“They” said I was never the “pretty girl”. Cute maybe. Beautiful not so much. I got my fair share of compliments on my big bright eyes, crooked smile and my thick thighs. And my voluptuousness definitely got me some attention, maybe not the right attention but attention, nonetheless.

They said I was never the pretty girl, but over and over they told me I was the smart girl. Over achiever, the most intelligent one in the room, straight A’s and a brilliant mind. There wasn’t a problem I couldn’t solve. Or a question I didn’t have the answer to. I read a lot, wrote a lot and all throughout school my teachers loved me.

They said I would never be much. I was too quiet, too shy, not aggressive enough neither did I have the personality for much.

And so this is what I believed about myself, that even though I wasn’t “enough” of anything,  I was cute, sexy and smart. Problem is, smart never got me much attention and I never seemed to quite fit in with my friends, so I focused more on being cute and sexy with the hopes that I would fit… that finally I could belong.

Until sexy landed me in a situation smart couldn’t get me out of –  Betrayed. Brokenhearted. Alone.

That’s when Jesus stepped in. He showed me that I wasn’t living my life. I was living the life people assigned me. I was living a life that suited them. I was being who they said I was. And I was miserable.

He not only stepped in but he told me who I was. As I walked with him I started believing him. Then I realized –  it wasn’t up to them.

“They” didn’t have the right to make a decision about me. “They” didn’t create me.

I had a choice to make. I could be who God said I was or I could continue living a manufactured life at the price of my purpose… and sanity. God showed me the way but as a moral agent with free will, I had the final say. In the end, I was the only one wielding the power. I was the only one with the say so about who I would become.

I tuned them all out and chose God’s way. I am his child, was always his child.

I wasn’t who “they” said I was and, and the power was always mine. I was nobody’s victim!

I’d like to empower you, give you the tools you need to make it to the other side. I’d like to change the way you see yourself, the way you process, the way you access your power – the power you never knew was inside of you.

I’d like to tell you all the things about you that make you beautiful, that make you unique. I’d like to point you to all the things inside of you that are wonderful, show you all the things you are good at and help you discover your thing – the very thing God called you to do that no one can do but you. But it matters not who I say you are, it matters only who you say you are.

I’d like to show you who you are through God’s eyes. I would like to tell you that if you only believe, nothing shall be impossible for you. That you can do everything God created you to do, be all he created you to be and live a happy, fulfilling and abundant life. I’d like to offer you the eyes to see and the faith to believe, but that faith cannot come from me.

I’d like to take away all the lies you’ve been told. All those other people’s opinions you hold as truth, I’d like to wash them away and show you the truth of who you are. But it matters not what I believe about you, it only matters what you believe about you. And all those people who told you, you were too skinny, too fat, too short, too tall, or too old. Not pretty enough, old enough, not talented enough or good enough, it matters not what they say about you, it matters only what you say about you.

All those people that told you you weren’t good enough, that you would never amount to anything and that your dreams would never come true, even if that someone was you – it was a lie. Only God’s word is true.

Define yourself. Or someone will do it for you. Decide who you are, or someone will make you who they want you to be.  And, no,  talent, fame or money will never show you who you are. Only God, your maker, can.

Tune out all the voices and look within. Dare to be amazed at what you find and then become it. Everything else will fall into place. I guarantee it.

Selah.