I am beautiful

I am beautiful

I am beautiful.
Before I paint my face
Before I color my hair
Before I lose 10 pounds
Before I tan my skin
Before I put on designer clothes
Before social media knows my name
Before I get likes and approval from family, friends, and strangers
Before I know a man
Before a man tells me I am
Someone did tell me
He is my Maker
and my Father
Ephesians 1

I am beautiful.
After I don't belong
After I try to
After I'm told I'm not enough
And too much
After dear ones leave
After I face rejection
After I know loss and grief
After my heart is shattered
and I’m fighting the pain
and all of the lies
After I try to perform and make up for it
After it's not enough
After people I trust and love betray me
Because he He never will
Isaiah 54

I am beautiful.
And He made me
to not just be an ordinary work
but his thoughtful and beloved masterpiece
Free from shame and fear
Free from strokes that missed their mark
Free from bystanders and my own critiquing
He has made me a tapestry of threads telling a breathtaking story
Fearfully and wonderfully
His thoughts about me are precious
And they outnumber the grains of sand.
Psalm 139

Grace Bonine