Love you Where You Are

I started telling myself this when I had gained that "wilderness" weight. Before I continue, let me define what I mean by wilderness. It's like the story of David or how the ancient Israelites had to wander in the desert for 40 more years until the older generation passed away. Those are two distinct journeys, but it all leads to one thing: the old/unrefined versions of you can not go where you are promised.

I never thought I'd share this picture on the internet. My skin was so bad, and my hair wasn't perfect, but this is my favorite picture. On a random day in the middle of the storm - I felt beautiful inside. In August 2022, I gained a bunch of weight. That didn't bother me, but what bothered me was that I felt awful internally, and it felt like it was manifesting physically. I was working on what I loved about myself, and that was another come to Jesus moment in the mirror. I told myself that day that I wasn't focused on losing weight (I liked the curves I had) but working to feel better. Who was I outside what I looked like? I've never been a person who cared about physical beauty. I always wanted to be the woman who shined eternally. This woman could be recognized for her gifts, wisdom, kindness, and strength. The process of me setting a daily walking goal led me to walk and talk with God heavily. After all, who knows me better than the one who created me? I realized that I was always the woman I hoped to be. Each lap I walked around the neighborhood was a victory for me. I will have to love every change and imperfection for the rest of my life and discover new ways to love myself, and you will too.

Side note: Please don't use this blog post to spread hateful messages about people and their bodies.