Through the Eyes of a Little Girl

Song of the Week: "More Beautiful You," Jonny Diaz

I know it's been a while since I posted a song of the week.  Been swamped lately.  Anyway, I've mentioned that I'm participating in Beth Moore's So Long Insecurity Discussion Group together with some of my law school girls.  Thus far, the journey has been eye-opening, refreshing, and liberating!  I believe I speak for all of us when I say that, we are desperate to throw off the insecurities that so easily entangle us!  And we are eager to run the race set before us by our Maker!  (Hebrews 12:1)  We know that we can't run to our full potential if we remain hampered by the chin splints, or worse, paralysis of insecurity!  And, we have come to God in this season asking him to set us free! (Psalm 71:2, NLT).

With all things insecurity on the brain, I have been listening to Jonny Diaz's "More Beautiful You" a lot lately.  Jonny's song is a beautiful reminder of the security we have in Christ.  Generally, I am one of those people who listens to a song over and over again until I am sick to death of it.  But, I must say, this song never gets old!  Why?  As long as I live, I will never tire of hearing that my Heavenly Father looks at me with love in his eyes and sees me as beautiful--in spite of my weaknesses, in spite of my sin, in spite of the extra pounds I gain, in spite of wrinkles that will gradually take over my body, in spite of my humanity.  When God looks at His children, He does not see all of those things that we see when we look in the mirror.  He sees the radiance of Christ by the miracle of the cross!  How could anything be more beautiful than that?!

Here are the lyrics to Jonny's song, but I strongly encourage you to watch the music video below.  You won't be sorry! 

Little girl fourteen, flipping through a magazine,
Says she wants to look that way,
But her hair isn’t straight, her body isn’t fake,
And she’s always felt overweight.

Well, little girl fourteen, I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart,
And you were made with such care your skin, your body, and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are.

There could never be a more beautiful you.

Don't buy the lies, disguises, and hoops they make you jump through.
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do,
So there could never be a more beautiful you.

Little girl twenty-one, the things that you’ve already done,
Anything to get ahead.
And you say you’ve got a man, but he’s got another plan,
Only wants what you will do instead.

Well, little girl twenty-one, you never thought that this would come.
You starve yourself to play the part.
But I can promise you, there’s a Man whose love is true,
And He’ll treat you like the jewel you are

There could never be a more beautiful you.

Don't buy the lies, disguises, and hoops they make you jump through.
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do,
So there could never be a more beautiful you

So, turn around you’re not too far
To back away, be who you are
To change your path go another way
It’s not too late, you can be saved.
If you feel depressed with past regrets,
The shameful nights hope-to-forgets
Can disappear they can all be washed away
By the One who’s strong, can right your wrongs,
Can rid your fears, dry all your tears,
And change the way you look at this big world.
He will take your dark distorted view,
And with His light, He will show you truth,
And again you’ll see through the eyes of a little girl

There could never be a more beautiful you.
Don't buy the lies, disguises, and hoops they make you jump through.
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do.
So there could never be a more beautiful you
There could never be, a more beautiful you.

Precious Father, we pray that you would shine light on the lies of our insecurities.  Show us the truth of who we are in Christ, so that we might fill the unique purpose that you have for our lives!  Set us free!

No copyright infringement intended.

Heavy

Do you ever have those days when life just feels heavy?  Like the evil of this world is too much to take on?  Like your heart is on the verge of breaking when you think about the burdens that the people around you have to bear?

Today is one of those days.

It's one of those days when the bleak tapestry of the sky matches the canvas of my heart.  It's one of those days when life handed me lemons, and I don't have the energy to make lemonade.  It's one of those days when as much as I've tried to rouse the Spirit within me, I cannot shake the desire to get back in bed, go to sleep, and try again tomorrow.

What are we to do with days like today?  If I had the answer, I probably wouldn't be writing this post.

What I do know is that Jesus tells us to come to Him when we are "weary and heavy-laden," and He "will give us rest."  (Matthew 11:28, NASB)  I love how The Message translates this familiar passage of Scripture:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."  ~ Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

Another verse I cling to when the life seems heavy is Psalm 126:5 - "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy."  Perhaps, this verse holds the key to surviving days like today--remembering God's goodness in times past.  (One of my friends calls this practice a "having a positive confession.")  Psalm 126 is one of the Psalms of Ascents that was sung by the Pilgrims as they ascended to Jerusalem.  In this Psalm, the Pilgrims recount God's faithfulness to them.  As they mount the steps toward home, they remember the many tears they cried in exile and the shouts of joy they lifted up to God when He brought them home.

Again, Eugene Peterson's translation of this passage is masterful.  Check it out:

"And now, God, do it again—
      bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
   So those who planted their crops in despair
      will shout hurrahs at the harvest,
   So those who went off with heavy hearts
      will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing."

~ Psalm 126:4-5, The Message

When we have trouble finding joy in today, at the very least, let us not forget the faithfulness God showed to us yesterday.  Let us also look forward to the hope of tomorrow!

Control

Song of the Week: "You Reign," 4HIM

Though the title of this post may lead you to think (and rightfully so) that this is a post about my personal struggle with control, it's not.  It's something much bigger than that.  It's about sovereignty...the sovereignty of God.

We live in a mean world.  In the midst of that world, it can be incredibly hard to keep the faith.  Our flesh is weak.  What's more, as followers of Christ, we fight an enemy who likes nothing better than to see our faith waver.  He will use all sorts of tragedies to rattle our faith.  If we live long enough, we will undoubtedly go through seasons of intense trial and tribulation, many of which will hit far too close to home.  The sad reality of life in this world is that our faith is constantly under attack, even by tragedies that don't affect us personally.  When trials come, we need to know that God is still in control!

During my first year of law school, I heard the devastating news that seven college students from South Carolina were killed when the beach house they were staying in caught on fire.  I did not know any of the victims personally, though I have several friends who did.  Despite the fact that I was personally removed from the suffering, the news of the tragedy rattled my faith unlike any personal tragedy I have ever endured.  For the life of me, I could not understand why God could allow something so awful to happen.  Because I grew up at the beach, the idea of gathering with friends at a beach house is so familiar, so sacred to me.  The idea of such joy turning into such grief is horrifying.  For weeks after the tragedy, I felt as though a black cloud had descended over my faith.  I never stopped believing that God is sovereign, but I just ... couldn't ... understand.  I can't begin to imagine how their loved ones felt.

Yet, somewhere in that bleak place of confusion and doubt, I heard these word from the song "You Reign" by 4Him:

"This is the peace in my heart
The strength of my soul
Whatever happens in life
This much I know
You are in CONTROL!"

Having wrestled for days to understand why God didn't prevent such a tragedy, I came to the conclusion that, this side of Heaven, we may not know why certain things happen.  It is enough to know that God is in control. For weeks, I listened to the song on repeat, allowing the words to wash over me and to restore my faith.  Though I still don't fully understand why God allows such tragedies as the Ocean Isle Fire, or more recently the earthquake in Haiti, I do know that He is sovereign.  I also know that all of the sufferings that we endure in this life are woven into his perfect plan of redemption. 

So, if you ever find yourself wondering where God is in the midst of your own suffering or even the suffering of others, consider the words of this song.  (It's a beautiful song, so I encourage to listen to it as well.  Here's a link to the audio.)

Long before you ever said
“Let there be light”
To long after this world has had
Its final night
Great god in heaven you’ll be
Where You’ve always been
Seated on your holy throne
King of all kings
Looking down on men

Chorus:
You are ruler above all the nations
Sovereign through all generations
Lord you reign
One day
All kings will tremble before you
I will bow down to adore you
Lord you reign

Morning and night the sky shouts
Your majesty
Saying the whole universe
Is under your feet
This is the peace in my heart
The strength of my soul
Whatever happens in life
This much I know
You are in control

Bridge:
There none like you
Lord you are worthy
Everything you do
Always is perfect

"So Long Insecurity: You've Been a Bad Friend to Us!"

Today is an exciting day because Beth Moore's new book, So Long Insecurity: You've Been a Bad Friend to Us, just hit the shelves! If you haven't heard about the book, check it out here on Amazon.  Two other exciting tidbits to go along with the book:

• Starting next week, Beth is going to lead a study of her book through her blog. (The LPM Blog)  Every week, she will assign a couple of chapters and post discussion questions.  People will post their responses to the questions on her blog.  Our law school bible study is going to participate, and I encourage you to, too!

• On April 24, 2010, Beth will host a LIVE teaching event on the topic of insecurity.  The actual event will be held in Atlanta, but it will be broadcast live via satellite to many other host sites across the US and Canada.  Over 600 churches and schools have already signed up to host the event, including my church!  To find a host site near you, click here.  Just to give you an idea of what an amazing opportunity this is, over 100,000 people across the United States attended the simulcast for Get Out of that Pit!  Regardless of how many people attend this one, I know that God will show up--and that alone is reason enough to go!

 (Image provided by www.ccn.tv/bethmoore2010)

"I feel pretty!"

If my blog could sing right now, it would be singing "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story!

Don't you love the new look? I do!

Many thanks to Kelly at Fabulous K, who turned a drab-looking blog into something fabulous!