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My daughter's lips

My daughter is beautiful. She lights up our world. I love my boys and thank God for them every single day. But because we have four boys and one princess, her beauty kind of stands out if ya know what I mean. Obviously I am not speaking of a worldly, everything is perfectly arranged and completely flawless kind of beauty, but of an inner sweetness, a precious innocence and a giggle that bubbles over into every part of her being. So when she decided to be a princess for a friends Halloween party I definitely didn't argue. We braided her hair, fastened her crown and zipped up her flowing gown. Then, for the very first time (she is 4) we painted her lips and rosied up her plump (in an adorably pinchable kind of way) cheeks. We looked in the mirror and admired our work. But, something didn't look right. She was holding her lips at a funny angle and talking without shutting them. She was worried. She didn't want her lipstick to come off. For the next hour she had a hard time relaxing. I kept reassuring her that she looked beautiful and that she didn't need to worry. Eventually, when she was surrounded by her friends, lots of candy and of course a Minecraft creeper, Steve, Tigger and Thomas the train (her brothers), she settled into her princess role and forgot all about her lips.
     As Christians, we do the same thing. We are sons and daughters of the King. He has made us new, beautiful and sparkling clean. But, instead of basking in His love, enjoying the incredible gifts he's given us, talking with him, listening to Him and reading His letters of love we decide to try harder. We work on patience, strive to love, beat ourselves up for lacking self control and try to hold our lips in the perfect smiling position so that we seem joyful.  All the while, we inwardly believe we are failures, that we don't measure up and we will never figure out how to do this life thing right. Here's the thing, Our Father and the maker of the universe has already made us beautiful and wants to walk with us as we learn how to receive His love and allow it to flow through us. But, if we are too busy trying to hold our lips just right, longing for someone else's dress or filling our lives with distraction so we don't have time to feel, we may join him in Heaven one day, but we will spend our lives exhausted, discouraged and lonely.
     You are beautiful. You are loved. If you are a believer, your sins are completely forgiven (even the ones you commit five minutes after reading this), you are a daughter (or son) of the King. Stop wasting time trying to hold your lips just right and use them to ask your deliverer what worshipping Him is supposed to look like in your life. If you don't hear the answer, don't walk away discouraged or think you need to try harder. Keep asking, keep listening, and rest knowing that He will answer you in His time.

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