A Letter To My Sisters...

Dear Sis,

When is the last time you looked in the mirror and admired how beautiful you are?  No, I'm not talking about the mirror that hangs on your wall.  Neither am I referring to your hair or your hips, your curves or cute clothes, your bust or your butt.  Nope!

The mirror that I speak of is GOD.  Afterall, it was in His image that you were created.  The reflection you see when you stand face to face with yourself should be His, not the superficial definition of beauty that's been shoved down your throat by mainstream media and pop culture.  You see, the thing that makes you beautiful cannot be purchased from a shelf.  It's not in the Mac makeup, but in the divine makeup in which you were created by The Man above.  It's not in the clothes you wear, but in the work of the cross Jesus had to bear.  It's not in the lashes you place upon your eyes, but in the lashes that were placed upon Jesus' body.  It's not even in those red bottoms, but in the red blood that was shed just for you.

Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being fly and fabulous. But again, that's not where your true beauty lies.

Your beauty has nothing to do with your childhood history.  It's not connected to the abuse you suffered or the father that never showed you love.  It's not at all contingent upon how much your mother failed to love you or the rejection you faced from your peers. It's not even about the number of men you've had sex with or any of the sexual struggles you've had.

One more thing -- your beauty is not indicative upon how many men lust after you or the number of likes connected to your social media pictures.  It's not about how well you "twerk", or "werk" overtly revealing clothes.

Here's the thing...

Long before your parents ever even met, God knew you. Before you were ever a tiny little fetus growing in your mother's womb, God chose you. Before your heart ever made its first beat, God loved you. Before the foundation of the world, He gave you purpose.

He formed you - even your innermost parts - in His perfect image and to His liking.  He shaped you perfectly for the purpose in which He created you. (Yes, you have purpose!)  He laid out every detail of your life - even those things that you hate about yourself - and, by His hands, made you His masterpiece.  You are the apple of His eye.

You are beautiful because you were created in the Spirit of a beautiful God.  You are beautiful because you are a daughter of royalty.  You are beautiful because God loved you SO much that He sacrificed His son just for you.  You are beautiful because God has good plans for your life.

When is the last time you looked at yourself through God's eyes to see your true beauty?

All of those things that society says makes a woman beautiful can only mildly enhance the exterior of what is already perfectly made.  It's what's within you - placed by God - that displays your true beauty.

You don't have to be hot, when God has created you to be holy.

You don't have to have certain clothes, when God has clothed you in righteousness.

You don't need compliments, when God gives you love without conditions.

Clothes, shoes, makeup, all of that is great. The problem is that those things can be stripped away, at with it, take your store-bought beauty.  But when it comes to the beauty that was placed upon and within you by God, nothing and no one can take it away from you.

Embrace THAT beauty.

Be beautiful,
Keisha
xoxo

(Scripture References: Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 139:13-17; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 1:4; Genesis 1:27;31; Isaiah 61:10).

All Things New: Finding Freedom in Christ

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, Contemporary English Version)


For many years, I lived a life of depression, despair, and distress. Darkness filled my days, and hopelessness filled my nights. Pain was the norm for me, because it was all I knew. I had no peace, and believed that my life served no purpose. My sin-sick soul desperately needed a healing, but I convinced myself that there was no help for me. Though I loved God, read my Bible, and attended church regularly, deep within my heart I felt like the black sheep of the royal family. In my mind, I was a lost cause and I accepted that my life would amount to nothing.

In my worst, darkest moments I would beg God to let me give up and quit, and I could never understand why He wouldn’t let me. As many times as I let go of Him, He never let go of me. I now realize that He would not allow me to die in my pain, because He had purpose and life destined for me.

Back then I could not see that even through all of my pain and sorrow, God’s hand was always present in my life, and He had a plan for me. You couldn’t have paid me to believe that.

I can’t pinpoint my exact aha moment, but something definitely clicked in my mind, letting me know that God had a much better life in store for me and I could no longer allow the grip or guilt of my past to hold me back. That’s when I decided to really get to know the Lord for myself, and develop a deeper relationship with Him through praying, fasting, and studying His word.

Although I accepted the Lord at the age of 14, it wasn't until my late twenties that I truly gave my life to Christ. Oh, what a wonderful change! It blows my mind to look back and see how much God has changed my life. And He hasn’t changed bits and pieces of my life, EVERYTHING is new – My perception; my convictions; my attitude; my conversations, my desires; my relationships…everything. God has reconstructed (And continues to do so!) my whole life.

And you know what? He wants to do the same for you.

The thing I love about God, but didn’t always realize, is that He has is not a respecter of persons. 2 Corinthians 5:17 specifically says, “ANYONE who belongs to Christ…” That includes you.

The enemy (Satan) will do his best to condemn you and hold your past over your head, but Romans 8:1 says “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t hold our guilt against us? But when we come humbly before Him seeking mercy and forgiveness, He washes it all away, and makes us new. How awesome is that!

God desires that you experience newness of life in Him. He doesn’t care what you’ve done, or where you’ve been. The pain you’ve felt does not define your life. There’s more for you. Whoever you are, where ever you are, I encourage you to submerge yourself in Christ. In Him you will find that all things have the possibility of becoming new in your life. And there’s nothing like becoming new in Christ. It’s an experience like no other.

Here’s an affirmation for you: I am a new person. My past is forgotten. Everything is new.

Be Beautiful,

Keisha

xoxo

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made...

Spring-Clean Your Heart: Let Go of Unforgiveness

They broke your heart.

They conned you out of money.

They abandoned you.

They molested you.

They lied to you.

They stole from you.

They scandalized your name.

You're hurt.  You're mad.  You feel betrayed.  You feel used and abused.  You're angry.  Your heart aches from the lingering sting of the offense against you.

You want an apology.

You want compensation for your pain.

You want your name cleared.

You want your money back.

You want them to come back into your life.

And until you receive what you feel you need, you can't move on.

But what if that one thing you want never happens?  What if you never hear "I'm sorry?"  What if that loved one never comes back?  What if the wrong that was committed against you is never personally made right by your offender?

Will you stay angry forever?  Will hurt and pain continue to steal your joy?  Will unforgiveness take permanent residence in your heart?

It is inevitable that people will hurt you in life, but one thing that can hurt you more than what someone does to you is unforgiveness.  It is said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.  It hurts you, not them.  If you really think about it, while you harbor feelings of hurt and anger, the person who wronged you has gone on with their life.  So why allow your joy and healing to be controlled by someone else?

As right and as wonderful as it would be to have others genuinely apologize for the pain they've caused in your life, many times it simply does not happen.  But you can't allow another person's lack of morale to have you living contradictory to God's Word by operating in unforgiveness.  The sooner you learn to accept the apology you may never receive, the sooner you can heal from the hurt and move on with your life.

Don't allow the enemy to play on your pain, flare your emotions, and cause bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness to fester and grow in your heart.  As a child of God, you are called to love even your enemies. Matthew 5:43-45a says, "You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven."

Furthermore, when you fail to forgive others, no matter how badly they hurt you, you block yourself from receiving forgiveness from God.  Matthew 6:14-15 says, "“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."

God extends mercy (forgiveness) to us freely, and as His children, we are to reflect His character.

Unforgiveness hurts you emotionally, spiritually, and sometimes physically.  God has so much He wants to do in, for, and through you, but the bitterness in your heart against your brother or sister is blocking His hand.  Do yourself a favor and spring-clean your heart.  Let go of anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness, and make room for the Fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, and peace (Galatians 5:22-23).   If left unattended, unforgiveness will blossom into hatred, and hate is not of God.  He is a God of love, and calls us to love one another (John 13:34-35).

Forgiving others does not take away the fact that you were wronged and hurt, but it allows you to display the character of Christ and grow in your relationship with Him.  The best revenge you can ever have on someone is forgiving and releasing them to the Lord.

Take the weight off of your shoulders and follow the beautiful example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, as He asked His Father to forgive those who brutally beat Him and nailed Him to a cross. If He could forgive, surely you can too.

Be Beautiful,
LaKeisha Rainey-Collins
xoxo