I have battled with depression all of my life. At the tender age of 6yrs old wondering why my body is not shaped like my Barbie Doll. Why in my book of fairy tales that my tummy protudes out but Cinderella’s is flat. Why is my hair so rough? Yes, my mind was already going there. I was very well aware I was not a slim little girl and I looked so different.
Fast forward to my teenage years, of having body and self esteem issues (which I still have today.) I put on a total facade of being a confident teenager. No one knew deep down I felt unloved, left out, and invisible. As an adult, the valley of darkness got even more profound. On top of all of those issues, the feelings of unworthiness were dictated on how others treated me.
Relationships filled with mental, verbal, and physical abuse caused me to look at myself as a failure. I often told myself:
“You are a failure of a wife.”
“No one is going to love you looking like a fat cow.”
“He hit you because you deserved to be hit!”
“You are not worthy to be loved.”
“No one loves you. Not even your family. They don’t want to be around you.”
Years of not only going through abuse by the hands of others; I also was abusing myself.
After 40 yrs of this and finally getting professional help, I started to see the sun come out. And since I have picked up the Bible the sun is actually staying out. No clouds have covered up the warmth of the sun on my face. I see things totally different now.
I am continously learning daily how God loves us. Times when we do not love ourselves, He still has his hands on us. Holding us in his comfort. Once we look at ourselves as the way God sees us, your outlook on YOU will change. What others say won’t matter. The act of forgiveness will become second nature. You know your worth and won’t settle for less. Let’s go over some scriptures that shows you how God views us. God sees us in a way that is beyond our own understanding.
Isaiah 64:8 NIV
We are the clay and God is the potter. He has made us with his ever loving hands. God created us and shaped us exactly how he wants us. We should embrace ourselves, flaws and all, because it is all meant for God’s glory. You have a crooked tooth. You have a little more cushion on your tummy. You patience is a little on the thin side. You hold on to grudges. Whatever your “flaw” may be, God made you that way. Sometimes our flaws is just a lesson. God is trying to show you how to be patient or learn how to forgive. Despite these flaws, God’s love never fades.
Ephesians 2:10 NIV
Just stop and read that scripture a couple of times. We have established that we were beautifully made by our Holy Father’s hands; but now we see we are created IN Christ Jesus to do good works. We are created to do good! We all have done things we do not want to admit. There are some things that cause you to have shame. But God! He created you for GOOD works. You were created to be a good person. Whatever happened in the past that made you to drift off course, it was only meant for you to be able right now to do His good work. You see how strong you are? Things that you have been through most people would have just quit life. Not you! He has lifted you out of the valley, so you can take what you been through and to use it for good!
I want to share with you how you are God’s living masterpiece. This is one of my favorite scriptures. When I need a spiritual uplift, this is my go to truth!
Psalm 139:14-16 MSG
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
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.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.
With this verse you know you are loved and cared for. You are marvesouly made body and soul. God is taking care of you from birth throughout every stage in life. And don’t let anyone tell you different!
2 Corinthians 5:17
As believers in Christ, we are called to embrace our new identity in Him. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, we are told that if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! Through the redemptive work of Jesus, we are transformed into new beings with a renewed purpose and identity. Let go of past mistakes and insecurities, and step into the fullness of who God has called you to be. You are a child of God, chosen and loved beyond measure.
As we reflect on the truth that we are worthy in God’s eyes, let us hold fast to the promise of Isaiah 64:8. God made you and you should always identity as a beloved child of God. May this truth resonate in your hearts and minds as you go forth into the world. As the clay into a beautiful vessel, allow God to shape and mold you into the person He has destined you to be. Embrace your worth, value, and identity exactly the way God made you.
Janice
God Inspired Her 