Not Just a Pretty Face week 12
Not Just a Pretty Face - by Jerrica Fout
"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."
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| Photo Credit: D. Kelly @ Hardy Co., WV |
"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."
(Proverbs 31:30, ESV)
REFLECTION
“Then Esther the queen answered and
said, If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king,
let my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request” (Esther
7:3, KJV).
Question of the day: How courageous is my faith?
A DEEPER LOOK
Read:
Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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This week,
our verses remind us that courageous faith cannot be judged by outward
appearance. Courage faith can only be measured by our heart; and only God truly
knows our heart’s intent.
IMAGINE THIS
She was
uninvited…yet there she stood. Waiting in the doorway somewhere between
obedience and fear. Waiting, she was
just waiting…and…He was probably asking himself how to handle this woman.
Send her away
in shame to possible death or hear what she has to say?
He was lost
in thought…And holding her breath…she waited still. It probably felt more like
hours than seconds. Then ever so slowly, he stretched out his arm…In welcome.
Although
pampered and beautiful, her legs felt weak, maybe because she just coming off a
three day fast…Maybe it was because she was uncertain of her fate…Still holding
her breath, slowly, no longer awaiting his decision, she entered the room. She was equipped only with what God had given
her:
Beauty, Grace,
Opportunity, And the wisdom of His Holy Spirit…
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Most of us have heard Esther’s story. Mostly
emphasizing Uncle Mordecai’s “For such a time as this” (Esther 5:13). But we
stop there. Failing to consider the outcome had Esther’s heart not been
enhanced by her outward beauty. More to the point, what if her outward beauty
was of no value to her? What if she failed to embrace all that God had created
her to be?
We’ve heard it said time and time again, “beauty is
only skin deep”. While this statement is true, let’s not downplay the
confidence we can find in our physical beauty. From the passage above we
know that Esther was not only a Godly woman but she was BEAUTIFUL. She
captured the attention of everyone by simply walking into the room. We
need to understand that this was an important part of who she was. She
was made by God to be a beautiful woman.
Not true for me…or so I thought. And I spent years
just feeling ugly. I had no self-confidence, a horrible self-image and as silly
as this may sound, I used to go to bed praying I would wake up with a different
face. Satan used this against me daily. Utilizing my inner nemesis to
hold me back. To keep me from being the best version of myself that I could be.
Basically, this meant that there was no way I would ever do anything that
meant I had to be physically seen. And this hindered my calling, my
passions and the young woman God created me to be.
My light could not shine because it was hidden beneath
layers of insecurity.
It wasn’t until I had my own daughter that I began to
realize that I would be a reflection to her. She would mirror my behavior. And
the last thing I ever wanted was for this beautiful little girl to feel ugly or
let insecurities hold her back from being a strong daughter for God.
That is when I started changing. When I began praying
for confidence within myself.
That is when I started taking pride in myself, not
only physically, but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. My change did not happen overnight, it took
work, it took effort and it took many talks with God. But I can proudly say, I
like every part of me. My light is able to shine bright and I no longer feel
the need to hide who I am.
MY THOUGHTS
Today I urge you to look at your own
self-image. Do something for yourself that physically reflects your inner
beauty. Maybe that means you paint your nails, put on some lipstick, or do your
hair…whatever it means for you…take time for yourself and find the confident
woman God created you to be…BUT more importantly, take time to seek the Holy
Spirit for wisdom on how you can embrace the woman you were created to be, to
sincerely pray the serenity prayer…and mean it.
Journal your
thoughts here on where your inner beauty and courage comes from
Today is___________________ and I am
feeling:
My thoughts:
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Hope you've enjoyed reading "Not Just a Pretty Face" by my eldest daughter
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Be blessed this week y'all,
In Christ with love and compassion
Coach Kelly
#BeyondTheMirror #YourLifeCoachingWV #SpringtimeOfEncouragement
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