Happiness, Glitter & Daydreams

Beauty has always been a word far removed from anything that includes me .... or so I thought!

Being a 'plus sized' girl in a skinny world really doesn't make for happy beginnings, being taunted as a child by kids who really don't understand the implications of what they are doing is actually immensely sad!

This kind of trauma can ruin a child's world and create such an abstract and untrue self image for the person being taunted.You see previously when we were children this is called 'just playing', however as adults it is now called 'bullying'. Today I stand here  pleased that the world has now taken a strong stance on school and playground bullying ...it makes my heart soar that someone is protecting these little people.

You see I was the chubby girl on the playground ... the one they all called 'the human hippo' ... I was only about 7kg overweight then .... and devastated... for the next 30+ years.

It was only at the age of 35years that I came to accept the Lord in my life, I began to realize that my personal identity lies in Christ , I am beautiful and a precious Princess...His 'beloved'...It was at this point that I was faced with a challenge that I never could have imagined....a process of forgiving my tormentors.

You see in the past my tormentors were small 9 year old kids, they continued to torment me until we were all about 15 years old ... they were monsters in school uniforms, flinging about verbal abuse and speaking lies over my life .... but now they are adults, they have kids and irony is that they are now the ones promoting 'anti-bullying campaigns' at their kids schools.

Do they remember .... not likely! Do I remember ... YES! Like it was yesterday!

Many of these people requested to befriend me on Facebook and for the first time I realized I had to 'let go' ...'forgive', and move forward, leaving the past and those lies where they belonged. I have worked through these feelings and forgiven my peers and God has brought me such freedom from my past. Yes the devil taunts me every now and then, I have moments of weakness when the doubt creeps in again, it is in these times that I stand and declare the Lord's promises over my life ...banishing hurtful words and doubts.

I am here today to encourage you that no one has the right to bully you or declare lies over your life or call you anything other than 'perfect and formed in God's image'.

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!