I Am The Prize

 To the little girl who grew up believing she wasn’t good enough. To the woman who believed in love and was constantly met with betrayal and lies. To the girl who had to grow up without a father. To the one who grew up having witnessed her mother being beaten and mistreated. To the girls and women who have been misled by society’s view of what is beautiful…this is for you! 

  Oftentimes, the things girls face - lies, betrayal, hurt, disappointment - they become so commonplace that even the thought of anything different is foreign…seemingly out of their reach. Well, I’m here to tell you…whatever narrative you’ve developed in your head that portrays you as anything less than the perfection that God designed, it’s time for that chapter to see its end! 

  In his book, “Perfect Trust,” Charles Swindoll suggests that ‘God has entrusted each of us with our own set of unfair circumstances.’ All that means is that we’re going to have troubles in our lives whether we want them or not…and some will be more astronomical than others. What that doesn’t mean is that the circumstances should define us. The circumstances may end with loss, but what will always remain is the greatness He designed inside of you. 

  So, what does being the prize even look like? It’s not just a feeling, but a knowing that you are deserving of everything that exists in your daydreams. When you sit alone in the sanctuary of your quiet place, what do you see? How do you see yourself? Excelling at the thing you’re good at? Finishing school? Running your own business? Standing in the arms of the one you fell in love and made a family with? How about your beauty? Your stamina? Your strength? Your resilience? If you take an honest look, you’ll see what I see…that as life has thrown its biggest hand at me, I’m still standing! The same goes for you. I mean, it has to be true if you’re reading this right now…right? 

  So to that little girl, I plant a seed…to that young lady, I offer encouragement…and to the grown woman, I give this reminder! You are beautiful…you are magical…you are enough! Now, I challenge you all to read this aloud with me… I am (insert your name)…I am His masterpiece. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. There were no mistakes made when I was designed. The mistakes were made each time I tried to change who I was based on my circumstances and outside influences. There is a purpose in me being exactly who I am and who I am not. I am so much more than what I tell myself….I Am the Prize!