I Turn 50 in Three Days....

I turn 50 in three days.

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Fifty

One-half a century

And, the question that comes to my mind is of what value have those years been?  If you had asked me this question a few years ago, I would have been hard-pressed to give you any kind of positive answer.  I had lost my way…allowed others to tell me my worth or lack thereof…I had forgotten to measure my worth by God’s view rather than man’s.

And, easy as it would be to blame another or others for that, I have learned that no one is to blame but me.

When you are centered around God, you, in humility know that you have great, precious, wonderful worth. 

You lose the need to force, to pull, to tug….you no longer need to gossip, critique, naysay.

When God’s view of you is seared onto your heart, you are able to fully understand your worth in a true and honest way which brings peace to your heart and joy to your soul.

I know that now.

I knew that when I was a young girl and even a young woman….innately, I knew God is love and that He loves me.  I knew that in His eyes, I was not only worthy…I saw me through His eyes….and, this is what I saw…

Lovely

Earnest

Sincere

Authentic

Sissy

Holy

Elegant

Real

Young

Lord’s (the)

Marvelous

Intelligent

Loving

Laughing

Special

Tender

Eager

Amiable

Daughter

Yeilding

Only

Unique

Natural

Grateful

Lesa Sheryl Millstead Young

I know these things to be true.  I forgot them for a season and even if I had remembered them, I would not have allowed myself to write them for fear of being thought vain or conceited or self-absorbed.  But, that was wrong –thinking.

How can we go about reflecting the Glory of God if we don’t see the value of ourselves?

How am I able to share His love with others if I am unable to love myself?

You cannot.  You cannot pour out to others what you do not have full up in yourself.

And, no one, not parent, nor spouse, nor sibling can make you love yourself.  Only God can lead you to seeing yourself worthy of such a deep thing.

And, He does so delight when we “get it”…..We Are Worthy…We Are Beautiful….We are Precious

And, the more we love ourselves, the more that love grows and grows and overfills our soul.  When our love overflows, then we are able to not only pour it out on others, but we are able to heap it up large and tall on others.

Not only on the loveable others, but on the unlovable others.

God’s love heals many a wound.  His love fills many an empty heart.

And, in the so-doing, a magical thing occurs…

We share our selves because we understand we actually have something worthy of sharing.

We share our lives because we know we make a difference.

We stoop to smile at the little child in a wheelchair; we pay to fix a cleft palate.  We adopt those who would be motherless; we nurture those who are mentally unable to survive without our help.

We open our wallets and give financially to improve the lot of the needy; we open our homes to those whose head has nowhere to rest.  We pray for the lost, the sick, the dying.

we do little sweet kindnesses. We slow down and listen to our elderly friend who just wants to share.

We do…

We give..

We share…

We love…

All in the name of God and all because He first loved us.

It is a gift, this love we are given.

It is a gift to be able to finally….finally….finally see ourselves through the eyes of the only one who truly matters.  And, to know in the viewing that we see how beautiful we truly are.

And, what I find particularly sweet is that the more I see myself through God’s eyes, the more lovely you become.

The more precious….the more beautiful you are.

So, as I hit the “big 50”……I am grateful.

I have been to the end of myself, and in so-doing, have gotten to the beginning of God.

Fifty….it is not the beginning of my end.  It is the beginning of my new start.

A clean slate.

A deeper understanding.

A clear view….from the stained glass windows of God’s eyes, looking down on me through Jesus’ life, I see something very lovely.

I see someone very lovely.

And, her name is….

Lesa Sheryl Millstead Young

For she is God’s Girl.  God’s gift. 

She has great worth, great value.

And, standing right beside her

Is YOU

Someone very lovely, very worthy, very valuable

And, all God really asks is that we take our time here on earth, whether it be too short such as with Bethany Anderson or Beth Morris, or whether it be very lengthy such as Herschel Young or Sister Cook….

All He asks is that we recognize our time is to love…to share…to shine like the sun….and His Son.

And, to use our life to be His reflection to others.

Do my 50 years have worth and value?

I think so.

As do your years.

Celebrate each and every one! 

Blessings and much love,

Lesa