Focus

As you quiet yourself for this brief time, be willing to be open to God in whatever way that may take place.

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Read

Psalm 139:13-18 (NRSV)

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.

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Reflect

In today’s world we are surrounded by societal norms of what is considered beautiful. For a short time I watched a television show that revealed some of the horrible results of plastic surgery gone wrong. One of the females on the show had had rhinoplasty to fix her nose. In looking at the photos of her, I could not see why she hadn’t considered herself to be beautiful as she was. Then it occurred to me that most of us would change something about our appearance if given the opportunity.

While there are good reasons to want to change one’s appearance (an accident, a cleft palate, teeth that jut out, etc.), we need to remember that the little things about our appearance make us uniquely beautiful. The next time you look in the mirror and fuss about something that appears not to be perfect, remember you are designed to be beautiful in God’s image.

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Pray

Lord, please help me to remember that I was created to be beautiful in your image. Thank you for this opportunity to love each uniquely designed person. Amen

Go with God.