“Jewelry business”, I heard the Lord say as I sat in a women’s conference asking His what plans He had for me. Intrigued, but clueless, I put this word aside and forgot about it.

A year later, I walked through a season where I realized how low my self-esteem was. Discouragement was so rooted into my core that I couldn’t even look at myself in a mirror and speak, let alone find, positive words about myself that I really meant. I scoffed at the thought of calling myself “beautiful”, “worthy”, “loved”, and all the things that Jesus says I am. I had every excuse, justification, and reason for why I wasn’t any of those things. It’s a surreal moment when you look yourself in the eyes and realize you have nothing nice to say.

I spent so many years captive to the lies that I believed about myself, after all, that is all that I spoke over myself. My feelings guided my thoughts, those thoughts became my truth, and those truths lies became what I operated out of. I was crippled in lies. But in that moment of revelation, standing in front of the mirror at a loss for words, I asked Jesus how HE sees me and rested in His presence while I waited to hear His reply. Immediately He responded with one simple, life-changing word.
“beloved” 

be.loved was birthed out of this season of my own personal breakthrough. Nearly immediately after I started allowing myself to believe the identity that Jesus spoke over me, He shared more about His vision for the "jewelry business" that I had forgotten about a year prior. Along with the practical business details, He shared His heart for a business that would speak truth into women, create products to clothe them in Christ identity, and encourage them to see themselves as His beloved.

This is what Jesus sees when He looks at you, beloved. Even when you don’t see it, even when you don’t feel it, and even when you can’t say it (and even when you do know it!). There is so much freedom when you understand who you are and how much you are loved! His love changes EVERYTHING.