Old shirt. New chance.

Today I gave an old shirt a new chance.

I pulled it out of the "lonely and rejected" section of my wardrobe and allowed it to breathe away from the stale air it had been sharing with my husband's shoes.

And boy am I glad I did.

What was it I didn't like about this shirt anyway?

Oh, I remember.

I had thought the cap sleeves showed too much of my large arms and that the angled, loose front implied that I was pregnant instead of overweight.

When I remembered why I had rejected the shirt, I also remembered something that I have been meaning to tell you for quite some time.

you are beautiful.

I wanted to tell you this because I only recently realized that I too am beautiful.

And if I can look at myself and see beauty, then I know you can too.

This occurred to me one day when I had to remind myself to worry about my weight.

or how I look in a sleeveless outfit.

or whether or not I'm having a bad hair day.

And it surprised me that these sorts of things no longer occupy large amounts of space in my mind or my day to day thoughts.

What has happened??

I'm honestly able to wear a bathing suit without hiding under the water until the sun goes down and without spending the entire evening crying over my hideousness?

When did this happen?

I'm really ok with wearing shorts that show my knees?

Do I not realize that these knees are no longer the tiny little knees that used to be attached to the tiny little legs I was once so proud of?

have I gone mad?

hardly.

However, I have relaxed.

I have relaxed in how God made me.

Where I am in this season.

How He sees me.

And what is most important.

Like living out my purpose, exercising for the right reasons, and walking around with a heart overflowing with  love.

instead of a heart filled with pain, bitterness.

or hatred.

towards anyone. 

Even myself.

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