It was just three simple words on a piece of paper.

Three simple words with a couple of exclamation points and a smiley face added for emphasis. And it changed the course of my entire day.

“You are beautiful.”

My husband knew I was feeling down. Following the previous night’s rejection email, I explained to him that this writing thing was a lot harder than I thought. Doubt and discouragement snuck in at a completely unexpected moment and before I knew it, I was throwing myself a pity party complete with chocolate ice cream and the latest selection on Netflix.

I knew rejection was an inevitable part of this calling. But “thick skin” simply isn’t part of who I am. I am clay, slowly being molded in the hands of my Creator, even though it is often a painful process.

The next morning, I awoke with the words from the…