She takes me aside and in broken English she whispers, “Thank you for making me know I am not alone.”
We were standing hand in hand and the sweat was still dripping down my back with the India heat pushing my billowy flowered dress into the back of my knees. Her dark hair was swept up into a beautiful braid and wisps were sticking to the side of her face as she leans in to bring me into her secret.
“I feel so alone.”
My heart breaks as I know the feeling that soaks into my soul all too often. She then goes on to say, “I like that you shared your yuck with us.”
I had just finished sharing with a group of women how God takes my mess and turns it into His masterpiece. I spoke of a King who allows us to join Him in His Kingdom work. No matter what we have been through, we are chosen, forgiven, and called Holy daughters of the King.
In spite of our mess, He still chooses us to do His work.
And truly, I had shared my yuck. I shared my insecurities, the constant seeking for approval, and the desire to be loved. I shared how I mess up in my marriage, lose my temper, and sometimes don’t always like my job as a mother.
In fact, during my talk, my translator, a Hindi woman, looked up at me (And I mean literally looked up at me because, apparently, standing at 5’10’’, I am something of a woman giant in the country of India.) and asked, “How do you translate “yuck?”
I thought about it and then very spiritually and theologically made a gagging noise with my throat and pretty soon we had over fifty women making gagging sounds to explain what the word “yuck” meant.
Yuck is a universal problem.
It started way back in the Garden when Adam and Eve desired yuck more than God’s best for them. They gave up the beauty of the Garden and a pure relationship with God for selfish pride. It was there, holding hands with an Indian soul sister that I had just met, when I heard a whisper deep within my heart, “Give Me your yuck and I will give you true beauty.”
When we let go of our yuck, God will replace it with a crown of beauty.
I often try to hide my yuck and my mess from others. As I shared, I felt the freedom of God’s constant love and the acceptance of another from being vulnerable.
Beauty is not found in looking perfect. Instead, beauty is found in the romance of being loved by a perfect God.
It is okay to have a past you would rather forget.
It is okay to have broken dreams.
It is okay to feel like you are waiting.
It is okay to have one of those moments or one of those days.
Pretending we don’t have yuck makes it larger in our minds, but when we share our messes with each other, we see that there is freedom and beauty in the sharing.
In our journey together, we know that we are not alone. Opening ourselves up to community is one step in experiencing God’s beauty in our lives. When we come together and give our yuck to God, He can give us His beauty.
When we look in the mirror, let’s replace that fear of the yuck of pain, doubt, and insecurity with God’s promise of hope and instead let our image reflect God’s goodness and holiness and absolute beauty that He pours into us every day.
For you are His beloved. You are the apple of His eye. You are wanted and chosen and dearly loved.
Sister, let that one soak in deep: You are loved. And you are so very beautiful.
Leave a Comment
Penny says
That last line left me in tears. For all my life I have longed to hear those words and believe them. Oh, that I could be beautiful. I’ve just started sharing my yuck with others because I don’t want anyone else to ever feel as alone as I did for so long. Sharing it has been a bit humbling, but I’m giving it all to God and letting Him do with it what He desires. Thank you for this post. It gives me the courage to keep sharing.
http://www.intentionallygraced.blogspot.com
Angie Ryg says
Hi Penny!
I am so glad this encouraged you! Giving it to God always seems to be the hardest part, doesn’t it? But when that happens, He makes our story so good and so very beautiful! I pray you keep sharing to His glory!
Beth Williams says
Penny,
I have felt unbeautiful and ugly for years. I have believed the lies that I’m stupid, dumb, not pretty, etc. God brought me out of that yuck last year. He matured me and showed me that I am beautiful, smart and a good person.
Blessings 🙂
Donna says
Hi Angie,
Happy 2015 to you! Thanks sooo much for sharing your story and your thoughts. This post couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.
Ninety-five percent of the time I feel like I am alone. Alone in my insecurities, my guilt, my fears, my slip-ups. Alone when I get impatient or lose my temper or make mistakes (which I often times blow way out of proportion).
This year, I made a list of daily intentions. One of them is to speak the truth in love, be more vulnerable, share my hurts and mistakes, and encourage others. I am also going to try my best to be gentle and kind with myself, be quick to forgive, not let fear get the best of me and trust in God when I feel fear or worry creeping in.
Thanks for the reminder that we are perfect in God’s eyes. We are His masterpiece, His daughters, His beloved.
Angie Ryg says
“I am also going to try my best to be gentle and kind with myself…”
I love this and I am trying to do that myself as well. It seems I am always so much harder on myself than others. Thanks for joining the conversation and encouraging me with your words! Have a wonderful day!
donna says
Hi Angie,
Yes, we need to be gentle and patient with ourselves. If we aren’t kind to ourselves, how can be kind to others?
I can be really hard on myself sometimes. I beat myself up.
You’re welcome! We need to encourage one another.
Here’s my list of intentions: https://donzwebb.wordpress.com/2015/01/04/15-in-2015-2/
Enjoy the rest of the week.
Ifeoma Samuel says
Hi Angie, I like this. It is really ok to be ourselves. God has given us his grace to live a life free of guilt and regrets. No one is perfect. Thanks for sharing .
http://purposefulandmeaningful.blogspot.com/
Angie Ryg says
Yes! His grace is never ending! Praise God for that!
Stacey Thacker says
Beautiful my friend. Thanks for opening your heart here.
xo,
Stacey
Angie Ryg says
Thank YOU my beautiful Friend! 🙂 God has been patient and good with me in dealing with my yuck. I cannot wait to watch him continue to turn it into His beauty! Thank you for your kind words. XOXO
Romi says
Thanks for sharing very touching we are god’s masterpiece ,may god bless u .
Romi
Angie Ryg says
I love thinking that we are His masterpiece and that every time He sees us He smiles! What a picture of perfect love!
Lois Flowers says
I love how God uses bits and pieces from all sorts of places to confirm what He is speaking to our hearts. This post did just that for me today. Thank you for sharing it!
Angie Ryg says
Yes! I love how God speaks perfectly to our hearts in different ways! His Story of Beauty will be heard!
I am so glad to be a small part of that for you! To Him be the glory!
Trudy says
Such inspiring encouragement here, Angie. He replaces the yuck with beauty. Such hope in that! Thank you.
Angie Ryg says
Hope! Isn’t that such a beautiful word? And He does give it to us in every promise of His!
Thank you for stopping by to share such encouragement with me!
Cyndi says
So very encouraging!! As Christ increases our yuck decreases. Thanks, my friend!
Angie Ryg says
I love how you reminded us that when He increases in our lives, our yuck decreases!
What a beautiful picture of not only God’s love for us, but our continued growing love for Him. Praise Him for all the things He can do through us!
Thank you my Dear Friend. So thankful for you! XO
Carrie says
Thank you for these words of encouragement.
Angie Ryg says
Thank you for reading and commenting! This is such a wonderful community and I am blessed to be able to share His story of beauty!
Melissa Longval says
I am so thankful for your post Angie. The Lord impressed it upon my heart last year to be transparent and vulnerabe. To allow others to see his work in me…not to hide His light behind the facade of perfectionism or let the opinions of others dictate what I did or didn’t do. It has been hard at times, but the Lord has been so faithful to meet me in the lonely places…to see me when I needed it most. I have seen over and over that God never ever wastes a hurt when we are willing to give it to him. God bless you sweet sister 🙂
Angie Ryg says
“God never ever wastes a hurt when we are willing to give it to him.”
Amen! And thank YOU for this! 🙂
Considerer says
A very good reminder, thank you 🙂
Angie Ryg says
Oh, thank you for stopping by! SO fun to see you here! 🙂
Considerer says
Reminded me of this song, which I ADORE – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n_c7pLAQAo
Angie Ryg says
I just listened to it! That does describe it so well! – A Beautiful Letdown!
What we thought was lost is used for His grace and beauty! Thanks for sharing that song! XO
Sheilah Mahan Scherer says
Your transparency is so encouraging to me. Your gift of communicating is a blessing!
Angie Ryg says
And your words are like honey to my soul today! Thank you so! I love you Friend! XOXO
Catherine says
You have no idea how touched I was by your words. I have been hiding the yuck in my life for so long…and I hadn’t realized that in hiding it I had lost the real me! It was as if I covered me up too! I think I was even hiding it from myself, but then it all blew up in 2014! I am trying to rebuild my life and trust in Him to guide my way. In reading wonderful things like this it gives me hope and courage to continue believing that He has a plan for me and my children. My faith will be the thing that helps me purge the yuck and live happily again! Thank you for your inspiring and kind words!
Angie Ryg says
“My faith will be the thing that helps me purge the yuck and live happily again!”
Amen! I am right with you! Clinging on to God’s hope everyday!
I am so thankful that God can use our yuck! I am sorry it blew up for you this past year, but be encouraged that He really does have a plan…a perfect plan for you and your family!
God Bless!!
Kathy Schwanke says
Well. I’ve gotten to hug the crowned beauty and couldn’t be more grateful!!! From one heir to another, “praise Jesus!” That he turns our “yuck” into glory!!
Angie Ryg says
Amen!!! God is so good to use us flawed princesses, isn’t He?! 🙂
I adore you, Kathy! XOXO
Brianna Wasson says
“Give Me your yuck and I will give you true beauty.” Angie, thank you for this beautiful reminder of God’s promise. Thank you for helping women with yuck in India know it. And thank you for helping me, in all my yuck — current and past — remember it. 🙂 So fun to see you here, friend!!
Angie Ryg says
I like that reminder – “current and past” – because we have always had it and we will always get new yuck, but I cling to the hope of replacing it with His beauty!
And so fun to see YOU!! 🙂
Marty says
Beautiful post. Thank you so much. I needed this today. 🙂
Angie Ryg says
Thank you for your kind words Marty! They are such an encouragement to me as it is always hard to admit the yuck I try to hide. May God bless you!
Rachel Warren says
OMG where to start …..i’ve been hiding my yuck for a little while now and it is really hard for me to share ….All i know is that God is starting something new He is changing my yuck into beauty&).Amen
Angie Ryg says
Oh Rachel. . .I know how it is to hide and share the yuck!
Lord, I pray that you would continue to help this dear sister to continue to give you her yuck and for her to be reminded every day by your promise of changing it into beauty for Your Glory!
Amen.
Thank you for sharing just now with us!
Leslie Warnick says
Wow…this post is amazingly beautiful and right on true! I belong to Celebrate recovery and when I share my yuck I feel raw and naked but Oh so free…and it’s funny, cause we think people will judge us for our yuck…but in Christ we are set free! Let out the yuck! Thanks for sharing!
Angie Ryg says
“…in Christ we are set free!”
Amen! We are free indeed!
Holley Gerth says
So fun to see your beautiful face and words here, friend!! XOXO
Angie Ryg says
Oh, thank you Sweet Holley!
I am hoping you are resting up after the wonderful blessing of last weekend! 🙂
God is so good!
I love you, Friend!
elisa says
Sweet Angie, I’m thrilled to see your words grace this precious place. You have a gift of being able to capture the honesty of our hearts but bathed in much grace and hope. Thank you!
Angie Ryg says
Thank YOU for your blessing of your words today!
I love this community and I consider it a gift that He can use my yuck for His glory!
Miss you Friend! XO
Kate @ Songs Kate Sang says
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Angie Ryg says
You are so very welcome! 🙂
I am so glad you came by this wonderful and welcoming place today!
God Bless!!!
Amber Paulsen says
Thank you for sharing this beautiful, encouraging post! May the Lord bless your writing and use you as a vessel of His Truth and love – reaching thousands upon thousands of women – for God’s glory. There are so many hurting and lost people who need to hear the stories of the redeemed. “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story” Psalm 107:2a (not sure which version that is – more modern I think). Praying God helps us to share and be vulnerable.
Angie Ryg says
Thank you for such a beautiful blessing upon my writing!
I pray that He continues to share His amazing Love story through my story of redemption!
Beth Williams says
Angie,
I love that God uses our yuck and doesn’t waste a thing! Last year was rough and my yuck showed up in anger, frustrations and super stress. I dealt with my aging father’s health issues, job issues both mine and hubby’s. Through it all He was there and taught me dependence on Him. To fully rely on Him for everything when life felt like it was falling apart and I felt crappy.
Also had bouts of feeling not beautiful, smart. Then God in his infinite wisdom sent me “Unwrapping the Greatest Gift”, 2 postcards, and Jesse tree ornaments. One of the postcards stated “You are a beautiful blend of abilities God breathed into your soul. I sat by my tree crying my eyes out as I put the ornaments on one by one. Thanks everyone!
Blessings 🙂
Tina M Wright says
I really needed these words of wisdom today. God’s timing is indeed perfect. So blessed to have connected with you today, Angie! God bless, Tina