“..a veil lies over their hearts, but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All of us, gazing with unveiled faced on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.” – 2 Corinthians 4:15-18
For the past few weeks I have been dealing with an allergic reaction on my face. I have been suffering with rashes, burns, redness, and dry skin. Suffering to point when even laughing hurts my face. I visited the doctor to see what happened and why this was happening to me. They prescribed me a cream which enable more of a reaction because I was allergic. Other than physically hurting I was starting to hurt emotionally because I didn’t know what was wrong. I started to question my worth, my beauty and because of this allergic reaction I stopped wearing makeup and I started to feel insecure about my bare skin.
After a few days of dealing with this reaction I asked myself, why am I so affected by this? Why do I care so much about what other people think or what I look like?
How fitting it was that I was attending the SFC Princess Diaries Woman’s Retreat that same weekend. Not a coincidence at all. God moved my heart so personally. He reminded me of my worth, my beauty as a woman, and more importantly that I am loved. After reflecting on my weekend with my SFC sisters I asked myself:
Who am I when I am stripped of what I am comfortable with?
Who am I when I am stripped of my worldly possessions?
Who am I when I become blinded and distracted from the lies society tells us about beauty?
Who am I?
I have been reminded that I should not cling onto the things of this world. That I am made worthy for greater things and that I am called to let go of the desires and possessions I settle for and should cling on to the plans and desires that the Lord has entrusted me. So when I ask myself “Who am I?”:
I am reminded from this community that because I was created by God, I am loved.
I am reminded that I should never settle for less because I am His daughter.
I am beautiful because I am made in the image and likeness of God.
Unveil the mystery of God’s beauty through recognizing the beauty within ourselves.
You are beautiful and you are loved.
Amen.
