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A Little Confidence - 2nd in the Series by Jessica Sheets I recently attended a high school pep rally at my sister's (and my old) high school. As I sat there watching these teenagers dance and strut all over the floor, there were several thoughts that came into my head. First, it made me glad to be out of high school with all the pressure to be a certain way, fit into a certain group, etc.... But then as I watched the dance team and the cheerleaders, I found myself thinking how nice it would be to have that flat stomach, those tan legs, that coordination, etc.... And I am reminded that issues of acceptance and self-esteem have no respect for age. We all want to be accepted and loved. Those needs were not invented by this increasingly self-centered world; they are desires that were placed in us by our Creator. God designed us with a great need to be loved. Our problem is that we have taken that need and tried to fill it with everything except Him. We think that if we can look good enough, be popular enough, or have the right friends or boyfriend, then we will be fulfilled. But the more we try to find our acceptance in this world, the less adequate we will feel on the inside...because we just weren't made to work that way. One of the biggest things that God has shown me about myself, and given me a passion for helping other girls understand, is just how incredibly precious we are to Him. We are loved more than we can even know right now (although one day we will understand the depth of that love, and it's a good thing we'll already be in heaven with a new body because I think it would literally blow our earthly mind!) I think about all the amazing things that God has created...the starlit sky, snowcapped mountains, glorious sunsets, sandy white beaches with crystal clear water. And then, there is the beautiful sound of a baby crying as he or she enters this world, and that is God's grand prize...the one He loves so far above and beyond anything else He ever created. And He doesn't stop loving us when we get older and aren't as cute and cuddly anymore. I would imagine that as we grow and mature into the person that He designed us to be, His love for us grows as well. And having such an incredible God who is on our side and thinks that we are beautiful and perfect just like we are can give us much needed confidence in a world where things that shouldn't matter seem to matter a whole lot. Imagine this scenario for a moment. One of your favorite young, handsome actors left the Hollywood scene and moved into your neighborhood (I know we are really stretching, but just humor me). You two started spending time together and eventually fell in love. How would that affect your confidence? Now imagine being with this guy every day with him constantly telling you what a wonderful person you are, how incredibly beautiful you are, and how much he loves you. At this point would it really matter what anybody else thought about you? Would it matter anymore that the guy in Biology didn't want to go out with you or that the girl across the hall in your dorm always snickers behind your back? And at the same time, wouldn't you also be incredibly humbled that this guy, who could have had any girl he wanted, had chosen YOU! This next statement may be even more of a stretch for you to believe, but God is all of that and then some. His qualities go so far beyond a Hollywood actor that we can't even try to describe or understand them. And He has chosen us...He has chosen you. And every day, he is telling us how precious we are, how beautiful we are, and how much He loves us! And when we begin to accept that and believe it and actually live in that truth, we will realize that the little things we worry about actually are little, and slowly they will bother us less and less. And one day we will realize that our confidence is so totally wrapped up in Him that the guy in Biology can take a flying leap for all we're concerned. Because we are loved by the Creator of the Universe and nothing can compare to that.