Yesterday my team and I had the opportunity to go into villages near where we are staying in Haiti to build relationships with locals. As we were walking we were quickly welcomed by a young family sitting under the shade of their home.
In an attempt to make small talk with the young mom of four, we asked if we could help her do the dirty dishes. After a few minutes we learned that she was a 25 year old who loved joking with her friends and taking care of her children. She went to church with her mother when she was younger, puts her hope in Jesus, and prays regularly throughout the day. We were so encouraged by her story and equally shocked when she shared with us that she doesn’t believe that she has a real relationship with Jesus.
What was making her feel that way? The fact that she didn’t have a nice dress to wear to church. This beautiful, courageous woman felt unworthy to be in relationship with her savior due to a shame she felt in her outer appearance. It broke my heart instantly, and in the same moment the Lord spoke to me about my own struggle.
I proceeded to tell the woman that God doesn’t care about physical appearance; that she was made by him to live in communion with him, to know and be known by him, and to be more concerned about the posture of her heart than the way that she appears to the world. As I was saying those words of truth to her, God was saying to me ‘do you hear yourself? I don’t care what you look like, how much you weigh, or how crazy your hair is. You are beautiful to me simply because you’re mine. You are worthy simply because I say that you are.’
Walking away from that home I knew that the Lord had just transformed not only the young mothers life, but mine as well. God knew that it would take stripping me of every physical comfort I had, moving me to the middle of a Haitian village, and waiting until month 10 for me to fully grasp this concept, but he loves me enough to do just that.
“…let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” 1 Peter 3:4
