You are beautiful

Has anyone told you lately that you are beautiful? Recently I was preparing for a Toastmasters speech and I asked God what I should speak on. I felt like He said, “Tell them they are beautiful.” And I feel like He wants to say the same to you.

Now, by beautiful I’m not just talking looks. Although I’m sure you are gorgeous. But when God created you, He did it with great care and precision.

Yes, your looks. But also, your likes and dislikes. Your talents. Your sense of humor. Your introvertedness or extrovertedness. Even the way you talk and the way laugh.

You were carefully crafted for the specific purposes He had in mind. And also, of course, for His own pleasure. He’s an artist at heart and He likes to create.

I’m compelled to believe, after reading the account of creation in Genesis, that after He formed you, He stood back, took you in and said, “It is good”.

Ephesians 2:10, in The Voice Translation says:

For we are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago.

You are a piece of art. A poem. A story God is telling. We are made in His image, and that makes each of us a unique expression of who He is. We are all the many faces of God.

So, what do we do with that? That feels like a huge gift and at the same time a huge responsibility. Heaven’s poetry etched on lives … to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago.

I’m learning that you walk in those good works not by hustling, or reaching, or grasping. But instead by resting, and listening and then following.

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One Saturday morning I had the rare chance to be alone. My husband took the girls out and I had a good three hours to do whatever I wanted. I went and grabbed a Flat White from Starbucks and then returned home to bask in the sun and journal on my back porch.

I’d been feeling quite restless and needed some answers. Journaling, for me, helps untangle thoughts and feelings, and it was especially helpful on that Saturday. I wrote a little prayer asking God what in the world I was supposed to be doing with my life. I felt as if I was somehow missing my calling. I was fulfilling my responsibilities but I felt like I wasn’t really living to my full potential. I spilled all of my feelings on the page and asked God to speak to me.

Then I waited in silence and felt prompted to write these words:

Melissa, hear the birds singing?

They live peacefully.

They care for their young.

They play. They praise.

They add beauty.

They fulfill their purpose.

They matter.

Relax.

Be who I’ve made you to be.

Loved. Free.

You see. The birds are fulfilling their purpose simply by living out who they are. They sing, they fly, they just show up. And in the process, they add beauty to this world. They don’t necessarily bring us anything tangible and useful. Like food or clothes. But they matter. If they were all gone tomorrow, we’d miss them terribly.

Same with us. We can rest in the fact that we have inherent value and worth. Just being who you are spreads beauty.

Secondly, we must listen. And to listen we first need to be quiet. Now, I know this comes easier for some of us than others, but there is so much good that happens when we take time to be alone and silent. To pray or meditate, to journal or read, or to simply think.

When I take this time, usually first thing in the morning, my heart and mind get a reset. Values and goals rise to the surface. Gratitude is generated and expressed. Just like working out is so beneficial for our bodies and well-being, solitude is like a workout for your soul.

For me this time alone is essential. I use it to get to know my Maker better, and in turn I find I know myself better.

Just like when I journaled on my back porch, I’ll sporadically receive little gems. A word from God. Whether in my heart, in my writing or in a book I’m reading— something will jump out at me. And sometimes the thing that jumps out at me turns out to be my next right step.

Which leads me to my third point. Follow. Follow that little step. It could be something as simple as apologizing to your spouse or as involved as writing a book.

I’ll call these hunches. Those little tugs we get in our hearts to do something. Something kind for someone. Something brave or hard. Something scary. Something awkward. We all get them, but it’s harder to ignore them when we take the time to be silent and listen.

This is where the magic happens. When we follow the hunch, no matter how scary or awkward or uncomfortable, we are bound to feel a spark. Another layer of who we are has been pealed back.

The hunch could be:

starting a business,

or making a phone call

or writing a note

or going for that job or promotion

or investing in a relationship

or going back to school

or giving a presentation

or creating an event

… the list goes on and on.

We all get these small hunches. Please listen for them and follow them. They are bound to lead you to living a life of purpose and beauty.

Because you, my friends, are beauty, made to spread more beauty.

I’ll leave you with a few lines from my favorite children’s book, When God Made You, by Matthew Paul Turner. He writes:

“So be you—fully you—a show-stopping revue.

Live your life in full color, ever tint, every hue.

Discover. Explore! Have faith but love more.

And learn and relearn all that God made you for.”

You see

“…. You being you is God’s dream coming true.”