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b'What am I? I thought as I stared down at my hand, now covered in words written in permanent ink. Cruel words\\u2014written all over my hands\\u2014 stabbing me in the heart like knives.\\nThis can\\u2019t be who I am, I thought. Lazy, slow, fat, short, stupid, weak\\u2026every word stung with fresh pain when I looked at it. Insult after insult, crawling up my fingers and over my knuckles like ugly insects.\\nOh, God, no. This can\\u2019t be who I am. Where had the prayer come from? How had God come into this? God didn\\u2019t belong here, with this hand, covered in my brokenness. I was on the floor, crushed beneath the weight of the letters on my hand. What am I, God?\\nThis isn\\u2019t who you are, Becca.\\nI blinked at the soft whisper over my heart.\\nThat writing isn\\u2019t you. That writing is what they think of you. It isn\\u2019t what defines you. I will tell you what you are. In Christ, you are My child\\u2014loved and treasured. Replace those words with My words, Becca. All that matters is what I think and say of you. Because I know you. And I love you.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Okay, God,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d I said with sobs. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153But it\\u2019s so hard. These words won\\u2019t just go away.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nBy My power, they can. Slowly and painfully, they will leave as you replace them with My words. It won\\u2019t be easy. But I will help you. I will remind you. I will love you.\\nI looked again at the words, feeling their hot sting.\\nNO MORE. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153What God says is all that matters,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d I said. I picked up a red marker fromthe floor. I opened my hand and, right over my palm, wrote the words, YOU SAY. \\nThe red ink, like Christ\\u2019s blood, covered some of the letters of shame on myhand. Peace settled over me. And while I knew it wouldn\\u2019t be easy, little by little, the poison of the words of shame would give way to the peace of the red letters representing what God thought of me. I would let His words guard me from the sting of lies. God would define me. I am what He says I am. \\n\\u2022 What are your letters of shame? Reread today\\u2019s Bible verses. In Christ, how does God see and define you? \\n\\u2022 How can you use God\\u2019s definition of you to replace the lies of your letters of shame? \\nO Lord, You have searched me and known me. Psalm 139:1 (NKJV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nJohn 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:9'