise us, it's only because our expectations
and opinions of ourselves is too high. The Lord gives us a standing in grace that gives us freedom to achieve healing over
time. "Man is born broken. He lives by mending. The grace of God is
glue" - Eugene O'Neill
I am not an accident. My life has purpose. "I am your Creator: You were in my care even before you were born." -- Isaiah 44:2 (CEV)
Things do not change; we change. -- Henry David Thoreau
The Universe by nature is loving and supportive. Successful people know how to tap
this support by enlisting the cooperation of others in order to achieve their goals. They also know that to receive support,
they must first support themselves. An entrepreneur once told his fellow inventors, "Before others will believe in you, you
must believe in yourself. Your faith in yourself will attract investment capital more than any business plan could." Unfortunately,
the people who need the most support often have the hardest time asking for it.
Growing up in an environment where love was denied, they don't believe they deserve
it. This is why it is important to affirm our basic worthiness. People want to extend themselves to you; it feels good to
give. Encourage them to do so by believing in yourself and reaching out for what you want. The Universe will reach back to
take your hand. Believe in yourself and others will believe in you. It cannot be otherwise.
