Forever Beloved

Faith, Love & Truth

Getting Past the Ugly {Book Review}

Getting Past the Ugly Through the Beauty of Self Love
30 Devotions for Higher Self Esteem
by Bermesola M. Dyer

About the book:

Getting Past The Ugly through The Beauty of Self Love invites you to take a 30-day journey to renewed inner strength and self-discovery. In a world with unrealistic expectations it’s no wonder so many young women experience feelings of inadequacy and struggle to find their self worth. From binge eating, anorexia, fad diets, plastic surgery and volatile relationships, countless women are yearning to look and play the part of beauty. But what is the true definition of beauty and what are we losing in the quest to obtain it? Is it our integrity? Our identity? Our values? Our worth? This voyage will encourage you to challenge societal norms and offers a renewed outlook on God’s definition of beauty.

Getting Past The Ugly is for any woman struggling with self-esteem, self-acceptance or feelings of insecurity. Here you will find practical solutions to transform your self-perception and redefine beauty on your own terms based on the Word of God. Getting Past The Ugly offers 30 daily devotions sprinkled with words of wisdom, Biblical references, inspirational quotes, poems, affirmations and daily action steps to inspire you during this transformational process. Throughout this journey you will be encouraged in your lonely hours and empowered to walk in the calling God has for your life. Allow yourself to be the beautiful woman you were meant to be and walk in your purpose as you experience The Beauty of Self Love!

This book came at a time in my life when I needed it more than even I realized.  God sure knows what He’s doing!  Once I started reading it, I immediately got myself a journal to write in.

We all know beauty as defined by the world is often unrealistic.  Thankfully that’s not how God defines beauty!  With this book, Bermesola explains how God sees us.

This book was truly such a breath of fresh air. I felt as if throughout the book, she was speaking directly to me and my issues. She gives such practical ways you can increase your self-esteem. She encourages you to discover your strengths and to hold onto your dreams. I would definitely recommend this book to all women!

I received a free copy of this book for review. This review is my honest opinion.

{Semi} Wordless Wednesday

Paper Trees

Sure, I’ll teach a Bible School class.  As soon as those words left my lips, I immediately started stressing.  Would I be a good enough teacher?  If a child wanted to accept the Lord, would I know the right words to say?  Would they even learn anything from my class?

As the time grew closer, I shifted my worrying from my words to my decorations.  Fun decorations are such an important part of the week.

Through lots of Pinterest searching, I finally found doable ideas.  A super cute paper tree in the corner of my room accompanied by a giraffe face on my door.  Hallelujah, I can finally relax a little.

Hours were spent getting my room in the cutest, child pleasing condition.  The tree was the cutest, only requiring around 5 hours of work.  Finally, looking around my room, I felt relaxed and ready to tackle the week.

And then it happened.

I walked into my room 5 minutes before the first night of Bible School was to start.  Flipped the light switch and my breath caught in my throat.  Panic set in.  My tree was completely on the floor, unsalvageable.  In a split-second decision, I loaded it into a trash bag and threw it in the dumpster.

I felt defeated before the week even began.

I headed back upstairs with my head hung low.  The Director caught me and pulled me into the Pastors office for a bit of prayer time before Bible School started.  As he spoke, I held back my tears.  “Lord, help us remember it’s not about us, it’s not about decorations, it’s about You and getting to these kids hearts.”  

Yep God, I got that message loud and clear.  That tree, while disappointing, was nothing more than just paper.  It couldn’t help get to these precious littles hearts and lead them to God.  It was time for me to refocus, even if it was 5 minutes before Bible School started.  With a quick little silent prayer asking for God to give me the right words, I was off to begin my new venture.      

The week went perfectly and the kids had a great time, even without a paper tree.  The Gospel was spread and hearts were touched.  I’m so thankful that in that second, God directed my focus back to where it should have been, on Him, rather than on myself.