My Nose....

by Rehan Thomas
(Prague, Czech Republic)

I always have had a problem with my nose as it's too big. Whenever I make new friends, I always get a feeling that they don't like talking to me much because of my physical appearance. I just don't know how to deal with the loneliness and eternal depression which I've had since I was 14 or so.

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Rehan,
Thanks for sharing so honestly. I know loneliness has really been one of my deepest hurts. It connects back to some things that happened when I was a child.

Ultimately, I realized that I was "drinking from a broken cup - trying on my own to find satisfaction from life and that I really can only get that from God. You can read a little of my story here.


God is healing me, but it is still a struggle not to believe the lie that I am alone, that I don't fit with the others, that I am left out and on the outside, that I am different.

In fact, just yesterday I was feeling that same thing again, believing that same lie again. And I wrote out the lie above and then I wrote out the truth.

The truth is that I'm never alone. Jesus, my biggest fan and supporter, the life of the party, is always with me. I am always included in what Jesus is doing if I decide to join Him. I am Jesus' friend - he tells me his secrets and connects with me deeply.

See the difference? Once I realized the lie I was believing and replaced it with the truth, the melancholy feeling that came over me began to lift.

I want to share a few thoughts from the book "Comfortable in your own skin, making peace with your body image" by Dr. Deborah Newman.

One thing she says is, "Your self-esteem isn't as much about how you look right now as it is about what you think about how you look right now."

She gave an example of how a woman lost a lot of weight and afterwards was asked out on a date. The guy canceled and she automatically thought he canceled because he didn't like her and he thought she would gain all her weight back and wouldn't stay thin. Well, she came to find out that he really was sick and those thoughts were lies she still believed. Even though she had lost the weight, she still struggled with her self esteem.

The truth is "Healthy self esteem comes from believing in the value God places in you, not in the value man assigns to you."

Another lie she addresses is that "My outward appearance is the most important thing about me... The truth: Your outward appearance is what people will first judge you by, but your personality, confidence, talents and abilities, and spiritual sensitivity are each vital to who you are as well."

The last thing from her book I want to share is this. She says, "I like to think of our bodies as the garage for our souls, where we are parked temporarily while we live on this earth. The health, appearance, and abilities of our bodies affect what we do on this earth, but they are not all of who we are. They are significant to us for our time on earth, but will not last for eternity."

Finally, check out these personalized verses and start reading them over and over. Allow them to soak into your mind! You can download and print them at the link below. I just included a few of them.

Don't give up your search to finding your true beauty!

~Shelley

http://www.personalpromisebible.com/icw.html?text=+Rehan

Rehan 's Identity In Christ

Rehan Is Valuable.

John 1:12 Rehan is God's daughter.
But Rehan received Him, and to Rehan He gave the right to become God's daughter, because Rehan believes in His name.

John 15:5 Rehan is a part of the true vine, and a channel of Christ's life.
I am the vine. Rehan is a branch. If Rehan remains in Me, and I in her, she will bear much fruit, for apart from Me, Rehan can do nothing.

John 15:15 Rehan is a friend of Christ.
No longer do I call Rehan a servant, for a servant doesn't know what her lord does. But I have called Rehan a friend, for everything that I heard from My Father, I have made known to Rehan.

Rom. 8:17 Rehan is a joint heir with Christ, she shares Christ's inheritance with Him.
And if a daughter, then an heir; an heir of God, and a joint-heir with Christ; if indeed Rehan suffers with Him, that Rehan may also be glorified with Him.

I Cor. 3:9 Rehan is God's co-worker.
For Rehan is one of God's fellow workers. Rehan is God's field, God's building.

I Cor. 3:16 Rehan is God's temple.
Don't you know that Rehan is a temple of God, and that God's Spirit lives in her?

Eph. 1:5-6 Rehan has been adopted by God as His daughter.
Having predestined Rehan for adoption as a daughter through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His desire, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He freely bestowed favor on Rehan in the Beloved.

Eph. 1:11 Rehan has an inheritance in Christ.
In Him also Rehan was assigned an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His will.

Eph. 2:5-6 Rehan has been made alive with Christ and she is seated with Christ in the heavenly places.
Even when Rehan was dead in her trespasses, God made her alive together with Christ (by grace Rehan has been saved), and raised Rehan up with Him and made Rehan to sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Eph. 2:10 Rehan is God's workmanship, His handiwork.
For Rehan is His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that Rehan should walk in them.

Col. 1:27 Christ Himself is in Rehan.
To whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in Rehan, the hope of glory.

Col. 3:3 Rehan 's life is hidden with Christ in God.
For Rehan died, and her life is hidden with Christ in God.

Rehan Is Loved.

John 3:15-16 Rehan has eternal life in Christ.
Rehan, believing in Him, shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved Rehan , that He gave His one and only Son, that Rehan, believing in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:18 Rehan is not judged by God, because she is in Christ.
If Rehan believes in Him, she is not judged. But if Rehan doesn't believe, she has been judged already, because she has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God.

John 15:9 Rehan remains in Christ's love.
Even as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved Rehan. Rehan must remain in My love. If Rehan keeps My commandments, she will remain in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and remain in His love.

Rom. 8:14-15 Rehan is a daughter of God.
For if Rehan is led by the Spirit of God, she is a daughter of God. For Rehan didn't receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but Rehan received the Spirit of adoption, by whom she cries, "Abba! Father!"

Rom. 8:35-37,39 Rehan cannot be separated from the love of God.
Who shall separate Rehan from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Even as it is written, "For your sake we are killed all day long. We were accounted as sheep for the slaughter." For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate Rehan from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, Rehan's Lord.

Eph. 3:12 Rehan may approach God with boldness and confidence.
In whom Rehan has boldness and confident access through her faith in Him.

Col. 1:13-14 Rehan has been rescued from the domain of Satan's rule and transferred to the kingdom of Christ.
The Father delivered Rehan out of the power of darkness, and translated her into the kingdom of the Son of His love.

Heb. 4:16 Rehan may come boldly before the throne of grace through Jesus Christ to receive mercy.
Let Rehan therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that she may receive mercy, and may find grace in time of need.

Comfortable in Your Own Skin:Making Peace with Your Body Image By Deborah Newman / Focus On The Family Rethink beauty beyond the skin and learn to see yourself as God does. Dr. Deborah Newman has combined biblical insight with her clinical experience to help women discover that they are God's works of art. After all, we were made in His image. Each page of this book will have women appreciating their uniqueness and finding not only God's acceptance, but self-acceptance.