Bible Readings: Psalms 139, Luke 7: 36-50
Like most girls, I had my fair share of personal struggles in my teen years.
Who I was and what the girl behind the mirror looked like didn’t settle in my heart.
I thought if I had just the right amount of fat in the right places, I would feel more beautiful. Maybe if I had no acne or facial pimples, I would be happier…or so I thought.
What a trap!
Long, hard stares at the girl behind the mirror yielded nothing but a sigh.
I should have broken every mirror in the house.
Let me be brutally honest: those were superficial thoughts.
Sadly, more and more women have a problem accepting their bodies and accepting ‘themselves’.
The delusional lies of those picture-perfect models on the covers of sensational magazines have twisted the true meaning of beauty.
Maybe, like me, you were once caught up in this unreal fantasy of trying to look like those people we know only through magazine covers.
My struggles stopped when I discovered that.
Self-acceptance is one of the greatest keys to fulfilling God’s given purpose and living a fulfilled life.
The alabaster woman (Luke 7: 44-50) was a sinner; in fact, Jesus knew her sins all too well.
Like her, maybe everyone around you identifies you with your past.
You pass by, and the only memory that comes to you is a negative one.
Nevertheless, this woman pushed through the murmuring crowd and her screaming past.
She forged her way through her mess.
Onto the only one who mends our broken pieces.
When she discovered the freedom keys given to her, she became healed, whole, mended and sweetly broken.
I imagine her looking around her house and saying in her heart, “Lord, how do I show you how grateful I am?”
Maybe it was her most costly possession; nevertheless, she took it.
And brought it to Jesus.
She paid no attention to those who knew her; all she wanted was the Lord Jesus.
She cared less about what they called her; His mercies were over all.
She ignored the rolling eyes and sighing lips as she humbled herself at His feet; His grace had saved her life.
Now, the alabaster box was at His feet.
After all, she knew it wasn’t about the box or its expensive contents.
There was something more.
Her actions spoke louder.
She needed no words.
Words could not bring her thoughts and feelings to life in this moment.
Only Jesus heard the whispers of her heart.
Nothing anyone said shook her, not even the host.
With her knees bowed, she poured out the oil, unwrapped her hair, and wiped it all over His feet.
Her hair was her adornment.
Her hair, her glory, her pride and her sacred, graced adornment.
She unpacked all that at His feet.
That is worship!
She offered Jesus all that mattered to her.
A blessed, total, sacrificial surrender of body, soul, and spirit.
The worth of the gift, the humility, the whispers of her heart, knees bowed in reverend surrender; she was grateful to be saved.
Invitation to Acceptance means…
Jesus forgave her sinful past.
Jesus gave her a new life, a new identity and a new page.
Jesus accepted her.
Jesus made her whole.
Jesus spared her the shame.
Jesus allowed her to draw near.
Jesus gave her a no-condemnation verdict.
Jesus gave her permission to exist and dwell in His presence.
Did you hear that?
I love this woman!
Jesus has given you a new life; it is your turn to accept it, embrace it and begin to live it.
There is no fear for you. Not anymore.
The shame apparel is torn.
Your naysayers are silenced.
To turn new pages in life requires that
You make peace with who you are.
Making peace with who you are begins.
When your identity is in Christ.
Turning the page means resting in who God has called you to be.
Who has God called you to be?
It is time to search out who exactly you are in Christ.
The moment of awakening arrives.
When the veil of unknowing is torn.
Your eyes are shielded with lies when the truth eludes you.
A veil covers your eyes when there is an “unknowing”.
But the truth shall set you free.
When your eyes open to the truth, the bondage of lies and misinformation is damaged to the core.
In my ignorance, I struggled with self-preservation and insecurity, and I didn’t know how powerful the Lord is.
If you don’t know how powerful God’s Word is over your life, or the authority He has given us, the battle for confidence is real.
When you don’t understand how much authority is available to you as a believer, you will keep struggling with low self-esteem and a lack of self-worth.
One scripture that held me during those tough days was…
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
marvellous are thy works;
and that my soul knoweth right well.
Psalm 139:14
This scripture was the deliverance my soul needed.
Are you pursuing self-worth, self-esteem, and self-value?
Hold dearly to this scripture.
The Almighty God carefully fashioned and wonderfully created you.
Nothing is missing in you.
You are created for good works. Ephesians 2:10
Everything you need for life and godliness is given already (1Peter 1:3)
The Lord has completed His creative work and redemptive assignment in your life.
Whatever the enemy has broken, stolen or destroyed will be restored in your life in Jesus’ name.
It is time to accept your new personality in Christ Jesus.
When you start seeing yourself the way the Lord sees you, then your deliverance from those nerve-wracking lies begins. Those lies were what the serpent told Eve. He played on her need to be like someone else.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil.
Genesis 3:4 -5
Yes, the enemy makes you see inadequacies in your body, mind, life, and frame.
Eve thought she needed something more than what the Lord had made her to be.
The daughters of Eve still suffer from these crafty and delusional lies to this day.
That old serpent still tells the same lies to women.
For this same reason, many a lady would deck up, take out stuff, and add more just to fit in!
Do you recall Esther?
Something about her story struck a chord in my heart.
While the other maidens asked for everything to beautify themselves, she was a young lady comfortable with who she was.
She asked for nothing beyond what the keeper suggested.
Now when the turn of Esther,
the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai,
who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king,
she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain,
the keeper of the women, appointed.
And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.
Esther 2:15
Why didn’t she ask for anything?
She understood that the Lord who was with her was more than enough!
For you, my friend, patiently reading this,
The Lord is more than enough for you!
You don’t need anything more.
He has created you beautifully.
I have a sweet friend who makes me laugh whenever she says the ‘lanies’. By ‘lanies’ she means those who pretend they have it all together. I’d always told her not to worry about what the ‘lanies’ are doing or aren’t doing.
Here is something: when you unravel who God has called you to be, the ‘lanies’ become insignificant.
When you understand who you are in Christ, nothing pushes you over.
If you don’t know your position in Christ,
you will worry about your place.
You will struggle to fit in.
You will fight to gain acceptance.
Truth is, you, my friend, are already accepted of the Lord.
You are approved of the Lord.
God has not called us His children to fit in or be like others.
He has called us to live a life set apart, fit for His use.
That, for me, is priceless.
Nothing anyone says or does should sway your heart.
The only way to discover your God-given position is to sit at His feet and learn from Him.
When you discover the secret of your existence, you will make peace with ‘you’.
When you understand the mystery of who you are, you will accept ‘you’, and see ‘you’ the way the Lord does.
I too used to struggle with the word ‘accept’, but one of my favourite scriptures opened my eyes to who God says I am.
For we are his artistry, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
Who God says you are outweighs what you think of yourself and overturns what the world thinks of you!
Journal Activity:
In your journal, write out the following scriptures and declare them over your life.
You are loved by the Lord (Jeremiah 31:3)
You are accepted by Him (Jeremiah 24:7)
You are chosen by the Lord (2Peter 2:9)
You are not condemned (Romans 8:1)
Finally, the question for you: would you accept this invitation to self-acceptance?
Wouldn’t you rather accept who the Lord has created you to be than be swayed by the lies that you have to be someone else?
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for making me beautifully, and for creating me wonderfully for your glory. Thank you for fashioning me in a way that suits the plans you have for me. I bless you, Lord, with my whole heart as I accept this invitation to root my desires in you, in Jesus name.
If this article encouraged you, then “THE INVITATIONS” is for you.
Every day we are awake to beautiful invitations nudging us to draw nearer, lean closer and glean more. We see them even in our least favourite places. Jesus sweetly pours out grace and offers us INVITATIONS.
