No Room for Discouragement

Tonight I went with my friend Michelle to listen to this wonderful woman speak.

Her name is Stephanie Nielsen...and she is incredible. She, like all of the other woman in the world, has had trials that have been hard to bear. Yet she continues to turn to God and thank Him for her blessings. She is a loving mother and wife, despite the times when she was not able to be even that.

You see, Stephanie and her husband were in a plane crash. He broke his back and she received burns over 80% of her body. They spent months in the hospital, and had so many surgeries. Stephanie knows that she has been given a gift: The gift of life. But it has not come without a struggle. One of the difficulties she has had is accepting who she has become because of the accident, especially how she looks. She has skin grafts all over her face and looks so different from before the accident. Yet she has been able to see past the outside beauty to her divine worth, and her beauty inside. I think that she is one of the most beautiful women I know. It is because her heart is good.

I listened again to her incredible story and marveled at her positive attitude, her faith and love for God, whom she completely trusts.

Here are a few things that she said tonight that touched me:

• Be women of Christ!
  
• There must be a base[of beauty] on the inside to steady the outside.
• Our beauty is a gift given us of God..and it is our spirit that makes us beautiful.
• I have no more room in my life for discouragement.
  

I love that last part. I have no room in my life for discouragement. At that moment I realized the same thing is true for my life. I have so much on my plate, so much to deal with that I must push discouragement out, because I have no time for it! I only have time to do my best, to work hard and keep progressing. I'm grateful that God sent me NieNie tonight to help me understand this.