who I was. I felt as though I was too different to be accepted by anyone.
As I begin to get older, and formed a personal relationship with God. I ask God; “Why did
you make me so UGLY?” God replied I created you in the image that will reflect me. The passage of Psalm 139:14 stood out in my memory; “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well”. God reminded
me; the integrity of any testimony is based on two factors: the credibility of the testimony
and the credentials of the witness. Right then I started working on building my confidence
and accepting what God has created me to be. In the purest sense, confidence to understand,
what you’re good at, the value you provide, and acting in a way that conveys that to others.
As I grew up the voices that has shaped my identity subsided and I found myself praying, and
seeking god, and longing for a new me. The once ugly girl with a dark complexion, braces,
and glasses has been transformed into a confident, self-assured, women of God. I am on a
journey discovering my true inner beauty. Underneath the layers of awkwardness and ordinariness is a beautiful person created to live in their fullness; hiding inside is a unique individual who was designed to be someone special. My inner beauty, made in the image of God
cries to come out, to be spoken, to claim who I really am. And that beautiful unique person
longs to bring blessing to others, just as the “ugly duckling” blessed all who gazed upon him.
In conclusion I have; like the “ugly duckling” come to the realization of who I really am. As
we gaze upon his beauty and ponder upon Gods promises in scripture. I can make the connection to the spirituality of my reflection; I crossed the invisible barriers to that I longed
for. I can only begin to dream of what lays locked inside, waiting to emerge and become the
expression of the