“To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes” - Isaiah61:3
This passage has become a life verse for me. Born with a very severe cleft palate resulting in twenty nine surgeries and most of my childhood spent in and out of the hospital, I struggled with my self-esteem. Elementary and Middle school were filled with days of boys teasing me for my “ugly” lip and mocking my speech impediment. I felt everything but beautiful. For years into my adult life, I continued to believe that I was unattractive and that no man could see me as beautiful.
But something wonderful happened to me several years ago. While meditating on Psalm 139:14, I discovered that God unequivocally declared that “I am fearfully and wonderfully made!” In verse 13, He says that He thoughtfully designed me in my mother’s womb. I am not a mistake! I am not a flawed person. In fact, He designed me to be a reflection of His beauty, His holiness, His wisdom, His kindness, His love, and most of the other brilliant parts of His character. This is the meaning of the phrase “fearfully made.” I am unique from everyone else as described by the Hebrew language’s meaning for “wonderfully made.”
The Lord is calling you to see yourself as He sees you. “Arise, come my darling, my beautiful one, come with me” (Song of Songs 2:13). He desperately loves you and wants you to know that as His bride, He desires to daily pour out His love on you. Pray and thank God for the Crown of Beauty that He wants you to wear today. Praise Him as you meditate on His love letter to you: “You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes” (Song of Songs 4:9).
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