Learning to Read Like He Does

I read this on my friend, Becky's blog the other morning and it got me to thinking about things...you should stop over and meet her.


She has just returned from a get away with her husband and brought home a souvenir. Here is a portion of her post in the green ink.

"Right now I want to share a little turtle I fell
in love with and brought back home!!

He is handmade of clay and is adorable, don't ya think?

He will fit in the palm of your hand, and has
cute little swirlies stamped in his shell.

Each little turtle came with a tag and an
inspirational message. I picked this guy as
my favorite and then was delighted to
read the message on the tag..

I haven't been very at ease in my shell lately...
trying to lose weight, dealing with the effects of
gravity, cellulite, the notion of putting this body
in a swimsuit....YIKES!!!!

Well, my God knew all of that and wanted to
clear it up for me!!!

What a precious message to receive and pass on!

God knit you together in your Mother's womb,
and beamed with utter delight the day you entered
the world...the crown of His creation...
fearfully and wonderfully made!!

What makes you uncomfortable in your shell?

If it's something within your control...set some goals
and work towards changing it. God will give you
all you need to accomplish it!!

If it isn't within your
control, it's the YOU God had in mind when He
created you and is PERFECT just the way it is!!

Even when I weighed 102 pounds, my upper arms
and thighs were a bit out of proportion to the rest of
my body. Do I like that? Not especially. But the God
of the universe designed me that way!!

How can I not be pleased??

He doesn't make mistakes!!

So sweeties, whatever it is that may make you
a bit uneasy in your own shell, embrace it,

work on it if you can, and delight in the truth that
YOU were a GREAT idea in the mind of GOD
before you breathed your first breath,

And He doesn't do ANYTHING that isn't
PERFECT!!"

God knows we are all a work in progress. He loves us and made us with all of our imperfections knowing that we have the greatest potential to become like Him one day. Being comfortable in our own shell is something that makes God happy. He does not like it when we are self- deprecating and unkind to and about ourselves. We know that unkind thoughts about ourselves lead to sad feelings and less than desirable actions and results. The results of our actions based upon unhealthy thoughts just reinforce those thoughts and the cycle is set.

We absolutely have to know of our intrinsic self-worth because we are a Child of God. Period...no ifs ands or buts about it. Pondering it and believing it will help us think better and consequently be better in our quest to improve ourselves. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he!" Proverbs 23:7. This scripture teaches a true principle. Ironically, we can have more success in our weight loss journey by actually internalizing this truth than by constantly feeling unworthy of love because of our imperfections and beating ourselves up about it. Negative thoughts do not produce positive results. It is not possible.

I love what Becky said about not being fully satisfied even when she was 102 pounds. That is so totally human, isn't it? We need to get right with ourselves and the Lord. We have to remember that we are lovable and capable, even when and maybe especially when, we need His help. He rejoices in who we are and we should too.

One day, our little daughter, Laura, came home from kindergarten crying. She was sad because she could not read. I explained to her that she couldn't read yet, but that she was going to school to learn how to read. Her teacher did not expect that of her yet.

How is it that we can give others wise counsel and often miss it ourselves? Part of enjoying the journey is loving ourselves along the way~just the way we are right here, right now. Our Great Teacher does not expect us to know how to be perfect yet~that is why we are here~to learn to read the way He does.

Anyway, I just loved Becky's post and wanted to share my thoughts about it today. And I love you all...just the way you are. Thanks for stopping by. Hugs to ya, B