“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV)
Dear daughter of a King,
How often do you long to feel beautiful, accepted, and loved? For me, this happens almost daily. I have to repeat these truths from the verses in 1 Peter. I tell myself:
- “Joy, you are chosen, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and God’s special possession. God pulled you out of darkness and into his light. You are a part of God’s people and now have his mercy!”
Take a minute and tell yourself these 3 truths.
Did you realize that you are a child of a king? You are chosen, royal, and holy. This makes you a princess. Yes, you are a princess. To be a princess, does not mean you have to wear a crown and a ball gown, but it would be fun if all of us did that together!
When I think of the word princess, I also think of the word beautiful. You and I are God’s precious daughters. We are his beautiful princesses! Yet, so many women struggle with not feeling beautiful. Body image is a huge problem for many women. Me included.
I am striving to begin to see myself the way God does: as a chosen princess. God has called us out of darkness and into his light. God has broken us free from the chains of our past, shame, and sins. He has given us freedom.
When we think poorly of ourselves, we keep ourselves chained up in bondage.
Princess, Jesus died to free us from this bondage! When we choose to continue to say to our self ________ (fill in the blank with whatever untrue comment you make about yourself), we are saying that our belief is more powerful than Jesus’ death on the cross.
Join me in getting out of this bondage.
Here are 3 tiny steps to take to start believing that you are God’s beautiful daughter. If you start with these tiny steps, you will begin to see yourself as the beautiful Princess that you are.
- Find verses where God says you are beautiful. Write God’s word on post-its. Post them on your mirror, in your car, on your computer. Anywhere. You can even set a verse as the background of your phone. Here is some scripture you could use from Bible Gateway: 1 Peter 3:3-4, Song of Songs 4:7, Proverbs 31:30, Psalm 139:14, and Proverbs 3:15.
- Look in the mirror as you are getting ready in the morning and tell yourself that you are beautiful. Stop criticizing your appearance. If you do think a bad thought, stop yourself, and say out loud that you are beautiful. I’m serious about the out loud part. Speaking truth helps defeat lies.
- Read blogs or books to encourage you. One of my favorite books on body image and self-worth is Do You Think I’m Beautiful? by Angela Thomas. An amazing book that answers the question that every women asks, “Does God think I’m beautiful?”
Princess, I hope these tips help! If you have any other tips, ideas, or scripture that will help your sisters out comment below!
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Laura Connell
at (11 years ago)Great post! Thanks for linking up at God’s Girl. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 relieved me of my body image issues in a miraculous way. I used to regulate diet and exercise obsessively and I was delivered immediately upon reading and understanding that verse. Knowing that I was made for Him and not for man or myself has been transformative. I keep in good shape so I can do work for the kingdom and not be gluttonous because “whether I eat or drink or whatever I do, it is all for His glory.” I got rid of my TV and all the magazines I used to read. Getting rid of triggers, guarding my eyes and heart has been key as well.
Joy Skarka
at (11 years ago)Thank you for being so encouraging! I’m glad we linked up through God’s girl and connected. I love that verse as well. You have a powerful story! Thank you for sharing and your honest and truthful words =]
This Woman Writes
at (11 years ago)I love the term, Daughter of God, since at my age I feel less like a princess than I do the dowager queen! A lovely post, with good encouragement to all of us who call God our loving Father.
Joy Skarka
at (11 years ago)I love it too. You are a queen! thanks for the encouragement =]
itsemmaelise
at (11 years ago)Thanks for linking up with Manic Mondays!
♥Emma, of It’s Emma Elise
Joy Skarka
at (11 years ago)No problem! Thanks for hosting =]
Alison [Life of Scoop]
at (9 years ago)Hi Joy! Just found your blog via Pinterest and love it here! God has given you a beautiful story, and I love that you are sharing your heart with other young women. Thanks for the tips above – there is so much truth there! I will be back often.
joypedrow
at (9 years ago)Hi Alison! So glad you found my blog on Pinterest. Thank you for the comment and encouragement. I hope you do come back =]
Ashley
at (9 years ago)Do You Think I’m Beautiful? changed my life! Thank you for your beautiful words that help so many of us find freedom from bondage. What’s a good verse that I could write on my mirror to remember this?
joypedrow
at (9 years ago)Yes! That book is amazing. I’m glad there are other fans out there.
Great question – my past favorite verse for my mirror was Psalm 139:14. Try it out and let me know how God uses it!
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.