Hello Beauty-FULL, A Guest Post by Author Elisa Morgan
Most of us don’t think we’re beautiful. In fact, a recent poll revealed that 96% of women globally would never use the word beautiful to describe themselves.[i]
Even women who know they are made in the image of God.
Women like you and me.
Beautiful? No…instead we feel not enough. Not pretty enough. Not smart enough. Not strong enough. Not spiritual enough.
I know. What I see is not beauty but the world of ugly within.
I say, “I’ll pray!” and I don’t.
I forget about the suffering in the world, even after I’ve seen suffering up close and personal. And then I go ahead and buy another purse, pair of shoes, trinket for my home.
I wake up in the middle of the night and worry.
I think I’m better than others when my life goes well, even though I know full well that I’m not.
I eat too many Doritos. I drink too much wine. I watch too many episodes of The Bachelor (and The Bachelorette).
I assume I’m the only one.
The only lonely one.
The only depressed one.
The only one who doesn’t know the answers. The only one who feels like a failure.
I don’t like my body.
I like some people more than others—a lot more than others. I pretend to be interested when I’m not.
I’m jealous when someone’s life goes better than mine.
I want to just stay in bed on some days.
I’m ugly. At least there are plenty of ugly parts of me. “Beautiful?” HA.
Some words I read a while back from Brennan Manning’s classic book, The Ragamuffin Gospel, seep up into my thoughts. Manning reported a 1677 prophecy to a thirty-four-year-old widow in Lynn, Massachusetts. God’s words to her way back then—and maybe to us in this moment? “More pleasing to Me than all your prayers, works, and penances is that you would believe I love you.”
I may think ugly thoughts and feel ugly feelings and do ugly things, but to God, I am filled with beauty and therefore beauty full. He holds out three words and calls me to receive them, knowing that when I see myself the way he sees me, I will be free to be who he made me to be and to live the life he made me to live.
Hello, Beauty Full.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who pushes away God’s pronouncement of personal value. Likely you do too. Likely you embrace the ugly and discard the beauty in yourself. And likely you feel incredibly inadequate, stuck, and even alone.
Here’s what we need to know in order to live the lives we were made to live: God loves us. He sees us through Jesus: beauty full. He wants us to see ourselves the way he sees us. We struggle with embracing such a thing. But the truth is, when we don’t embrace how God sees us, we don’t embrace God. We miss out on the very lives he created us to enjoy—and died to make sure we could experience. When we do embrace how God sees us—beauty full—we are freed to live loved, and in so doing, we love God back.
Three words reveal how God sees us – through Jesus – and how he invites us to see ourselves.
Hello. Beauty. Full.
Yes, I am.
And yes, you are too.
Elisa Morgan is a much-requested speaker and the author of The Beauty of Broken, She Did What She Could and the newly released Hello, Beauty Full. For twenty years, Elisa served as CEO of MOPS International. Currently she is the co-host of the syndicated radio program, Discover the Word (discovertheword.org). Married for over three decades to Evan, she is the mother of two grown and married children and two grandsons. Her Rottweilers, Wilson and Darla, love to take her on walks in the open space behind her house.
Click HERE to order Hello, Beauty Full: https://www.elisamorgan.com/#!hello-beauty-full/co78
Click HERE to check out the Seven Video Teachings by Elisa that you can use in your small group: https://www.elisamorgan.com/#!hello-beauty-full/co78
Click HERE to find out more about this topic: https://www.hellobeautyfullbook.com
Congratulations to the BEAUTY-FULLMichelle Ballerinan, the WINNER of Last weeks Free Friday book give-away Wild in the Hollow by Amber C Haines.
This weeks give-away, you guessed it, Hello Beauty. Full by Elisa Morgan.
Here is my question–DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS BEAUTIFUL? Yes? No? Why–Why Not. How do you interpret Psalm 139:13?
Leave a comment; visit me on Periscope and leave me some love for your chance to win a FREE FRIDAY BOOK.
Last but not least, please check out my now new book Life Unstuck, Finding Peace with your Past, Purpose in your Present and Passion of your Future!
Monday Hugs,
Pat
I struggle with seeing myself as beautiful sometimes. I am a plus size woman in her thirties who still struggles with skin problem. I have roscea on my nose so my nose is always red so I call myself Rudolf sometimes. As a child, I was picked on a lot so I’ve learned to embrace my imperfections. I do know that God has made me fearfully and wonderfully made and I am so thankful for this. God created me to be the person he called me to be. He gave me these advertisites to overcome so I can be a blessing to others.
Thank you for the update on Tina still praying daily. And I love your new periscope time with my work schedule I might be able to catch them live. I get off at 1:45 cst and usually walking in the doer at 2 so that is perfect.
I cried as I read this post. Earlier today, in response to a question in a Bible study I’m doing, I wrote about how I never felt enough of anything and how a comment my older sister made in jest many years ago when we were children, continues to erode any self-confidence I try to have. I know absolutely that God loves me, Jesus died for me, & the Holy Spirit fills me, but I would still rather stay hidden at home than go out in public. I’ve been told that I’m attractive (not pretty or cute), but I feel ugly. I hide behind a persona of always trying to please people, so I can feel worthy. Thank you for the chance to win a copy of this book. If I don’t win, it’s definitely a book I will read.
This is so true! I’m going to share this with my lifegroup ladies because I know this is a struggle for most (if not all) women.
God made us & we’re beautiful! He loves variety! I think too often we’re comparing to a different standard.
In Staci Eldredges book, Captivating, she points out that all women long to be told they’re beautiful & a princess to be sought after. (The counterpart to her husband’s book, Wild at Heart, that shows guys long for adventure & a beauty to rescue.)
I’m reading Holley Gerth’s book, You’re Already Amazing and Melanie Shankle’s Nobody’s Cuter than You. Obviously, there are connected ideas that women need to hear!
Re: Periscope question
For timing, I believe you should find what works best for you. (So many people can’t watch live anyway) if it’s 2:45, 4:15 or whatever.
Sure, predictability lets some people be ready, but I see others scoping that just pop on when it fits them & don’t want to be committed to a regimented schedule. Most workers have to catch replays (which isn’t fun because you can’t ask questions but I still like the visual aspect).
As so many start scoping, i really think over-greeting is not respectful of people’s time whether live or replay. (kind of like stroking their ego to say every name of they’ll leave if you don’t?) A general hi is good or to a friend or two if no one else is on, but scopes where I see them reading out every twitter handle they can’t even pronounce is crazy. Viewers don’t tune in to hear a list of people be greeted. Though people first taught that method, it’s changing as people sit through long intros to get to content & have more scopes to watch.
To find new scopes, the best method is to know them from other media. It’s where i develop most of my list. I don’t watch design stuff, so I can’t tell you specific ones. But for instance, search on Instagram & if you find ones you like, ask if they use Periscope yet. I’d say that is a field that’s slow to join. Many teachers/speakers, business, or sales types converted first.
You can also check out the follow list of others you like, especially once you find a design person.
Hope some of these help. Sorry it’s so long to type out tips.
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