Author: restoredbygrace

Psalm 139:14

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works, and this my soul knows very well.

Hello There!

I want to share something with you today. Not because I have everything figured out, but because I think we can learn from one another, even in the moments when we do not feel our best.

Last night, I had one of those moments when I felt particularly insecure.

When you look at me from the outside, I do not believe many people would think I am insecure about anything. I talk loudly, I laugh loudly, and my entire presence is loud without me having to try. The joy I have received from the Lord has become so evident that when I enter a room, I do not have to do much. The Holy Spirit does it for me.

Even so, I do not like being in the limelight. I try hard to be unnoticed and unseen. But the problem comes when I open my mouth.

Last night was one of those nights when I was not feeling particularly great. Someone posted a photo of me on social media, and I remember looking at it and thinking, I should really start wearing makeup.

That was the first seed planted of what I believe the enemy was trying to do.

Then I had a moment with my husband. I turned to him and asked, “I wonder what you see in me?”

I do not particularly do much to look good. I put on the first thing I find in the closet. You know, as long as it is clean.

He looked at me and said that he loves me. He did joke that he was satisfied with what he had been given. But he saw my face fall, and then he told me that he loves all of me.

And this was something I already knew.

So why did it happen so easily? Why was it so easy for me to feel insecure?

A simple photo of me, and I had completely forgotten who God made me to be.

I was never one for makeup or heels. I always felt that what made me beautiful was my mind and my heart. So why was it so easy for the enemy to creep in?

I think that is what made me think about you.

Perhaps you have had a moment like this too. Perhaps you have looked at a photo of yourself and suddenly felt that you were not enough. Perhaps someone made a comment about your appearance, or you compared yourself to another woman, and before you knew it, you were questioning something about yourself that you had never questioned before.

Sometimes it does not take much.

And I think that is why we need to be careful about what we allow to take root in our hearts.

As women, we carry so many responsibilities. We are mothers, wives, daughters, friends, employees, and so much more. We give our time, our energy, and our love to the people around us. But sometimes, in the middle of all that giving, we forget to remind ourselves who we are.

We forget that we are not only what we do.

We forget that we are not only what we look like.

We forget that we are not only what someone else thinks of us.

And sometimes, we forget that we are children of God.

That is why I want this blog to be a place where we can come back to those truths together.

I want to speak to the woman who feels unseen. To the woman who is constantly comparing herself to others. To the woman who looks in the mirror and struggles to see what God sees. To the woman who is carrying so much that she has forgotten to be kind to herself.

I want you to know that you do not have to have everything figured out to be loved by God.

You do not have to look a certain way to be worthy of His love.

And you do not have to become someone else to be the woman He has called you to be.

Sometimes, we simply need to return to His Word.

That is what I had to do. I had to remind myself that my worth was never found in a photo, in makeup, or in what someone else thought of me.

My worth is found in Him.

And when I forget that, I want to learn to return to Him again.

That is why I was drawn to this verse:

Psalm 139:14

“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works, and this my soul knows very well.”

Read it. Reflect on it. Sit back for a moment and take it all in.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Not because of how you look in a photo. Not because of what someone else thinks of you. Not because of whether you wear makeup or heels.

But because God made you.

And when those little seeds of insecurity begin to grow, I hope you will remember what He has already said about you.

You are His. You are loved. And you are wonderfully made.

So, woman to woman, I want to ask you:

What are you insecure about?

And when those insecurities begin to speak louder than the truth, what would it look like for you to return to God’s Word and allow Him to remind you who you are?

Perhaps that is where we can begin today.

Not by trying to become someone else, but by remembering who God has already called us to be.

With love,

Restored by Grace

A Prayer for When We Forget Who We Are

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for who You have made me to be. Thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that my worth does not depend on how I look or what others think of me.

Forgive me for the moments when I forget who You have called me to be. When insecurity creeps in, when I begin to compare myself to others, or when I allow one small comment to change how I see myself, remind me of Your truth.

Remind me that I am Your child. Remind me that I am loved. Remind me that You have a purpose for my life.

Father, when I forget, remind me. When I feel weak, strengthen me. When I feel unseen, remind me that You are always with me.

Help me to see myself through Your eyes and to walk in the identity You have given me. May I never forget that I am wonderfully made because You made me.

Thank You for Your grace, Your mercy, and Your unfailing love.

Remain with me, Lord, and continue to restore me.

In Jesus’ Name

Amen.

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you.

Deuteronomy 31:8

Over the weekend, I attended a Pilates and Praise event. The purpose of the event was to glorify the Almighty and bring women together to praise the Father. There were beautiful songs, heartfelt worship, and powerful testimonies.

I do not enjoy speaking in public because my words often seem to leave me when I stand in front of others. But on this day, when no one wanted to speak, God gave me the courage to stand up and share my story.

I spoke about how God lifted me through trials and tribulations. For most of the event, I found myself crying—not because I was sad, but because I was filled with pure joy and gratitude.

I have always known about Jesus, but I had never truly sought Him. That changed a few years ago when I lost my baby.

I was six months pregnant with a baby girl when my cervix opened, and I developed an infection. I spent the following month going in and out of the hospital, praying that I could hold on just a little longer. I needed enough time for the infection to clear and for my baby to grow stronger inside me.

I remember the manager of the hospital wing coming to speak with me about the possible outcome. She explained that, if my baby survived, she might have severe health challenges, including the possibility of needing a wheelchair or experiencing brain damage. As she spoke, I felt myself spacing out. It was simply too much for me to bear.

I remember praying so hard to God. I needed Him to help me, to help my baby. I felt overwhelmed and afraid.

The next day, I went into labour. My baby girl gave one cry and passed away.

I was broken.

So many thoughts went through my mind. I wondered what I should have done differently and whether I could have somehow prevented what happened. But God met me in that place, and He had mercy on me.

For months, I hated myself. Then I became pregnant again soon after losing my baby, and I was filled with fear for my unborn child. I needed her to be safe. I needed her to be protected. I was terrified that I would experience the same heartbreak again.

I also knew that if I did not become pregnant then, I might never have another opportunity to have a child.

Today, I look at my daughter, who is three years old, and I am filled with gratitude. She has only had the flu once in her entire life. She has no allergies, and she did not even cry until she was three months old. I had to wake her to feed her. She is fearless, joyful, and full of life.

When I look at her, I am reminded of the grace of God.

She was never meant to replace the daughter I lost. Instead, she is a beautiful reminder that God was with me through my pain, that He heard my prayers, and that He still loved me even when I could not feel His presence.

God’s grace is enough for all of us.

Reflection

Take a moment to look back over your own life. Where did God meet you when you were at your lowest? How did He carry you through? How did He bring you out of a place you thought you would never escape?

Remember those moments. Let them remind you that the same God who was with you then is with you now. He goes before you, and He will never leave you or forsake you.

Sincerely,

Restored by Grace.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You that when I was lost, You found me.

When I was broken, You lifted me up.
When I was tired, You gave me strength.
When I felt like I had nothing left to give, You gave me purpose again.

Lord, I pray that I never forget.

Never let me forget the places You brought me out of, the battles You fought for me, and the moments when You carried me when I could not carry myself.

When life is good, remind me of Your faithfulness.
When life is difficult, remind me of where You have already met me.

Help me to remember that You were there in my lowest moments, even when I could not see You. You heard the prayers I could barely speak. You saw the tears I cried when no one else was watching.

Thank You for Your grace.

Thank You for loving me when I did not know how to love myself. Thank You for giving me another day, another chance, and another reason to hope.

May my life never become so busy that I forget how far You have brought me.

And when I am tempted to be afraid of what lies ahead, remind me that the same God who carried me through yesterday is the God who goes before me today.

I will remember where You found me.
I will remember where You met me.
And I will remember that You never left me.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

A place to pause, reflect, and grow in faith.

Hello There!

I take on many roles, as I’m sure you do too. I am a wife, a mother, a daughter, an employee, a friend, a teacher, and an aspiring published writer—and the list goes on.

I have been broken many times, but I have also been lifted up by God’s grace. I have experienced trauma, the loss of loved ones, pain, and hurt. I have struggled with financial pressure, difficult relationships, mental health challenges, marital problems, and the challenges of caring for a sick child. Through all of these experiences, God has continued to lift me up.

I know what it feels like to be seen only for your struggles and not for who you are. For a long time, I felt like someone who was never really seen. But God has reminded me that my struggles do not define me. I am a child of God, and I am living proof that His grace can meet us in the hardest places.

That is why I created this blog.

My hope is to encourage and uplift women who have walked through similar situations. I want you to know that you are not alone, that God has not forgotten you, and that He is always with you.

Through biblical teaching, personal stories, and self-reflection, I hope to help you discover your identity in Christ, just as I have been learning to discover mine. I want this to be a place where you can pause, breathe, reflect, and grow in your faith in your own time.

I do not have everything figured out, but I know that God is good and merciful. He has carried me through seasons I never thought I would overcome, and I believe He can do the same for you.

My prayer is that, as you spend time here, you will be encouraged, strengthened, and reminded of God’s presence in every area of your life.

May the Lord be with you, and may His grace continue to restore you.

With love,

Restored by Grace