Affirmation of Beauty

Claire Black: This is True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us one drive at a time. Buckle up, you’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus one last time, for this season anyway. 

I cannot believe it’s our last podcast for season 1 of True Girl. Have you started to understand how incredibly valuable you are to God? I hope so. If you haven’t learned it yet, today’s story will show you just how important you are to the King of kings, and that’s just another name for Jesus. 

True Girl is hosted by Dannah Gresh, the author of 8 Great Dates for Moms and Daughters. Let’s get moving for season 1, episode 8, titled “Affirmation of Beauty.”

Here’s Dannah.

Dannah Gresh: Staci Rudolph, my most excellent cohost, is this really our last True Girl podcast in season 1?

Staci Rudolph: Man, Dannah, don’t even say that. I’m going to miss it so much. But don’t worry guys, we’ve got two more seasons already written. I cannot wait to get back in the studio to record them. 

So, what’s next?

Dannah: Well, for season 2, we’re going to invite dad’s and father figures, think grandpas, uncles, stuff like that. We’re going to invite them to the True Girl podcast.

Staci: Boys? Tell me more.

Dannah: Okay, I think it’s great to be a girl. I really do. I’m so glad that God made me one. 

Staci: Me too. 

Dannah: Yeah. But guys are pretty awesome too, don’t you think? So, we’re going to take some time, a whole season of True Girl,to learn about how to relate to guys well.

Staci: You mean like brothers?

Dannah: You bet. 

Staci: And boy neighbors?

Dannah: Of course.

Staci: And classmates who are boys?

Dannah: Them too. Because God gives us lots of good instruction on how to support, encourage, and interact with boys. We’re going to go there. 

And mom, research proves that the best time to build healthy patterns in how a girl relates to a guy is . . . wait for it . . . before age thirteen. So, we’re just going to lay the foundation. But let me promise you that we’ll take the awkward out of what could be a difficult topic. We’re going to make this very age appropriate. And as always, you’ll be in the driver’s seat. 

Staci: Hands on that steering wheel, mom. 

Dannah: For True Girl season 2, we’ll invite dad into all of those growing closer to each other and to Jesus time, because, well I don’t know about you, but I’m just so glad I have a dad. 

Staci: I see what you did there. You’re a poet and you didn’t even know it. 

Dannah: Am I a good one? 

Staci: Eh, you’re alright. 

Dannah: Well, before we move to season number 2, we have a really good final episode to wrap up this season of the True Girl podcast. Girls, I pray that during this season you’ve begun to understand true beauty. And if you remember, we talked about the fact that how beautiful you are isn’t about how you look on the outside, but it’s about what you wear on the inside, like the presence of Jesus. And when He’s there inside of you, you also begin to wear things like gentleness, patience, kindness, and truth. And when you wear these things, God sees your beauty. 

If you don’t believe me, let me read from Psalm 45 to you. This is verse 10, “Listen to me, O royal daughter . . .” That’s talking about you. You are the royal daughter if you’re wearing the presence of Jesus. Then it goes on to say, “. . . take to heart what I say.” That means what you’re about to hear is super important.

Staci: If I were you, I’d lean in. 

Dannah: Yeah, exactly. Here’s verse 11 of Psalm 45. The thing that’s so important to hear, “For your royal husband delights in your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.” (NLT)

In other words, God, your royal husband, delights in your beauty. And then it reads, “honor him.” Our lives should really make Jesus happy. He’s our Lord and Savior. I love Psalm 45. In fact . . .

Staci: Let me guess. You’ve got a story that’s going to help us understand it?

Dannah: I sure do, Staci.

Once upon a time there was a prince who lived in a glorious castle. The castle was high on a mountaintop, where birds sang and rushing river beds raced down the mountainside, quenching the land below, and covering it in acres and acres of beautiful flowers.

Now, the prince had many servants and soldiers at his side. And yet each day, he would take a walk along the mountain ridge, gazing down into the valley, with one hope. The hope was that he would catch a glimpse of one poor and simple maiden. 

You see, the prince saw beyond the simplicity of this little maiden girl. He saw her beauty. In fact, he was absolutely enthralled by how beautiful she was. Each day the prince would return and gaze upon her beauty. He realized one day that he had fallen in love and that he deeply desired to be loved back by her. 

But he wondered, “How on earth could that ever work?” He was a prince, and she was but a simple maiden. So he thought to himself, “If I have her brought to this castle, I will always wonder if she truly loves me, or is she simply afraid of me? And if I send my horses and guardians and banners to parade into her world, again I will wonder, does she truly love me, or is she simply obeying me?”

Staci: Ah, the age old, rich handsome prince who’s fallen in love question. 

Dannah: Yes, exactly.

The prince pondered all of this at great length, until he finally had a magnificent idea. He went to the king, and he asked for permission for his great title of “prince” to be removed. He took off his crown; he took off his robe; he took off his royal garments. He went to his poorest servant and asked to wear that servant’s clothes. He asked for his father’s permission to go live in the peasant village as the poorest of the poor. 

And so, the prince went down into the village to be near the one who’d captured his heart and to see would she love him back? 

Oh wow. Don’t you love this story? 

Staci: I love that story too, but aren’t you going to finish it?

Dannah: Well, don’t worry we’ll come back around. I wouldn’t leave my true girls hanging. But friends, I’ve got news for you. That story is real. Staci, do you think you know who the prince is?

Staci: I’m going to have to say, Jesus. And let me guess again, we have to be the princesses, right?

Dannah: That’s right, we are the princesses. Isn’t that a beautiful picture? Let’s go back to Psalm 45. It’s a wedding psalm. Bible scholars believe that it describes the love that God has for us. This is just a picture of His love.

In verse 11, it reads that the king is enthralled by your beauty, and that’s Jesus, right? And in some versions, verse 13 actually calls you and I a “princess.” I love that. 

Staci: Are we really princesses? 

Dannah: Well, yeah, but not the ballgown wearing kind. 

Staci: Because the only ball I want to throw is a basketball, but you already know that. 

Dannah: Okay, I know. Let me explain how we’re all princesses. Jesus is described in the Bible as the King of kings. It tells us that in 1 Timothy 6:15 as well as a handful of other Bible verses. 

Staci: Okay, I’m checking with you.

Dannah: Well, you know if you surrender your life to Jesus, the Bible says in Ephesians 1:5, that you’re adopted into the family of God.

Staci: Okay, I see a legitimate princess. Now, that’s some seriously royal value. 

Dannah: Yeah, and girls what we’ve been hoping is that these True Girl podcasts have been convincing you of your royal value. So, let’s go back to that story. I didn’t share the end of it, because . . . well, you have to write the end of this story for your life. 

Jesus left heaven. He came down to earth to live among us, because He is fully captivated by you. He loves you. And the question this story asks is will you love Him back? Will you let Him be the Lord of your life? Will you wear Jesus? 

Staci: Jesus gave up everything. He gave up His life for a relationship with you. I hope your love relationship with Jesus will just grow and grow and grow. I hope you’ll love Him back. 

Your final True Girl challenge for this season is super simple, but it’s going to take your whole life to do it. Be that princess and display that value in the way you live. 

Dannah: Yeah. You know, Staci, that’s simple to say, but it’s actually really difficult to live. I think unless we’re in God’s Word every single day, we start to forget how much He loves us and how valuable we are. That’s when we start to forget how to live well and how to express our beauty with care and discernment and wisdom. 

I hope that’s something you’ll never forget. You are not only God’s masterpiece, but you are His princess. As we come to end of True Girl season 1, I want to say thanks for joining us. Do you know we have a whole lot of other great stuff to help grow closer to your mom as you both grow closer to Jesus?

Staci: Yes. Like the True Girl original album, featuring songs like “True Girl,” and the True Girl subscription box with tools like daily devos and mother / daughter dates to get you into God’s Word every day. 

Because mom, we want you to stay in the driver’s seat of your daughter’s faith formation.

Dannah: Yeah. That’s something that’s really important to us at True Girl. Everything we do puts mom in the driver’s seat of how her daughter digs into God’s Word. 

And let me remind you, we created these True Girl podcasts not to just entertain you on your drive from home to the grocery store, but to encourage you to take deep dives into God’s Word. I hope they’ve made you want to read your Bible every day. That would make my heart so happy.

Staci: Until the next season of True Girl, keep turning carpool time into the treasured time to hear truth from God’s Word. Together you can listen to other podcasts from Revive Our Hearts. You might both enjoy a podcast entitled Women of the Bible, featuring Erin Davis. In fact, listen for me in one season of that podcast. Look for the Women of the Bible season on the life of Deborah.

Visit ReviveOurHearts.com to explore the entire family of podcasts. 

Dannah: Well Staci, I’m sort of sad. This is our last episode of the first season of the True Girl podcast, and it’s time to say goodbye. 

Staci: I know.

Dannah: Awe, let’s take as long as we can. How many ways can we say goodbye? 

Staci: See ya.

Dannah: Adiós. 

Staci: Cio Bella.

Dannah: Godspeed.

Staci: See ya later alligator.

Dannah: After awhile crocodile.

Staci: Fair thee well. 

Dannah: Cio.

Staci: Catch ya on the flip side. 

Dannah: Hasta luego. Oh, how about this? Smoke me a kipper, I’ll be back in the morning. 

Staci: Okay, I think it’s time to just say “bye.”

Dannah: Bye. 

Claire: It’s so hard to say goodbye. We’ve had such a good time. This season of True Girl is done, but this could just be the start of connecting as moms and daughters. To help you keep that connection get a copy of 8 Great Dates for Moms and Daughters by Dannah Gresh. This book is full of meaningful activities you can do together. You can get the book and discover other resources to bring moms and daughters closer to each other and closer to Jesus, by visiting MyTrueGirl.com. Season 2 will be here soon. Keeping checking the True Girl podcast feed.

True Girl is a production of Revive Our Hearts calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ. 

 

*Offers available only during the broadcast of the podcast season.