She worries. Some days the worry eats her alive, as she battles the fears and concerns that plague her mind.
She looks in the mirror and sees an ugly mess. Too fat, too thin, stringy hair, bad skin, thunder thighs….she’ll never be good enough.
She struggles with her anger. She yells. She screams. Sometimes she loses control.
She pulled on that tattered cardigan again today, because she’s worried you’ll see the bruises on her arm.
She looked in the mirror tonight, turning up her nose at the sight of her body, wondering if she’s the reason her husband is addicted to porn. Is she not enough?
She is grieving. Tears soak her pillow most nights, and she struggles to get out of bed most mornings.
She’s afraid to go after her dreams. It’s too selfish. It’s unrealistic. It’s a pipe dream. She’ll have to settle.
She cries herself to sleep at night, certain her family would be better off without her. Don’t her kids deserve a better mother?
She is sure she is screwing her children up, bungling the whole motherhood experience. Maybe she wasn’t cut out to be a mom.
She struggles to connect with others. Is she really worth knowing? Would anyone truly want to know her?
“She” is your friend, your sister, the woman who rang up your groceries today. “She” is your doctor, your neighbor, and the mom in front of you in the school drop-off line. “She” represents the women in your life who are struggling, secretly – behind closed doors. “She” is the woman who is terrified to let her guard down. “She” is afraid to allow anyone to see her for who she is – to see her brokenness, her pain, her needs….
She is all of us.
Not all of us are dealing with things like abuse, addiction, or anxiety – but all of us are dealing with our own private pain. We all mask our fears, hurts, and those things we wish we could erase from our personality or past.
She – you – is so often unaware of the beautiful person trapped behind the wall of lies and negative self-talk. She doesn’t recognize her potential, her value, her great worth. She sees the mess, the problems, the stress, the negativity in her environment, and stops short of seeing the incredible woman she is.
We all put aside our pains and hurts, paste on a fake smile, and tell everyone that we’re “fine.” We fear vulnerability, intimacy, and honesty – certain that we are the only one struggling. Surely no one else has the thoughts we do. No one else messes up the way we do. Everyone else has it together, and we’re just barely getting by….at least that’s what we’ve convinced ourselves.
You’re not alone. You’re not the only one. You can and will get through this. You are capable. You are beautiful. You are of great worth. Though the mountain you are climbing may seem insurmountable, you have it in you to climb it.
God made you who you are on purpose for a purpose. You are exactly the woman the people in your life need.
No matter what you are going through, never lose sight of your worth. You are more than your mistakes, more than your achievements, and more than other people’s opinions of you. You are more than you give yourself credit for. You are more than you believe you are.
So, you – you with the weight of the world on your shoulders, yesterday’s burdens around your neck, and tomorrow’s concerns at your feet – keep moving forward. Hold that beautiful head up, dry your eyes, and know that it’s okay to feel. But you can get through this.
You are worthy of love. Worthy of friendship. Worthy of kindness. Worthy of grace. Worthy of self-respect. Worthy.
