Today I posted “You are not Ugly” on Instagram. Some people may laugh at this and think “Of course I’m not ugly! I’m beautiful. ” Then that’s great and I’m so glad you see yourself as beautiful.
No, I’m talking to you girls, the ones who can’t even look at their face in the mirror. The ones who literally hate their body. The girls that curse themselves because they wish they were someone else and get frustrated with how they were made. You know who you are.
Ugly. It’s not a pretty word. Do you know the definition of “Ugly” is “unpleasant or repulsive”? In other words, you find no pleasure in it and it sickens you. If this is what happens when you look at yourself in the mirror, I must say that this is a lie from satan himself. (John 10:10)
Can you remember a time when you were a little girl and thought you were a princess? Or a fairy? Or someone beautiful? Close your eyes and go back to that place. Can you feel the joy this little girl has? Can you see how she loves her reflection in the mirror?
What happened between then and now? You would know better than I, but perhaps not everyone saw you as the princess you are, or took the time to love you like you needed, or maybe you weren’t affirmed that you were beautiful and doubted what you felt and the result was believing these lies about yourself.
I have some good news for you. God delights in you. (Zephaniah 3:17) He made you beautiful and sees you as beautiful. He is not repulsed when He looks at you, nor is it unpleasant when He gazes into your eyes. He sees nothing but perfection and beauty. He loves to spend hours, days, weeks with you because He loves to be around you. He can never get enough of you! (Romans 8:38-39)
Wouldn’t you love to see yourself like how God sees you? To cherish who you are? To actually love yourself? Good news Princesses! It’s possible! The following is an exercise I want you to try.
First, pray this prayer: “Father, thank you for how you see me. Thank you for loving me and thank you for Jesus dying for me so that I can know the truth. I ask you to forgive me for cursing myself, for not loving your creation, and being disrespectful to my body. Father, I ask that you bless me to see me like you see me. To love my body like you love me. To cherish my body like how you cherish me. Father, I ask that you constantly tell me and remind me who you say I am. Renew my mind and how I think about myself. I will no longer agree with the lies I have spoken over myself. I break them in Jesus’ name. Thank you Father. Amen”
Princesses, look in the mirror. I want you to really look at yourself. Every part of you. Now, I want you to bless yourself. What does that look like? It looks like this: “Feet, I bless you. I love you feet. You are beautiful.” Go through every single area in your body and bless it in that way, especially the parts you hate to even look at. That you loathe. I want you to bless it.
Even if you don’t believe what you are saying, changing how you talk to yourself, is the first step to changing how you think about yourself. If you ever hear anything other than You are beautiful, amazing, lovely, etc. Do not receive it. It is a lie. Don’t even let yourself think those thoughts about yourself, but immediately say “I don’t receive that. Father, what do you think of me?” Let God tell you how amazing you really are and you will become that little girl again, who loves who she is, and truly does believe she is a beautiful Princess.
I’m going to end with this scripture from Psalms 139:13-14
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.