DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2017
Thank you, God, for seeing the beauty in all of us. Help us to love ourselves and each other as you love us. Amen.
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment . . . Rather, it should be that of your inner
self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet
spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV))
Today’s quoted scripture was written for early Christians, but I think many people who struggle with low self-esteem can identify with these words today. At sixteen years old, I am no exception.
One place I feel wanted and important is at my church. I am the assistant teacher for the kindergarten and first-grade class. It is wonderful to be surrounded by these children because they accept everyone, including me, with open arms and bright, happy smiles.
One Sunday morning we went outside to look at the beauty in God’s creation. The children spotted tall trees, a bright blue sky, and even a grasshopper. The teacher held a bright pink flower in her hand and turned to the children. She said, “See this flower? It is beautiful because God created it. It doesn’t need to style its hair, put on makeup, or wear expensive clothing to be beautiful because it already is, all on its own. That goes for all Creation.”
I felt that God wanted me there to hear and receive that lesson. If everything God created is good, doesn’t that mean we’re beautiful too? Just like the flower, we don’t need to become beautiful — we already are, inside and out. And God loves us for who we truly are.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Today’s quoted scripture was written for early Christians, but I think many people who struggle with low self-esteem can identify with these words today. At sixteen years old, I am no exception.
One place I feel wanted and important is at my church. I am the assistant teacher for the kindergarten and first-grade class. It is wonderful to be surrounded by these children because they accept everyone, including me, with open arms and bright, happy smiles.
One Sunday morning we went outside to look at the beauty in God’s creation. The children spotted tall trees, a bright blue sky, and even a grasshopper. The teacher held a bright pink flower in her hand and turned to the children. She said, “See this flower? It is beautiful because God created it. It doesn’t need to style its hair, put on makeup, or wear expensive clothing to be beautiful because it already is, all on its own. That goes for all Creation.”
I felt that God wanted me there to hear and receive that lesson. If everything God created is good, doesn’t that mean we’re beautiful too? Just like the flower, we don’t need to become beautiful — we already are, inside and out. And God loves us for who we truly are.
TODAY'S PRAYER:
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Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth.”
27 So God created humankind in his own image;
in the image of God he created him:
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Here! Throughout the whole earth I am giving you as food every seed-bearing plant and every tree with seed-bearing fruit. 30 And to every wild animal, bird in the air and creature crawling on the earth, in which there is a living soul, I am giving as food every kind of green plant.” And that is how it was. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. So there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.
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All of God’s creations are beautiful.
Those who struggle with low self-esteem
READ MORE:
Link2Life - BY AZUKA CHUKWUDEBE (NORTH CAROLINA)
Azuka with Chimdike
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Header Photo Credit: "Harvested Land," Beth Shumate. August 15, 2014. (link)
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