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Theology

Submitted by: Jiezelle A. Sosa

Submitted to: Bengt Levin Quitoriano
 First Beatitude

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven”

A STORY OF FAITH OVERCOMING FEAR

One day there is a girl name Kalyn, she was 18 years old when she moved at New York
City to follow God wanted her to pursue a career in arts and entertainment, so she graduated
early from high school and moved from small town in Texas to the Big Apple. Although she is a
natural optimist, she expected the move might be a little tough. However, in the first few months,
she had no idea just how hard it would truly be and how much shaping God would have to do in
her life.

In John 15, Jesus says the following: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the
vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch
that bears fruit Heprunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Then she longed to live a life pleasing to God and to be fruitful for Him and His
Kingdom, but little did she know how many dead branches she had that needed to be cut off
before He could truly use her’ It is unpleasant to be “pruned” both physically, and for your pride,
but how sweet the fruit is when God trims the dead and barren branches from your life. How
sweet it is to abide with the Prince of Peace. Although there were many ways He pressed and
shaped her, this is one that stands out in her mind the most.

She was backstage at her first fashion week at Bryant Park, everyone was rushing around
trying to get all the models ready and last minute details completed before the show started. She
was called to a makeup station, and she noticed the girl who was getting her makeup done before
she had really irritated, broken out skin. She had always prided herself on a clear complexion and
rarely even got a pimple throughout her teenage years. She thought “Yikes! Why doesn’t she
wash her face better?” The makeup artist completed the girl’s look and then proceeded to start
doing her makeup with the same brushes on the same girl. She was polite and never wanted to
cause a fuss so she didn’t say anything, but she remember how gross she thought it was that she
didn’t clean her brushes before starting on her.

A few weeks later she woke up with some flat, raised bumps on her chin, she thought it
was probably just a rash or something, but just to be sure, she went to the dermatologist to get it
checked it out. After looking at her chin, she told her fried that she had contracted HPV looking
her face, which is commonly spread by makeup brushes that are not properly cleaned. Basically,
she had warts on her face! The doctor said that they could try and treat the condition with
creams, but her body would probably just have to fight the infection naturally which could take
months or even years.

She tried the creams. She tried home remedies. She tried everything, but nothing seemed
to work and the HPV kept spreading to other areas of her face. She was devastated. She would
cry out of humiliation and shame every time she had to go get polaroids at

her modeling agency or go to a casting.

She basically made a living based on appearance way so that she could afford to live in
NYC. “How could God lead me here and then allow the restricting virus to spread, which could
be there for an indefinite amount of time.” The most unbearable part was that she knew God
could heal her any point, but as much as she prayed and begged, the warts still remained and
grew worse over the course of a year. She was so self-conscious that she didn’t even want to go
outside and would try to hide under sunglasses, scarves, and tons of makeup.

She asked God to just take away modelling and allow her to do something else that didn’t
require “beauty.” But miraculously, God kept opening doors and jobs to model even with my
skin condition. She did several big prints job runway shows and even booked a part in a time.
She realized that God was showing to her that he was his strength in her weakness and she
wasn’t booking jobs because of her own talent or beauty or ability, it was all His favour and
sufficiency and grace. She finally truly surrendered and prayed that even if she was stuck with
that skin condition for the rest of her life that he would use for his glory. She gave the situation
to God, knowing she had no control and it was all in His hands. It wasn’t until she accepted the
lot that she had no control over and chose the joy in the midst of her trial that He healed her. She
woke up one morning (about a year after her first went to the dermatologist) and discovered that
all of warts were gone. Overnight! She have never felt so much joy or thankfulness and had a
new, deeper sense of humility and dependency on Christ that was not there before. She also
suffered from severe acne or other skin issues.

God tough her through all of it that her identity was not in her look, which come and go
and will eventually fade away, but in Jesus Christ. He reminded me of Proverbs 31:30, “harm is
deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Even in the
times when she felt ugly, and ashamed and hopeless, He was the lifter of my head. God took
away her beauty on the outside to make me more beautiful on the inside. She can relate to what
Paul said in Romans 8, “She consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Remember, girls, that diamonds to go through extreme pressure and heat and a harsh
process of cutting and polishing to finally reveal their inner beauty and value. God has to do the
same in our lives and is using our trials to make us more beautiful and fruitful for His Kingdom.
He says in 1 Peter 4:12-19, “ Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking
place among you to test you, as through something strange were happening to you. But
rejoice in so far as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and
shout for joy when his glory is revealed.”

Let us remember this during our “pruning” stages. God is using everything for our good
His glory.

And Kalyn also enjoys travelling, anything outdoors, singing, dancing and laughing until
it hurts. Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your
heart.”