The few days ago, someone told me, “your life is beautiful”.
At first I thought that they were totally mistaken. I had never had anyone speak anything like that over me before. I had heard words like “strong” or “brave”, but never “beautiful”. I immediately started thinking of my circumstances and how they’re the exact opposite of everyone’s idea of beauty. As this person expounded on their reasoning for saying this, I came to actually believe it as true. They told me that, yes, my life is beautiful, but it’s not because of me. It’s because at the core of my being I’m dedicated to following the Lord. It’s beautiful because it’s not about me anymore.
As I dissected this I came to the realization of why I originally thought of the word “beautiful” as so backwards. When most people see me, they see my past. They see the things that I’ve been through and the places that I’ve come from. To be quite frank, there have been many times in my life where I really felt like I had been put through the ringer. Life is tough sometimes, amen? But this feels like the first time that someone has seen me for the new person that I am. The new life that I’m living. This life isn’t about me and my struggles anymore, but it’s about the Lord and how he’s carried me through everything in the past. I no longer need to be living in the past because I’ve been changed. Redeemed. Forgiven.
In the past few months I’ve learned so much about God’s plan for my life and who He wants me to be. Most of all, I’ve been drastically changed by allowing God alone to be my identity. In discovering who God is, I’ve discovered how much He truly loves me. I realized that this love isn’t measured by society’s standards. God’s love isn’t dependent on the amount of makeup I put on, the clothes I wear, or the activities that I indulge myself in. It’s not conditional, it’s simply miraculous.
And let me tell you, this realization has been incredibly freeing.
Trying to please the world is hard and time consuming and it leaves you feeling incredibly empty. I used to be that person. Trying to make others proud of me. Changing myself for the sake of the world. And in those moments of fitting in, I thought that I was happy. But it wasn’t until I started living for the Lord that I found true happiness. I no longer need to worry about others’ opinions of me. I’m not concerned with the latest fashion trends or the hippest music anymore. I’m just being the true, genuine, me that I was created to be. And, friends, I’m happier than I’ve ever been because I’m no longer concerned with other peoples’ opinions of me. In changing my perspective, I found real joy in the midst of every circumstance.
To say that I’m thankful for this change that God has made in my life is an understatement. The difference between the person I was 2 years ago and the person that I am today is nothing short of a miracle. I pray constantly that outsiders will be able to recognize this change and that they will praise the Lord because of His power.This World Race isn’t just about impacting those people around the world, but it’s also about sharing your story with the people that are in your circle right now. I truly hope that other people will learn what it means to “live beautifully”, because it’s the most glorious, amazing, freeing thing that someone could imagine.
