“A faithful Christian woman in her early forties gathered the courage after many years to resign from her job, leave the home of her godly parents and go to work for a missions organization overseas.  Molested as a child, she had lived much of her life controlled by fear, but her sparkling eyes and bubbly personality covered up her lack of confidence and low self-esteem.
     She longed to marry a godly Christian and serve the Lord with him, but the right man had never come along.  The woman was therefore surprised and pleased when a single Christian man about her age who worked for the same missions group began showing her attention – warm smiles; genuine appreciation for her conscientious work; little compliments here and there.  She was even more surprised when he suggested that they begin having lunch together several times a week.
     She felt so plain. So ordinary. So undesirable. But the more the woman for to know her new friend, the more she liked and respected him.  She could tell the feelings were mutual.
     One day at work the man asked if he could take her out for dinner.  That evening she glanced up from the menu and saw him gazing at her with a tender, loving expression in his eyes.  ‘I’m sorry for staring,’ he said, a little embarrassed, ‘but you are so beautiful that you take my breath away.’
      The woman could hardly believe her ears.  Beautiful!  Me?  She opened her mouth to protest and put herself down, but then something stopped her.  He sees you the way I see you, an inner thought seemed to say.  Overwhelmed beyond words, the woman’s face broke into a radiant smile.
     How do you think God sees you?  Do you cringe at the thought?  God’s estimation of your beauty comes from His great love for you – not as a result of any inherent goodness or beauty of your own.  
     […]Oh, how the Lord longs for His church to receive the revelation of His ravishing heart – utterly overwhelmed with delight for us – even though we may not like or believe in ourselves.  How His heart aches for us to become aware of He fascination with our beauty and respond to His yearning glance (Ps. 45:11).”
                                           -Mike Bickle from Passion for Jesus

I said to God- Song of Solomon 1:1-4
God said to me- Song of Solomon 2:10-13

Food for Savoring,
        Ashley