We all carry one. That 3 foot, 36 inch measuring stick. It’s a crutch for some. A weapon for others. And then for for others it’s a scepter by which they rule others by. It’s the most unbecoming accessory. With it come chains that hold us back, tie us down and leave us wounded and unusable for the Kingdom of God. We feel as if we will never measure up to others by it, and we feel as if we are above others because of it. This stick is a lie. It’s a stumbling block designed to trip us up. And the maker of this stick is comparison.

I have a confession: I am a recovering “good girl.” 

It’s time we took our eyes off the numbers, scales, and sizes and consumed our lives with the weight of glory in Jesus Christ. You are already free, sisters. Nothing holds you in changes anymore because Jesus holds that key that sets you free. Let’s live for the kind of weight that matters—sharing the glory of Christ with a world that desperately needs to know there is freedom, today.

What do we do with those “I feel” statements dictates the direction of our days. Instead of believing everything you feel, speak the truth to yourself…

Good = morally excellent; virtuous; righteous; profit or advantage, worth; benefit

“I say to the LORD, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.'” Psalm 16:2

By this point you’ve probably already heard of the unfortunate mistake at the Miss Universe Pageant. Videos are plastered all over the internet of the heart-wrenching moment the crown was taken off of Miss Colombia and placed on the rightful winner, Miss Philippines. It is hard to watch without a deep feeling of sympathy and disappointment for Miss Colombia, the runner-up. As I watched the video replay, my heart pounded out of my chest and tears stung my eyes, because the feeling of rejection is all too familiar to the human heart. As a matter of fact, I would venture to say that rejection may be one of our deepest fears as women. 

We want to be chosen. We want to be loved. We want to know we are worthy. But we fear we are just not enough, we don’t make the cut, or we won’t receive “the crown” that proves our worth.

I can’t…but He can.

Week Three of our Planted Bible study: Confession.

There is a box of letters underneath my bed that contains bits and pieces of my heart. In this box are ten years worth of letters I wrote to my future husband. Filled with longing, dreams, and unfulfilled desires, these letters became an act of surrender and trust to the Lord. Over the years the Lord transformed these letters from being about the man my heart longed for to being a love note to my Savior. In my moments of desperate longing where I cried buckets of tears (yes, I’ve cried a lot in my lifetime), the Lord has proven to me over and over that Jesus is the only Man who will ever satisfy my heart. Most of my middle and high school years could be described as a season of waiting. Even at a young age, I longed for marriage. I craved a God-sized love story. I ached for love from a man. These longings culminated in what ended up being a full box of letters hidden beneath my bed for safe keeping. 

Day five of our “Life Lived Beautifully” Fashion week! Meet Katie Lewis, founder of Dear Mushka, in today’s A Life Lived Beautifully feature!