Galatians 1:15-16 “But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man…”
I did a little shopping today after church this morning and snapped the picture of the FLAWLESS shirt. I posted it on Instagram and joked that I would have bought it if it had said ’72 instead of ’82. But actually I probably would have bought it anyway if they had my size. A couple of years ago I wouldn’t have had the guts to wear a shirt like that. I had been through so much in my life and had been knocked down so many times that I felt unworthy and unloved. I was extremely self-conscious of my outside appearance and my self-confidence on the inside was almost non-existent. My value came from my interpretation of how others viewed me.
I have flaws that are beyond my control however…like most everyone. Those annoying, sometimes embarrassing personal issues or medical problems we sometimes do not even discuss with the people we trust the most. I have more than a few. The one I have been dealing with lately is my scalp psoriasis. I go through periods where it gets pretty severe and the only thing the doctor can do is prescribe a medication I cannot afford. I have been dealing with it for a couple of months now. My hair falls out in clumps and a couple of weeks ago I freaked out because I seriously thought all of my hair was going to fall out. It was everywhere! Thankfully mine is only bothersome on my scalp. I know other people who deal with this problem have it on their face and sometimes their entire body. It is an itchy, annoying, distracting, sometimes unsightly nuisance but it is part of who I am. It is how God made me.
Today I am learning to not care so much what others think about me inside or out. And I do not mean that in a hateful kind of way. I mean I am not here to impress others. I am only here to serve God and I am confident enough with myself to walk out of my house some mornings with no makeup on or imperfect hair. I drive an older car. My clothes aren’t straight from the mall…I shop for bargains at stores I never would have entered in my 20’s and 30’s. I put quarters in a laundromat washer and dryer every week. I shop at discount food stores instead of the nicer grocery store for most items. I am learning to make due with what I have where I am at with what God has given me, including my body and its imperfections. The more I learn to do without the more God is filling the empty spaces with the Holy Spirit. As a result, I am grateful for everything now. Even my imperfections.
There’s nobody else just like you and there’s nobody else just like me. And no matter what you have been through or what you are dealing with right now…you are flawless in God’s eyes. How AMAZING is that?!
God, we thank You for Your grace and mercy and unrelenting love. We thank You for making us flawless in Your eyes by what Jesus did for us on the cross. We thank You and love You for making us new creations. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Blessings,
Stacey ~ iamalive
“No matter the bumps
No matter the bruises
No matter the scars
Still the truth is
The cross has made
The cross has made you flawless
No matter the hurt
Or how deep the wound is
No matter the pain
Still the truth is
The cross has made
The cross has made you flawless”