​You are a busy person so I will get right to the point. You (yes you!) are absolutely fabulous and here are 3 (of many) reasons why. Oh and before we start, I know some of you may say, “How do you know? You don’t know me.” Well, while I may not know you personally, I know some things about you…So let’s go!
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1. You were created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27)-I mean come on…it doesn’t get any better than that! The best plastic surgeon in the world could not come close to replicating such beauty. The one true living God personally created you and breathed life into you…yes you! No matter your perceived flaws or limitations; make no mistake, you have been divinely created to be just as you are. I know you may be in a rush to get to point #2 but if you don’t mind let’s pause and look to Jesus for more on the point about “flaws.” When asked by His disciples why a particular man had been born blind, Jesus explained it was this way so, “that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” (John 9:1-3) Did you catch that? Everything God has done and created in us serves some greater purpose. He does not make mistakes. Even though we may dislike our attributes or fail to see their value, God has perfectly crafted us and all His creation to ensure He will receive the ultimate glory. Amazing right?! While on this point, please do not mistake me, I am not being critical or judgmental of our human efforts to alter or enhance our physical appearance. Instead I would encourage all to realize that while makeup, cosmetic procedures, clothes, etc. may help us feel or be acknowledged as (more) beautiful according to man’s standard of beauty; in the eyes of God, our value and beauty are unchanging, unmatched and priceless.
2. You are one of a kind!-Lets be real, no matter how hard you (or I) try, you can never be someone else…and you shouldn’t try to be! Ultimately, loving and embracing who you were created to be is far more fulfilling than forgoing your unparalleled self in hopes that you can be some other woman (or man). Honestly, from someone who has tried, yearning and working to be someone that you are not is physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually exhausting. Not only do you inflict self-harm in the grueling, unnatural efforts to be someone else; your rejection of self also leaves the world void of the authentic, unique role you have been divinely designed to play. Embrace who God intended for you to be and if ever you strive to live as someone else, let that person be Jesus Christ and Him alone.
3. You are loved & highly sought after- To be thought of as genuinely loved and sought after seems almost inconceivable given the modern day culture we live in. Many women (and perhaps some men) can attest to feeling more like an option than a priority when the opposite sex is considered. Even aside from relations with the opposite sex; often a lack of attention or recognition by our family, friends, coworkers, employers, etc. can invoke feelings of loneliness and worthlessness. What a shame it is for us to allow ourselves to feel such a way. People are fickle and their attention spans are brief; this is a reality of the human condition that we should not hold against one another. At the end of the day, neither you nor I can control the desires and actions of anyone other than ourselves. Instead, let me encourage you to focus on the fact that you are genuinely loved and being chased after someone who only wants a relationship with you. You are never alone or forgotten. Jesus is standing, knocking at the door. Have you opened it?

​Have you ever felt emotionally exhausted? Personally, I find emotional exhaustion to often be worse than physical exhaustion. There are some days when I had a full night’s rest and would still awaken fatigued. How could this be? That question once plagued me. However, with time it was ultimately easy for me to discern that my lack of rejuvenation was due to the poor emotional condition I attempted to “rest” in. How can the body rest when the mind is consumed with a perpetual cycle of unhealthy, self-defeating thoughts? It was no wonder I was not refreshed when I would awaken the following morning.

Even though I, or rather we, may not want to admit it, often the debilitating torment of emotional exhaustion is self-inflicted. Naturally, we may first want to dispute this argument, especially if our emotions are in response to an attack or wrongdoing of another. However, even if our initial anguish is the result of the sins or transgressions of another; an inability to allow restoration of emotional health to its optimal state is generally a personal doing. Though others may harm and commit crimes against us, ultimately, no person on this earth can control our feelings, emotions and responses. We are not powerless over the state of our emotional well being, we determine the power and influence we allot to any given person or issue. Though life and all of its issues may push us to the brink, we voluntarily dive into the cyst pool of worry, stress, anxiety and emotional exhaustion. Given our dive into emotional exhaustion is voluntary, we can refuse to jump and we can instead choose to thrive in the midst of the adversity, thereby maintaining our peace of mind.

​How so? By trusting in the Word of God. More reassuring than our personal role in resisting and combating emotional exhaustion is what God has promised He will do for the weary of heart. Isaiah 40: 28-31 (ESV) states, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” So my dear friend, soar over the valleys of emotional exhaustion and heed to the Word of God, forever trusting He is with you, empowering and strengthening you along the way. God bless!