Beauty & My Beastly Thoughts

Right now, a Bible study I am a part of is reading Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow. This book could not have come at a more perfect time! I am already learning so much and we are only two chapters in!! I started on Chapter 3 which is called “Content to Be Me.” Truthfully, I thought, I could skip this. I’m fine being who I am. I don’t curse my body or personality flaws, even though I definitely feel like I have some. And really, I probably thought it didn’t affect anyone else anyway. Then I read this quote from James Hufstetler:

You will never really enjoy other people, you will never have stable emotions, you will never lead a life of godly contentment, you will never conquer jealousy and love others as you should until you thank God for making you the way He did. 

That’s pretty cut and dry and those are all things I want in my life.

The little phrase “you have to love yourself before you can love others” always sounded like a lot of hot air to me. Something you say to make people feel better about thinking of themselves before they consider others. But this quote made me see it a bit differently.

Appreciating who God created us to be is the place where so many other things start. How could we ever appreciate the supposed “flaws” we see in others unless we accept our own as part of God’s workmanship?

I’m not talking about attributing things like laziness or negativity as how God made me. I’m talking about things like being an introvert, my lazy eye that never seems to cooperate in pictures, or my limp hair.

If I think hard about it, I’m not in the business of critiquing what God does and thinks is good, but when I criticize myself, that is exactly what I’m doing. And on top of that, that’s what I’m doing when I judge other people.

You are wonderfully made. Have confidence in that. And go out and love all those wonderfully made people in your life in light of that!  🙂

{ Original photo }