I Am More Than What You See – Delphine’s Story

Sunday morning. It is time to wake up. As soon as I get up I go and scan my face in the mirror. This ordinary object became my enemy about ten years ago. The first thing I notice are new pimples on my face. Although I despise what I see, I will pretend that I am fine. I can’t change the way it is so I decide to get on with the day.

I get ready for church like I do every Sunday. I am determined to keep a positive attitude even when people who can see my deepest struggle displayed all over my face, surround me. That evening, I was invited to go to a friend’s house for a party. I wasn’t supposed to be there at that time, that very day, but the Lord, who knows me, had planned everything because He loves me. An old friend I grew up with at church was there. I hadn’t seen him for a long time. Somehow we started a conversation about body image and I told him how self-conscious I was because of my acne.

‘You have so much great potential’ he said. ‘You have so many beautiful features you should not hide yourself away’ this blew me away. No one had ever said that to me before, it was so unexpected.

Very gently, the Lord spoke to my heart and my mind through that friend’s words of encouragement and truth. They were the loving words from a Father who cares for His children and wants them to be radiant. Throughout the following weeks, I kept thinking about my friend’s powerful words. My struggle was still very deeply rooted though. One day, I found myself sobbing in my car. There were tears of joy and freedom. I realized I was not over my body image struggle and that I desperately needed my Lord’s deep healing.

For so long I had believed the lies, ‘you are not attractive. How can a man fall in love with you?’ But God’s word in 1 Samuel 16:7 reminded me that he had made me beautiful and that was how he saw me.

The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

My acne did not go away but my negative state of mind did. Today I choose to nourish my mind and my heart with positive thoughts and words and to cling to my Father’s truth. I have also started a new health regime that has reduced my acne a little.

We have a perfect Father who accepts and welcomes His children with all their imperfections. Whenever I’m discouraged, I hear the Lord whispering to me,

“Do not worry about what the way your skin looks and do not pay attention to what other people think about it. To me you are and will always be beautiful.”

In the end, isn’t that all that matters?

Delphine – France