I see you. You are beautiful, magnificent really.
You were shaped first inside, then out; formed in your mother’s womb.
You shrug it off. You hear but don’t listen. Truth can be slow to penetrate.
Body and soul, you are marvelously made!
“But I’ve got 10/15/50 pounds to lose,” you reason. “Then maybe.”
Your weight doesn’t define you.
“And these wrinkles/pimples/cellulite. That’s all people see – that’s all I see.” You tell me.
There is so much more to you than your skin.
“But I’m too tall/short/light/dark. My hair is too straight/curly/thick/thin. If I could just be different…” you argue.
You were made, bit by bit, sculpted from nothing into something with meaning and purpose.
When I see you, I see the hand of God.
I see the glorious work He has created in you and am reminded that He is still at work in each of us. When I look at you, I don’t see your weight, or your skin tone. I don’t care about how tall you are or the color of your skin. What your hair is like makes no difference to me. Uniquely you by design, I see your kindness and your generosity, your love and your sense of humor. I see the way you offer a helping hand to a mom struggling with a wayward toddler and an overflowing stroller, the gentle way you wipe your child’s tears and kiss his owies. I see the way you pitch in to help a new mom in need, and comfort a hurting friend. I see someone beautiful inside and out. And I hope you begin to see it, too.
You are beautiful, magnificent really.
I see you.
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.
Psalms 119:13-16 from The Message
You are beautiful, magnificent really.