Beautiful... BAH! :::sigh:::

What is your initial response when anyone suggests you are beautiful?
Ha! My first thought is, 'You're out of your mind, right?' Of course, right now the only person telling me I am beautiful is the very last person I want to hear those words from. My ex is laying it on thick and I can't even begin to describe how sick and disgusting it makes me feel... nor would I have enough time or space to explain it all.

Do you find you engage in a lot of negative 'self-talk'? How much of your thought life does this form of thinking consume?
I do. I'm getting better, but the things I have to say about myself are downright ugly sometimes. OK... if I talk to myself about my self (that sounds weird) at all, it is negative. I have been able to stray away from the topic of "me" when I'm thinking, and I don't let myself get as bad as I used to, but I know it is a problem. I have a couple decades plus of negative messages running through my brain. They are as comfortable (and as ugly) as those beat up, ripped up, worn-through-at-the-thighs flannel pj pants you've worn since Clinton was president. I live in these thoughts. I wake up with them, go to sleep with them and I seem to spend every free moment with them. But I am getting better. They aren't as comfortable any more. I argue with them (and myself). I pray about them. They don't have the draw they used to have. One of these days I'll cast them off and throw them away for good. Dear God, let that day come soon!!!

What is the most radical transformation you've witnessed in an individual after they were born again? It's okay to tell about your own!
I have to say my little girl. She still has her 8 year old moments (and boy are they doozies!). And recent events have stirred up some very dramatic behavior. But I can already see a huge change in her. She thinks about things more before doing them, and when she makes a mistake she makes it right as soon as possible. She has such a heart for scripture! Our interim pastor gave her this wonderful bible study book after she asked to be baptized. Its called I'm a Christian Now for younger children and it is excellent. She asks for it the moment she walks in the door from school and spends nearly an hour working on it and reading Scripture. She's so inspiring. She even takes her Bible to school every day and reads it during free reading time. I wish I had her devotion.

The imagery of being a City Girl has absolutely changed the way I perceive my worth before God. Does it yours? Will you receive this truth and let it boost your righteous confidence?
It kind of breaks my heart honestly. I'm not living like a "City Girl" and I dearly want to be...
Dear Lord, I am not living as though I am a daughter of the Most High King. I've spent so much time living among the peasants and I've only had a few glimpses of what itmeans to be royalty. Shower me with Your riches Lord, let me truly live like I'm Yours. Amen.