Challenge: See yourself as God sees you.

You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was lain out before a single day had passed.

Psalm 139:16

I find this verse to be both comforting and challenging. God saw me before I was born and knew what to expect—He knew I would be a writer. He gave me the desire and the talent to become a writer, and He knew that I would seek out instruction and devote hours to stringing words together.

God knew there would be a day when I looked out my window as evening approached and would see a scene that would translate into one of my books like this: “The fading daylight stained the vibrant green of trees and fresh lawns to a dull monochrome as the shadows of evening fell upon the homes of teachers, small business owners, computer programmers, and young lawyers.”

Although I had the desire to be a writer since I was a young girl, I didn’t always see myself as a writer. But God did.

God saw the raw material (me and a willing heart), and with His grace I fulfilled a dream. But to be honest, I didn’t see myself the way He did throughout my journey to publication. I doubted, I worried, I felt as though I had picked up a too-grand dream.

One of my newest prayers, and I hope it will become one of yours, is to see myself as God sees me. And that’s true not only in regards to writing, but also for life in general. How wonderful would it be to see the possibilities within us that God sees? I’m challenged to live up to the plan God has for me and boldly greet each new day and every opportunity.

The next time you sit down to your keyboard, pray for God’s vision of you and for you. It could change your day . . . and your life.

The image above is of a tulip in my front garden. When I took the first photo, that's the way the world saw the tulip, but a mere three weeks later, it's bloomed and lovely. Outward appearances can be deceiving.

I like to use familiar images, when possible. The picture of the snowy tulip was also in a blog that discussed feeling emotionally or spiritually chilled. I guess you can say that God speaks to me through nature. How about you? When you see beauty in nature does it turn your thoughts to Him?