So God has been opening my eyes to so many new things here in Africa. He’s shown me just how beautiful His creation is. I can stand on my front porch, here in Mukono, and look out and see the marvelous things God has blessed us with. From the rolling hills sprinkled with brightly covered homes and villages to the amazing sunset creating a new beautiful picture each evening.
God has blessed us with so much beauty in this world and it’s taken me 21 years to really see ALL of this beauty. This is a gift He’s given us. I’ve found that I’ve never truly appreciated the beauty God has created.
This month God has given me a new revelation and it’s something He’s been trying to tell me for quite some time, but I’ve just been too stubborn to listen…I’ve let too many lies leak into my mind and change the way I view myself.
This revelation was that I am apart of all this beauty God has created. I’ve never wanted to believe that I am beautiful. The enemy has been filling my mind with so many lies over the years. Lies like: you need to be stick thin, you need to have long hair, you need to have clear skin, and you DEFINITELY need to always wear tons of make-up. The enemy/the world told me that you are only beautiful if you look good on the outside. For so long I decided to listen to the world rather than God (the TRUTH).
After God brought me to Africa and specifically Uganda He showed me that His beauty is everywhere, and it’s not just in things like rolling hills or sunsets, but His beauty shines even brighter through His people!
One of the most beautiful things I’ve witnessed here in Uganda was on Easter Sunday and actually…every Sunday. These people are more than excited to praise the Lord and glorify Him. They dance, sing, and shout praises to God. The excitement and joy in these people is an overwhelmingly beautiful thing to witness. The reason this is so beautiful to me is because these people have next to nothing and yet give everything they have to God. All their trust is in the Lord, it’s so evident!
God has shown me and is continuing to show that beauty is not of this world, but of the Lord! And beauty is in His people all over…including ME! So I shouldn’t be looking for affirmation in things of this world. My affirmation comes solely from the Lord. And God has affirmed me in my beauty! He tells me over and over in His word that I am beautiful in His eyes because I was created in His image! The same God that created the planets and the stars also created me! HOW AMAZING!
Song of Solomon 4:7
“You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.”
Because God gave me this revelation I decided to do a 40 day fast from wearing make-up. I feel like God put this challenge on my heart to help strengthen my faith and trust in Him. It’s been so great learning more and more about how I am truly beautiful in God’s eyes and that I don’t need the world to tell me I’m pretty. Outward appearances are going to fade, but God’s love for me will last forever!
God has taught me that beauty is all over, but that true pure beauty comes only from Him and we have to choose to truly believe this. He’s also showing me that true beauty is not about how you look physically, but about how you look spiritually!
Proverbs 31:30
“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
