What do you see when you look in the mirror?  Every day I wake up and like most people do, I head to the bathroom to pry the eyes open and brush the stank breath away.  But one thing that is always unavoidable is the reflection that I am met with in the mirror.  Sure, much of the time I simply focus on the hair out of place or the beard that needs trimming, but there are times when I am left with the thoughts of who I am…what I do…questions of worth and value or memories of past failures.  Not every time, mind you.  Sometimes you just need to get that piece of lettuce out that was stuck in your teeth.  It’s the times when you have to get a “piece of lettuce” out of the depths of your soul that make it challenging.   When your level of self-worth or value is less than desirable…on the level of a cheap piece of coal.

Carbon in certain conditions can simply become graphite, but at other conditions can become something much more valuable.  It’s crazy that with just enough pressure (435,113 psi) and just enough heat (752℉), carbon can become a diamond.  Now this can only happen 100 miles below the earth’s surface where the conditions are just right, but eventually it makes it’s way to the top as Earth’s plates shift.  Isn’t that where the real struggle is?  Deep below the surface?  Down where no one sees the pressure.  Deep inside where no one else feels the heat as it’s turned up through life’s unavoidable circumstances.  If you are willing to give yourself to the process, you might just find a new sparkle on the other side.  I know, it’s hard to see the potential when all you feel is the pain, but keep going!  Don’t stop.  You’re not alone!   You see,  a diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.  The bills pile up…we’re surrounded by the demands of career and relationships…the kids are screaming and begging for your attention, and you feel like you are barely staying above water.  Just remember, a new sparkle is waiting for you on the other side!

In honor of you ladies and especially the moms who we honored this last week, I want to share a video with you that I shared with Highway Community Church last Sunday.  Our media team helped me interview a friend who is choosing daily to help ladies see their worth and value…helping them find their true “BeYOUtiful” self.  I know it will speak into your soul and invite you into a better place.  If it does speak to you, please take the time to pass it along to a friend or family member!  And after you see it, the next time you wipe away the effects of that night’s sleep, look in the mirror and hear yourself say, “You are enough!”

Psalm 139:14 “Thank you (GOD) for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it.”