a new perspective.

meet hillary.
would you ever in a million years tell this precious angel that she is anything less than God's perfect creation?..... me neither.

i am someone who, for as long as i can remember, has struggled with body issues. maybe it's because i grew faster than all the other kids when i was young, so i was always taller/bigger than them. or maybe it was because i danced, and started seeing beauty with a "hollywood mentality" from a young age. for whatever reason, body issues have always been a struggle of mine.

there have been good periods & bad ones. days when i find myself completely and totally beautiful and no one could talk me out of it. and also days where all of my "flaws" seem to be screaming at me to notice them.

i always tend to be harder on myself than i am on other people. not just with appearance, but also with forgiveness, judgements, etc. if i meet someone who has a less than "perfect" body, i don't think about how horrible they look or dwell on their cellulite, or decide they aren't beautiful. when a loved one falls short of my expectations, i forgive them. so why when it comes to myself, am i harsh & judgemental & at times unloving??

while talking with my friend jessica today, she said something to me that gave me a brand new perspective. she told me to think of myself not as the 23 year old Hillary, but as the little girl Hillary. the precious little 5 year old Hillary from the picture above. So if I'm supposed to think of myself as that... i think of how gentle I'd would be toward her. if she made a mistake I'd help her, if she was feeling down, I'd sweetly encourage her, and I would NEVER ever tell her anything other than how beautiful she is. because she is COMPLETELY BEAUTIFUL.

"it's easier to be kind to little Hillary than it is to be gentle with tall Hillary. to God you are a baby girl so He is extra gentle with you. let yourself be His baby. He can handle weaknesses."

too true. in one simple text from a friend, my perspective was completely changed.

God created me knowing that one day, that little girl would grow into a beautiful woman. A beautiful woman with a dancer's body that He designed specifically for her. A beautiful woman with a huge heart. A beautiful woman who continually trys to be the best she can be. A creative woman. A loving woman. An encouraging woman. A faithful woman. A friend. A sister. A wife. A Daughter. A woman who creates for HIS glory. A leader. ... among so many other things.

"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. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16

  

it could not be put more beautifully or perfectly than that!

 i will forever remember what my dear friend said to me & i will think of little Hillary when i start to be unloving towards myself. i will remember the way God loves her, the way i love her, and the lesson that she taught me. :))

what a beautiful lesson.

my heart is full & i am filled with joy. i love myself. i love my God. i am thankful for encouraging friends! please check out my friend Jessica's blog. she is an amazing leader & woman of God. You can visit her HERE or find her button on the side bar, "Beauty is radiant."

love yourself. YOU too are fearfully & wonderfully made!