You are My Queen Regardless

I have been reading and discussing the book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge with a group of women from my church. It has been very interesting for me. Today we focused on beauty. What is it, really? Do we know we are beautiful?

The meaning of beauty has really been transformed in my eyes through the years. For a long time beauty was all something that was outward appearance. Today true beauty to me is something that can only be reflected from the heart.

When I was thinking of beauty, I was thinking of some of my friendships. I have friends from college that saw me when I was at my ugliest, in terms of my attitude and where my heart was. There was a group of us that all grew up in the church, but none of us were really living our lives for Christ. Now some of those friends are some of the strongest Christian women I know. We have seen each other transform into the beautiful women that God created us to be.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

I think back to my childhood. There was a time that I always wanted to be the center of attention. I wanted to walk into a room and be noticed. I was full of self-confidence (a little too much at times). Now, when I enter a room I want to be invisible. I like to blend into the crowd. The question I keep asking myself is, what changed? How did I go from one extreme to another.

Growing up I had parents that reminded me of how valuable I was as a person. They helped me to feel beautiful even through some tough teenage years. I still have a note that my dad wrote to me before the state snow queen festival. It reads, "Good Luck Amy, Be Yourself and smile alot. You're my Queen regardless. I Love You, Dad." I cherish this note because if I am ever having a bad day, I have it right there to remind me that no matter what, I am loved.

Isn't it amazing that we all have little notes like this written to us from our Father in heaven. He left us an entire book [the Bible] telling us how much he loves us. Yet we all have days and sometimes women live their entire lives looking for someone to love them unconditionally.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. Proverbs 8:17

Why as women is it so hard for us to believe that we are beautiful. God created us in His own image. Think about the beautiful things that God has created. Captivating talks of creation as God's masterpiece and Eve was part of that masterpiece. "She is the crescendo, the final, astonishing work of God. She is the Master's finishing touch."

Think of yourself as part of God's masterpiece. He did not create us to be invisible when we walk into a room. He created us to feel just like I feel every time I read the note I have from my dad. "You are my Queen regardless". It doesn't matter that our house is a mess. It doesn't matter that we don't have dinner on the table every time our husband walks through the door. It doesn't matter when we have a bad hair day. Each one of us is a masterpiece created by God and he loves us.