I want to be more feminine...

I had just ended a 1.5 year relationship with a guy who compared me to other women,

so much so, that I got lash extensions and did my nails just so I could feel beautiful when I was with him.

You're probably cringing right now and feeling sorry for me...

but there's an awesome God-Story on the other side of this that I'm going to share with you in today's newsletter.

Today's message is about Value.

During this same time, I was building my photography business and moving from one pricing structure to another...

⚡️ Old model: Charging people an upfront sum of $$ before our photoshoot. Great model, not a lot of risk involved, but lots of inefficiencies with that model and less money potential.

✨ New model: Charging a small booking fee, letting clients purchase only the images they wanted after the photoshoot. Great model, better potential for money and more opportunity to serve at a higher level. Greater risk for no money.

I had to ask myself, was this service worth charging $$$ for a single image?

Did you know? If you go to the Tiffany & Co. website, their signature safety pin sells for $1,500.

A safety pin, ya'll.

5 months after deciding I wasn't just worth charging $$$ per single image in my photography business, but my business's margins relied on it for the level of service I was offering...I had one single client purchase $9,500 of photographs in one sitting.

Today's message is about Value.

I ended up breaking up with that guy, and that fall I attended a women's conference with an expectation to hear from God about my future husband...

Here's where the God-Story comes into play:

On that Friday morning, as I stood in worship during one of my favorite songs, I heard the voice of God ask me to imagine my future husband standing in a room full of people...

And then he said "When your husband sees you walk into that room and walk towards him, he is taken aback by how incredibly beautiful you are. His breath is taken away. He's in complete awe."

And as I saw this in my vision, I heard God say..."This is how I receive you whenever you walk into the room."

My heart burst open in that moment...He then said,

"Women often pray about how to receive me as their God, but I want you to flip that around and pray about how I receive you every time you walk into the room..."

This is how I value you.

And this is how your future husband will value you.

God asked me to flip the script...he asked me to begin to see myself as how he sees me.

And since that day, something clicked in my mind and in my heart...I woke up each day with a new lens about myself, my value, and how excited God was about me as his daughter.

How beautiful he made me.

How beautiful he saw me.

How much I contributed to every room I walked in.

And not to be self-absorbed, but to understand the gifts that overflow from my heart into others.

This day allowed me to understand how I pour into others, and how they receive value from who I am.

By simply being me.

The value of my smile.

The value of my presence when I look into someone's eyes.

The value of the quality time I spend with someone.

Today's message is about Value.

When you say to me, I want to be more feminine...

There's something to understand: being more feminine isn't something you do, it's something you realize that you already are.

And it's from that place can God move through you and pour into others.

I want you to take today's message and learn how God receives you when YOU walk into the room...and you'll begin to see how feminine you are now, today, that you always have been.

Fast forward 3 years and I'll never date another guy like that again because God showed me my true value, the value that He created in me when he first thought of me, before I was born, the value that ties to the plan of my purpose and how I will help serve others in this life.

Pray it with me:

Father in Heaven, thank you for the plan that you had for me when you made me. Thank you for the gifts you've given me so that I can serve others in your way. I pray that any illusion be lifted from my eyes so I can begin to see how YOU receive me. I break off any lies that have been spoken over my life about my worth and beauty as your daughter. There is a beauty in me that you're showing me each and every day and I ask that your Holy Spirit move in my heart to remove the things that I've agreed with to hide my beauty or repress it. May you purify me in the ways I think about myself, Father. May the realization of my true value in your eyes shine when I walk into rooms, may I give my gifts freely and may others come to know you in my realization. I receive your love and peace now in my heart and I declare that I am beautiful. I am your daughter. In Jesus's Mighty Name, Amen.

I'll see you next Saturday, my loves,

xo, Lauren

P.S. I’m completing my first Women’s Devotional called “His Promise To Do Something New”…It’s a 21-day journal devotional that will bring you through daily scripture and journaling to open your heart to God’s possibilities for you. You can pre-order by clicking here, promo code for $5 off for my readers is HISPROMISE ✝️

P.P.S. If you’re not following my daily updates and stories, please do on Instagram at @femininedevotion