EP. 42: True Beauty (Best of 2020 with Philip Yancey)

Do you sometimes find yourself overlooked or on the outside of society? Do you have a hard time believing that God sees you, He hears you, and He loves you? In this “best of” episode of God Hears Her, Philip Yancey takes us on a journey across the globe to show how God can use some of the most unlikely women to reflect His image. About our guest:  Philip Yancey grew up in a strict, fundamentalist church that radically shaped his view of God. Later in life, Philip began asking really difficult questions about God, Christianity, and the role of the church—questions that many people are scared to ask, but he did it out loud. Many of his bestselling books explore these deep questions of our faith. One of his most recent books, titled Fearfully and Wonderfully, explores the work Dr. Paul Brand and Philip Yancey did together in regard to people affected by leprosy. His memoir, Where the Light Fell: A Memoir, comes out in the Fall of 2021. Notes and Quotes: “While I gave words to his faith, the transfer was he was giving faith to my words.” If there is supposed to be a good, loving God, why do all these bad things happen? “Dr. Brand’s perspective is: ‘Thank God for pain. If I had one gift I could give my leprosy patients, it would be the gift of pain.’” We live in a very achievement-oriented culture, and we rank people. What counts is how beautiful you are or how much money you make. None of that is what matters to God. “I went away first convicted about my snap judgment of [a woman I thought was a beggar], and also so impressed with the Lord of the universe, who looked on [this woman] and said, ‘Here is a woman who by the standards of the world is a real loser . . . I can make a comfortable home in [her], and the Holy Spirit lives in her.’” A lot of people struggle with self-image and wonder, Am I worth it? Yet God is able to reflect His image in someone like that. Sometimes we may look healthy and happy on the outside, but inside it can feel like we are deteriorating. So many women just need someone to just put their arm around them and tell them “I hear you, and I see so much beauty inside of you.” Serving God while not growing envious of someone else receiving recognition exemplifies that you are serving humbly.  Women particularly are very sensitive to how people are perceiving them. Understand that you are not going to get rid of all those voices, but make the primary voice say, “What does God think?” “My audience is not, “How do I please those around me?” My primary audience is, “How am I bringing pleasure to God?” Links: Show Notes on godhearsher.org God Hears Her website Share the love by giving this episode a 5-star rating on iTunes!  Support the Podcast!   Order your copy of Fearfully and Wonderfully by Philip Yancey on Amazon  Pre-Order your copy of Where the Light Fell: A Memoir Listen to Philip Yancey on Discover the Word in the series, “Fearfully and Wonderfully”   Order God Sees Her: 365 Devotions for Women by Women on Amazon Elisa’s Instagram: elisamorganauthor Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy