Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the first day of Lent. Often when you attend a Catholic service, you will get an ash marked on your forehead, and the priest will say “Remember that you are dust and to dust, you shall return.”   I like this version a little better “Remember that you have to die.”  I admit when I read that it can sound so morbid and scary, but after having experiencing this in my life, I embrace it knowing the other side of dying to oneself.  You see we have to experience death before we can experience the resurrection of life. It is what Jesus demonstrated when he went up to the cross to die for our sins; he did it to resurrect to life in three days.

On MGL I would love it if we women take a vow to give up a lie we have believed about our own beauty in this Lent season.  What is the barrier holding you back from seeing your true beauty?  Is it those last 10 pounds you are trying to lose? Is it clearer skin? Is it because you are waiting for that perfect wardrobe? Is it the attention of that particular man you are craving? Is it that desire to get attention from others because you are insecure about yourself on the inside? Is it that desire to be in elite groups because you are insecure about who you are on the inside? Is it because you are comparing yourself to that one beautiful girl in your life and you know you will never be as beautiful as her?

Today before you go to bed, I want you to strip off all the make-up, lashes, hair extension and clothing. Feel free to put on a robe, if you feel completely uncomfortable. I want you to stare at yourself in the mirror for a good 5-10 minutes. I want you to look at yourself until you see the beauty.  Make a note of the thoughts that hold you back from seeing your true beauty. The truth is the bare you; the original you is beautiful. If you can’t realize that you are beautiful in your bare state then you will never be able to show the world your true beauty.  How can they see it if you don’t see it yourself?

After you have done this exercise, please leave a comment on some of the thoughts or lies you found yourself recognizing as part of this experiment. I will leave my personal comment. Trust me do not be afraid of leaving a comment, you are not alone. Your comment could encourage another woman struggling with the same lie.  Let’s build a community of women helping one another to embrace our individual beauty.

To My Greatest Love;

My love, I created you, and you are perfectly and wonderfully made. When you don’t acknowledge your divine beauty, you are telling me, the perfect creator, that my works are not good enough. What in this world is making you believe that you are not beautiful? My dear, whatever it is it is not from me.   I died on that cross so that you can have freedom to live in the skin you have been given. It breaks my heart to see you living in bondage believing something that is not true about you.  Come, my darling, let’s take this Lent season to remove the lies.  Once they are removed, it will allow me to fill up that space with truths about your divine beauty.  It’s time to die to the old thinking (self) and resurrect in freedom of knowing who you truly are, a beautiful daughter of the highest king.

Love,

Your Truest Love