You are SO Beautiful!

Have you ever known a girl who was just so beautiful and had such an attractive personality in her own way, but … she just couldn’t see it? In fact, maybe she even thought she was ugly … or dumb … or annoying … and maybe she wanted to be somebody else! Maybe that girl …

Maybe that girl … was you?

That girl was me.

Surrounded by what society calls “beauty”, I looked around, and saw that everyone else had clearer skin. Everyone else had skinny legs. Everyone else had a crush who liked them back (Presumably because of their looks.) And then there was me.

Can I tell you something, little girl with a crown? What you are doing is comparing yourself to others. And each of those girls are comparing themselves to you. And you are both coming up on the short end because you don’t realize that God made you YOU and even if you weren’t born with your struggles, get this: The YOU that God made is gonna have to put up with the hard times as well as the good times. And God will help you! He loves and won’t leave you hanging!

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 (emphasis mine)

And listen: If God is for you, than who can stand against you? Don’t let the world stand against you! Don’t measure yourself by their standards. Trust in God. Commit yourself to developing a beautiful character, an inner beauty.

Little girl with a crown, you are God’s child, and he will give you the desires of your heart … when you seek first His kingdom and righteousness.

I know it’s hard to wait, hard to be different, hard to keep going, hard to change your thinking … But you can choose to let the hard things make you better. Diamonds are formed under intense pressure. In the same way, your pressures can crush you, or it can create a sparkling beauty.

Things to avoid …

• Stop comparing yourself to other girls. Every time you catch yourself, chastise yourself. Tell God, “Thank you for your beautiful creation. We are both beautiful because we are made in YOUR image.”
• Don’t make the situation worse. If you are REALLY down in the dumps about your weight, acne, school, or something more serious, seek help! Talk to your parents or a caring friend, do a little research, you could even talk to me!😉 Seriously … you are not alone!

Step 1 – KNOW that outward beauty is second to inward beauty. Inner beauty is oh-so-important and comes FIRST.

Step 2 – LIVE what you KNOW. Work on your inner beauty. It’s okay to wear make-up and care about your clothing and try to look nice, but really cultivate your inner beauty. Let your inner beauty shine through the clothes you’re wearing. Let your happiness and contentment give your skin a glow.

Step 3 – Wait on Yahweh, and be strong. It takes strength and patience to wait, and these are both elements of inner beauty. Find a role model (your mom, aunt, even a friend) who shows you what inner beauty looks like.

I’ve been there, done that. I’m here for you, girl!!

Stay strong in the Word.

Advertisement

Inner Beauty – Start with your Heart (part 3)

Yes, I may be reading the Bible. Yes, I’m a lot nicer and more polite to my siblings. I’ve been getting better at honoring my parents. But my heart’s not right.

Yesterday we were all singing praise songs. I felt sad and moody and I could hardly sing because I was worried I would burst out crying! What happened? Exactly nothing!

I didn’t feel right. Now you may chalk it up to me only being able to play mandolin for one song. Maybe. But it felt bigger than that, like a stone in my stomach and a bees-nest in my head.

I thought back on the week. I only read the Bible when I had time. I still have a bit of a temper and a habit of acting quickly without thinking (even though I didn’t have bad intentions.)

I wrote this on my vision board last week. I had no idea how much I’d need it.

“Start with your heart.”

I was trying to do all the things, but my heart wasn’t in it. If Yeshua had come back during singing, what would he have found me doing? Sitting on my butt feeling sorry for myself?! Worrying about the future?! That’s not the way I want to live.

Take a pause. Are you trying to do ‘all the things’, but your heart isn’t in it? Are you exhausted from trying to be someone you’re not? Are you disillusioned or depressed with working and striving and never stopping to think about the whys?

I want to live each day like it’s my last. I need my heart to be soft and my spirit willing to do WHATEVER! I need to stop in the tough moments and take it to Yahweh. I need to give Yahweh the very best of myself and my abilities. Obedience. Hard work. Patience. A loving and soft heart.

As a huge milestone in my life approaches (my 16^th birthday) I’m worried I won’t be ready or mature enough to deserve it, to shoulder the responsibility and the change that comes with it. I had so many goals for my 16^th year, goals I haven’t completed, won’t be able to complete anytime soon.

It has to remind me to be worthy of each and every single day that God gives me. To use my time wisely, down to every hour. To live like each day is my last. When I feel Yahweh asking me, “What have you been doing, daughter?” I want to be able to confidently answer, “The work of The Lord.”

BeautifulYou Tip: Start with your Heart. Focus on the best and only reason to have inner beauty and a strong faith – Yahweh. Get yourself right with God … He’s coming back soon!

“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

Mathew 25:13, NKJV

I took a pause that day. I didn’t like what I saw in my life. I didn’t like that I wasn’t in it with my whole heart. So I started right then to fix my heart. I know it’s not going to happen right away – it’s going to take time. But I am going to do it. I won’t live a superficial life of exhaustion and striving. I’m going to love Yahweh my Elohim with ALL of my heart and soul and mind and strength.

How do we cultivate our inner beauty?

“Sure, sure.” You say. “I’ve heard all this talk about inner beauty and this and that, but exactly HOW am I supposed to attain this status? I want it now … but no matter how hard I’ve tried, I keep slipping back! By the end of the day I’m so discouraged that I give up!”

Oh, my friend. No kind of beauty is attained in a day. A dramatic transformation is what every girl dreams of, but it happens rarely, if ever. Lots of people will tell you that their success, beauty, muscles, and grades, are all a result of long days (and nights!) of hard work. Yet it paid off in the end.

Do you truly believe that inner beauty is worth the work? Is it something you’d cherish, and hold close to your heart? Then I hope you will join me in my quest to build inner beauty.

What is the first step? I believe that the first step for me was realizing that the Bible is my guidebook. Sure, we can memorize Bible verses. We can strive to show the nine Fruits of the Spirit in our lives. But the act of settling in and digging DEEP into the Word, starting from the very beginning, was a real wake-up call for me. Reading several chapters a day showed me what a real desire for God’s Words looks like.

Beautiful You Tip #1 – The Bible is your guidebook! Start at the very beginning, and read ALLLLL the way to the end.

Even if you can only read a little bit a day, it is a few minutes of your day that you will never regret! And know that I’m reading with you! (I’m only in Leviticus, but I have already seen so much growth in myself its astonishing!) If there is a day I don’t read the Bible, I feel like I’ve missed something so precious!

The Bible is not a magic pill. But there’s something about the constant truth of Yahweh’s Word that calms my soul and gives me peace, and makes me thirsty to read more.

THIS is a real test. THIS is the hard work that will pay off. THIS is what will help you grow in Christ … the hard days and the long nights … and when you blink open your eyes and realize that you’ve been changed, from the inside out!

I know I’m not perfect, and I can even think back to things I could have (and should have!) done differently this week, but I realized that I learned a big lesson from those mistakes. It’s an encouragement to know I’m walking the right path, and it’s also a gentle push to tell me to keep walking forward and not give up.

(This is the first in a series of articles on cultivating inner beauty. I’m so happy to be journeying this with you and I hope you will come along with me for the ride, dear sister!!)

Love,

~Makayla