Guest Blog for Celebraton Sisterhood

I had the honor of writing a guest blog for the Sisterhood (women's ministry) Blog at our church a last week and I wrote something inspired by Riley so I thought I would share it here as well. Below is my post or you can view it at www.sisterhood.celebration.org.

My sweet daughter Riley is three years old and one of the most precious things in the world. She has long brown hair with ringlets at the end, dark green eyes, an adorable little nose and porcelain skin – she is BEAUTIFUL! Every day I ask her “Who is the prettiest girl here?” Or, “Who is the most beautiful girl in the world?” And without hesitation she always points to herself and smiles. The other day she was sitting in my lap while I was getting ready and I caught her staring at herself in my compact mirror, so of course I ask, “Are you the most beautiful girl in the world?!” But this time, instead of proudly agreeing with me she shook her head no and pointed to where a tiny vein is slightly visible through the porcelain skin on her forehead. This broke my heart!

And not only was I heartbroken by this, but I was mad. I felt like, “Where on earth did you ever get an idea like this? Show me who told you this lie and I will take care of them!” I immediately wrapped my arms around her, looked her in the eyes and told her that she was and always would be the most beautiful girl who ever lived. And that I loved her just the way she was because every imperfection, every part of her makes up the perfection that is Riley! As I sat there loving on my sweet little girl, I felt the Holy Spirit whisper to me, “I feel EXACTLY the same way about you.”

I don’t know about you, but most women I know (myself included), our first thought when we look in the mirror is not “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” and can I tell you, this breaks God’s heart. He loves us with a fierce passion that we cannot even begin to grasp and if we could only see ourselves as He sees us, we would be unstoppable. The enemy knows this. He knows that the little lies and bits of doubt and insecurity can completely cripple God’s daughters. But it is time that we as women look beyond the lies we have been told and truly see the value, beauty, and perfection of God’s handiwork in ourselves. God is calling the women of His church to a role too important for us to let our insecurities get in the way. When God looks at you, He does not see your imperfections, blemishes, or flaws, but He sees His Son. He sees the blood of Christ that covers your imperfections and makes you holy, blameless, and set apart. How different would your life be if you lived every day with the full realization of who you are in Christ and who God sees when He looks at you–His beautiful daughter?

And just so you know, Riley is back to knowing and loving her Most Beautiful Girl in the World title. :)