Tuesday, April 24, 2007

I AM - Lesson 2

  • What is your initial response when anyone suggests you are beautiful?
  • My Husband tells me that all the time and my son does too if I dress up for some special occasion. I always find it awkward - I am not sure what to say or how to respond. I know that my husband finds my beauty more than skin deep - but as my middle thickens and my dress size increases I often wonder what he sees in me. Maybe love is blind or maybe true love sees beyond the surface and loves our true self.

  • Do you find you engage in a lot of negative 'self-talk'? How much of your thought life does this form of thinking consume?
  • I have gotten better with this, but definitely can keep working on it. I pushed myself pretty hard in high school - telling myself to do better in school and not fail. Failure was just not an option for me. It truly scared me. Over time I have been trying to assess my abilities and gifts honestly. It reminds me of the below verse:
  • I Cor. 13:12 Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
  • It is amazing that the image that we have of ourselves is not accurate. It is like looking into one of those carnival mirrors - distorted with our sin. Yet, God knows me completely. Did you catch that? He loves me and knows me better than I know myself! Quite amazing.

  • Has it ever occurred to you that you are a City Girl? How do you plan to use this knowledge?
  • City Girl - hmm? This means that I appear different to those around me - that I have elegance, grace, peace, joy. Do people see that in me - or do I float around like the rest of the world? Do they ask what makes me different so that I can share Jesus with them? Questions for me to ponder and pray on.

  • In what ways has your view of Godly beauty changed as a result of these Scriptures?
  • God has placed us here to be beautiful - to be fully known by God at this time. Help me to see the beauty that lies in me.

2 comments:

Lisa @ The Preacher's Wife said...

I am so glad you joined in the study!

I totally relate with wondering what hubby can see after 4 kids and 20 lbs more than when we met..:)) What a blessing to have a husband with Jesus eyes! It sounds like you are blessed this way too..

Thanks for your insights!!

Lisa

Anonymous said...

Isn't it great to have such a loving husband??? I call mine my "little piece of Jesus right here on earth"!! I love that you said you need to pray and ponder over being a "City Girl". This revelation was exciting to me, but it's one thing to know it...another to act like it!!! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!! Have a great day!!