Psalm 139 & Confidence

¹³ For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

Psalm 139:13-16

Powerful. We as humans (and especially as women, perhaps) go around comparing ourselves to others and letting the media tell us what we should look like and how we should act.

Too fat. Too skinny. Too tall. Too short. You need longer legs. A smaller waist. Bigger eyes. And where is the “thigh gap”??

So modest. Pitifully shy. Not enough sass … too quiet and demure. Be more aggressive! Be more sensual, bold, and desensitized to things like innocence and purity.

We can’t measure up. And some of us ruin our lives trying to. Or you’re like me … striving to stay faithful to what you believe about a woman’s appearance and actions – and yet often ending up feeling ugly, stupid, unwanted, not good enough in many situations.

You know what? It’s time to open our eyes to the truth. YOU are LOVED by the KING OF KINGS. He loves and cares so much for you! He lovingly crafted you in your mother’s womb. He has a plan for your life!

Pfft, forget what the world thinks. What do they know? You are fearfully and wonderfully made!

You are not ugly. You are not unwanted. Not unloved. Not a weird person. Not a “dumb blonde”. Not boring and useless. Not stupid.

God looks down and sees His child, whom He loves. HE LOVES YOU. God loves us!

Why all this fear and shame over what people say and think? And this talk of self-confidence … What we really need, is God-confidence. We need to look up and see that our Creator, Redeemer, Father, and Friend treasures us. He never says, “That stupid person”.

So yeah. That’s what makes me confident. The assurance that I’m God’s princess. His daughter. Yes, I’m still quiet, insecure, and “socially awkward” a lot … But my King is showing me more and more that I am so powerfully and abundantly LOVED. And mere, unhappy people’s opinions don’t matter at all when the God of the Universe created, and loves, and is there for me.

Blessings, dear readers. You. Are. Beautiful.

 

** Originally posted on Between the Pages of This Bookish Life, April 18th, 2015 **