Way Deep Down In My Heart

I'm in a very joyous mood. The days seems to go by so fast, but everyday is such a great new adventure. I've only seen the kids in chapel every morning and as they pass by me throughout the day, but I love them all so much. Their smiles always make my day brighter, and when one of them calls out a greeting (silly as it may sound) I feel so special and important.
Today I worked on the 4th-6th grade girl's bible study with one of the youth girl's who just graduated. It was so cool to see how passionate she is about the Lord and sharing her heart with the pre-teen girls. Our topic this week is appearance and modesty. It was a tough lesson for me to write up because self-image has been a huge battle throughout my life. However, It was nice to spend time digging into the word and preparing to share the love and hope that can be found when we realize that our identity rests in Christ. In preparing today I was reading and really focusing on two scriptures that I often overlook:

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works, my soul knows it very well."
                                                                                                Psalm 139:13-14
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..."
                                                                          Jeremiah 1:5

To me, these two verses are a reminder that 1) God took time to create me because I am precious and loved by Him. 2) Before I even had a body or any kind of physical attribute, God saw and knew my heart. My whole being is reaffirmed in so many ways by these scriptures. God knew my heart before the rest of me was put together. I think there is so much peace and love wrapped up in this, that just because we are not as pretty as someone else in our own eyes or the eyes of the world, it's our innermost beings that the Lord sees first and delights in most. More than anything, I want my heart to always be a reflection of God's perfect love and never-fading beauty.

"Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious."
                                                                                    1 Peter 3:3&4