lies.

People lie. About their age. About their weight.
People also lie in beds. (sorry. lame grammar joke.)
People lie to themselves.

I had a couple great conversations today with some great women. They are the "beautiful" people. The ones that I never would have even talked to in college, let alone become friends with. I always judged "their" type, believing that "they" were judging me for my lack of makeup and terrible wardrobe. Which. They might still be. But whatever. They look past it.

Truth be told - both of them are beautiful inside and out. But they don't believe it.

Even as they read this, they're thinking "no... that's not me." "That's about someone else." "I'm not beautiful." "My life isn't semi-charmed." Please. You're so not-vain you can't believe this post is about you.

Both of them said to me in different ways today that they either can't believe that someone would ever "like-like" them (sorry for the excessive use of quotes by the way...) or they keep giving themselves to boys who aren't worth the time and effort.

They've believed the lie that they aren't valuable.

Truth is... they are both wonderful. Beautiful women. Both of them love people with a passion I wish I had. They're both caring and happy to a fault. They listen to other people's drama because they realize that it's a story and don't just roll their eyes and walk away like I do. They ask how you're doing and actually bother to listen. They are those pretty, put together girls that everyone wanted to hate, but still liked just because they were so nice you couldn't even help it.

But the most important piece of their value is that they were created. By a God that loves them and made them with purpose and on purpose. In His image. Loved. Enough that God sent His Son to die on a cross to make a way to spend eternity with them. With us.

I lie to myself about this stuff all the time too. It's easy to self-depricate and pretend that you're nothing and that you're damaged goods and not worth loving. It's why we sell ourselves short and settle so often.

It's got to stop. 

Because you are valuable. You are loved. You matter.  
Stop lying to yourself and realize how beautiful and loved you are. You were worth dying for.
Live like it.