If you eavesdrop on  coffee shop conversation, dialogue at the beauty salon or  a monthly birthday club you’ll likely hear a woman complaining about her weight, size or shape.  

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

                                                                     Psalm 139:14 {NLT}

Foundational Truth

The cliché “Use your powers for good and not for evil,” runs deep in and out of the soul. Women in the bible that used what God gave them for evil are numerous. Jezebel misused her power, Salome was irresponsible with her beauty and even our beloved Sarah’s impulsivity caused her and her family to suffer jealousy and experience a life of strife.

On the flip side, women that used their talents and hard-wired character traits to build something bigger than them are found throughout the old and new testament. They include Deborah, who led an army into battle (Don’t you know people were talking about her, thinking she should be home baking bread?) Abigail was cunning enough to save her family from disaster (when her husband acted foolishly) and Priscilla, was a leader and teacher in the formative years of the Christian church.

Life in the Now

My legs are short (although I walk really fast)! If God had called me to be a runway model, I would be in big trouble. But, because I’m an elementary school teacher, these short extremities are a perfect match for walking down the halls with and after active little ones. I also have a really loud voice (I know this because my husband and my kids have told me repeatedly). I am so thankful I’m not a museum curator or a librarian! But let me tell you that my giant volume has served me well all the years I’ve spent teaching acting classes and directing plays and my brittle fingernails suit my life just fine. I give a pretty good back rub and if my fingernails would grow long and beautiful like my mom’s, my husband wouldn’t enjoy the occasional massage that relieves his tension.

Whatever you’re equipped with is exactly what you need to fulfill the call of God on your life. Stop wishing you had the looks of someone who can’t do what you can do. What you’ve got is exactly what you need.

Think About It

Spend a little time thinking about a body part you’ve  wanted to trade in . Why do you think God crafted your body so particularly?

Talk About It

 Fill in the blank to personalize the prayer.

Poppa, Would you remind me that You designed me just as I am? My _________ (thick thighs, big ears, flat behind, freckles, chicken legs, small breasts) are what you chose for me and you are the giver of ONLY good gifts. Confident in whom you are, Amen.

 

More of the Truth

1 Samuel 16:7, Ephesians 2:10