Nancy Stafford - Beauty by the Book: Seeing Yourself as God Sees You

Wow a beauty book by the gorgeous Nancy Stafford! I could hardly wait! What secrets would she share that could change my life? True beauty, writes Nancy, is seeing ourselves as God sees us. Nancy reminds us that its the Beholder of our soul that defines our real beauty. Buy this book, apply it become it. Its got the best-kept beauty secret I know.

J ENNI B ORSELLINO, TELEVISION COHOST , A T H OME L IVE WITH C HUCK AND J ENNI

I was tremendously blessed by Nancys willingness to honestly share her own painful struggles for self-identity and the freedom and growth she has found in relationship with God through His love.

M ARILYN M C C OO, SINGER

Nancy Stafford offers a perspective I wish Id had growing up, and one I hope to pass on to my daughter . Nancy, my glasses were purple.

C ONNIE S ELLECCA, ACTRESS

With honesty, vulnerability, and passion, Nancy Stafford opens up her own beautiful life to encourage us that we are all truly beautiful and deeply loved by God. Now that Ive finished the last page and wiped away my tears, Im starting a list of all the women in my life to whom I must give this inspiring book. Thank you, Nancy!

K AREN C OVELL, TELEVISION PRODUCER AND COAUTHOR OF T HE D AY I M ET G OD AND H OW TO T ALK ABOUT J ESUS WITHOUT F REAKING O UT

Nancys personal experiences reveal her secrets of true and lasting beauty. I commend her for a beautiful book. A must-read for all women who seek spiritual truth and enlightened love.

R HONDA F LEMING, AUTHOR AND HUMANITARIAN

Getting to know Nancy Stafford personally has been one of the great blessings of my life. I invite all of you to experience the joy of her compassionate heart. It seems impossible that such an exquisitely beautiful woman has suffered deep wounds in her self-image, but here Nancy allows God to use her scars to take us all on a healing journey toward wholeness and freedom. Nancys writing reaches down into the hidden crevices of the heart and allows God to heal the deep wounds of childhood long buried there. Through the pages of Nancys inspiring book, God reached into my own heart and healed some old wounds I didnt even know I had! He will do it for you, too.

S USAN W ALES, AUTHOR OF S TANDING ON THE P ROMISES

The search for acceptance can be a long and painful one. And for many women, the gap between outward appearances and the cry of their heart can be huge. Nancys story builds a bridge connecting our inside and our outside. The result is the revelation of a beauty that will heal.

H ENRY C LOUD , P H .D., AUTHOR OF C HANGES T HAT H EAL AND COAUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING B OUNDARIES

As a young girl, I used to love fairy tales. Beauty by the Book has all the elements of a contemporary fairy tale, but the beauty of this story is that its reality, not fantasy! It is full of deep spiritual truths that mothers and daughters everywhere should experience together.

D EBBY B OONE, VOCALIST AND AUTHOR OF B EDTIME H UGS FOR L ITTLE O NES

Nancy Stafford is a beautiful womaninside and out. She strikes a perfect balance between unmasking the lies that the world tells us about beauty and reaffirming the value of taking care of ourselves and being the best we can be. Nancy tackles this often-misunderstood subject with great heart, humor, and personal humility. Every woman will find herself somewhere in these pages. Beauty by the Book is a must-read for women of all ages.

M ELODY G REEN, AUTHOR, SPEAKER, AND CONTEMPORARY C HRISTIAN SONGWRITER

If only all women would embrace the amazing truths in Beauty by the Book! Nancy Stafford gives us food for thought, as well as clarifies the fact that our issues with beauty run deep. By unearthing Gods concept of beauty, we see ourselves from another point of view as fearfully and wonderfully crafted vessels to behold!

B UNNY W ILSON, AUTHOR OF S EVEN S ECRETS W OMEN W ANT TO K NOW

Honest, transparent, and liberating, Beauty by the Book speaks gently to a womans deepest hearts cry. Nancy Stafford sets the record straight: We are not the sum total of what we see in the mirror. She points us to the One who created beauty and challenges us to discover the true source of our identity. If youve ever struggled with your own external qualities, this book will force you to take another look at yourselfand to celebrate the fact that you were wonderfully created by divine design inside and out.

M ICHELLE M C K INNEY H AMMOND, AUTHOR OF I F M EN A RE L IKE B USES , T HEN H OW D O I C ATCH O NE ?

Nancys ability to focus on true inner beauty in the midst of a culture that bombards us with beauty thats only skin deep is completely refreshing. Her vulnerability in sharing her pains (even the ones that seem insignificant) and her healing is a beautiful reminder to us that Jesus not only heals us, but also bears our pain and that through Him we can walk in the wholeness He has provided.

K IM H ILL, CONTEMPORARY C HRISTIAN RECORDING ARTIST

Nancy Staffords Beauty by the Book is one of the most touching books Ive read. It is a must-read for any womanyoung or old, large or thin, tall or shortwho has ever felt ugly, insecure, fat, invisible, unloved, or unwantedand isnt that really all of us? If you wonder how you can ever be, or more importantly, feel beautiful, you have to read Nancys book. It rips your heart out and draws tears from your eyes and then leaves you feeling loved, accepted, and beautiful!

V ICTORYA M ICHAELS R OGERS, FORMER H OLLYWOOD AGENT AND COAUTHOR OF T HE D AY I M ET G OD AND H OW TO T ALK A BOUT J ESUS WITHOUT F REAKING O UT

To my familyMom, Dad, and Tracy
who taught me what true beauty looks like.
To my husband, Larry, who is beautiful in every way.
To women everywhere, may you come to know
how beautiful you really are.
To my Lord, who had nothing in His appearance
that we should desire Him
the most beautiful of all.

T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

W ITH G RATITUDE

Heartfelt thanks to my many friends for your prayers, encouragement, guidance, and, in the case of Henry Cloud, friendly coercion and policing my progress.

I am especially grateful to Gayle Miller, Judie Lawson, Julaine Calhoun, Apphia Merino, Matilda Novak, and Mary Main. Many thanks to Susan Wales for our power-prayer walks and for your generosity in introducing me to the great folks at Multnomah.

My deep thanks to Don Jacobson, Bill Jensen, Penny Whipps, and Dave and Heather Kopp for believing in me and my message.

Thank you to my wonderful editorand new friendJudith St. Pierre, for your vision, for your heart and for your beauty.

A T RUE M IRROR

T HEY SAY TO WRITE what we know. This I know: Real beauty isnt what we see in magazines or on movie screens, and it doesnt depend on the opinions of others or the changing tastes of culture. True beauty is seeing ourselves as God sees us, reflected in the mirror of His Word.

Inner beautyknowing who we really areis the message closest to my heart because its been a lifelong search and a long, hard journey to reach the point where I really