I've spent the greater half of my teenage life living with insecurities. Fears about not being good enough, pretty enough, muscular enough, funny enough, liked enough, yet I always denied that I was insecure. I acted with a confidence that didn't come from the Lord, but from some conjured, imaginary place in my mind.
Confidence never came until I experienced a new truth at Camp Barnabas. Camp Barnabas is a weeklong camp in Missouri for children and adults with disabilities. The theme for that week was Wanted. They taught that each person was DESIRED by the Creator of the Universe. That the same God that created the heavens, the mountains, the lakes, the beaches, everything we view as the most beautiful places in the world, created us as well. And He views us as even more beautiful than any of those places. The same God that looks down at the vast ocean and says "That is good," looks over at us, and says "That is even better."
The most beautiful picture I had that week was one of myself. But not in a vain, self-centered way. The most beautiful image, forever ingrained in my mind, is of me, looking out in awe at the beauty of God's creations, thinking that if I could, I would stare at this forever. And then of God, staring at me at the same time, thinking the exact same things.
God doesn't make mistakes. I am not a mistake. The skinny legs I believe are flaws are not mistakes. The hair I hate is not a mistake. The eyes I think could be prettier are not mistakes. The body I want to be better is not a mistake.
I was created in the image of God, with a vision and for a purpose. In the eyes of the Creator, I am perfectly formed. An angel in the eyes of the Lord. I now believe in the confidence that can only come from God, and that makes me more beautiful than any makeup, straightener, or clothing ever could.
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