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. Psalm 138:13-16 MSG

Imagine that you have spent the last thirteen years delighting in your daughter’s every growth spurt, met milestone, and laugh.  As strange as it sounds, you’ve even been impressed by her worst sides: the power of her screams, the determination in her temper-tantrums, and the creativity in her messes.

Now imagine that you tell her she is smart and beautiful, and she responds by saying, “Mom, I’m stupid.  And I look gross.”  This girl is the most precious, miraculous accomplishment of your life, and she has no idea.

Sometimes, we are that thirteen-year-old girl, and God’s heart breaks at how we see ourselves.

How many times have we casually said, “I look gross,” or refused to believe in our ability to be useful.

As we choose to grow more in touch with God’s love for us, perhaps we would treat ourselves with more grace, patience, and kindness.  Maybe we would believe that we were worthy to walk in the freedom Jesus has given us in an inconceivable expression of unrelenting love.

Dear God, thank you for making me marvelous.  Thank you for knowing everything about me and loving me despite the parts of myself that I am ashamed of.  Help me to love myself that way, too, and to see myself with your eyes.  Give me the grace to walk in the power and freedom you have given me that I may bring you glory and advance the Kingdom of God. 

Written by Dianna Benjamin