As a former Miss South Africa and Miss Universe, I’m often seen or defined as being a “beauty queen.” While I love things like style and fashion, I never want my outward appearance to define me.
Our culture has a very high standard of beauty that honestly no one can uphold. When I was first entering into the Miss Universe pageant there was a lot of talk that I was too short to win the crown. It would be easy to get into my head or discourage me from living out God’s plan for my life. Our culture implies if you aren’t beautiful, you aren’t valuable. We have images on social media that are constantly telling us we don’t reach society’s expectations. Most of those images aren’t even real, and yet that’s the standard we often try and hold ourselves to. But I believe God wants us to look at ourselves in a different way than this world does and not look at ourselves through the false lenses of social media. I believe God wants us to know, deep down, a few Truths.
You are VALUABLE. The way you usually determine something’s worth is by how much time, effort or energy someone puts into making it, and also how much someone is willing to pay for it. I believe God created each and every one of us in His image, with great love, and great sacrifice to Himself. He sent His only Son to die just for you and me, to give us eternal life, and that means He was willing to pay it ALL for you and me. Not only was he willing, but he DID pay it all! And guess what? Even if you were the only person on this planet, He STILL would have chosen to lay down his life for you. That’s how valuable you are. No Instagram following, set of clothes or big promotion can change the fact that God created you with love and a significant purpose.
You have PURPOSE. Not only did God knit you together perfectly with great care and love, Hecreated you with a great purpose. It’s easy to get caught up in comparing ourselves to others instead of living out the truth that God created us for a part in His great plan. Before you were even born, He created a perfect and specific plan for your life. I believe it’s time to stop looking to the next thing to bring us purpose, and to rather ask God how we can live out HIS perfect purpose today.
You have GOD-Confidence. Yes, you!
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14
This verse always reminds me of how my grandmother used to knit me little jerseys (you call them sweaters here in America). She spent so much time making sure every single stitch was perfect. She was knitting it together with love so that it was the perfect gift for me. I believe this is kind of how God creates each and every one of us, with great care and great love.
He created us in love, by love and for love, and if that doesn’t make you feel worthy, I don’t think any amount of makeup, clothes, words of affirmation or followers will ever make you feel worthy. If we define ourselves based on worldly opinions or our own self-image, we will always fall short. God is the only one who gets to tell you who you are, and He says you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
It all starts in understanding your identity in your loving Creator. He created you with confidence therefore we don’t need to rely on ourselves but only God. We can replace the word “self” with “God” and have God-Confidence every day.
This is an absolutely beautiful message and I thank you for sharing it!
If we are ever struggling w/ feeling loved, let’s remember who lovingly thought of us before we were even born. How beautiful are these words?
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.
— Psalm 139:1-3; 13-14; 16-18
God loves us more in a minute than anyone possibly could in a lifetime!
Thank you for sharing your heart, Demi. ❤
You are a queen in God’s eyes🤍 x
Thank you for sharing with us, we can NOT wait to walk this journey with you!
P.S. Hello van Suid-Afrika🇿🇦 jy is ń absolute inspirasie vir ons jong dames Demi. Ek het ń boodskappie wat ek graag met jou wil deel x
“What you are is God’s gift to you. What you become is your gift to Him”
Jy is die definisie hiervan. Jy is ń pragtige mens van binne en buite x
Enjoy every moment!!
You are such an inspiration, Thank you for this beautiful message
Much Love xx
Wonderful message Demi….. You’re one of the most beautiful Miss Universe winners inside out 😊❤
Thank you. I needed to read that today.
Praise be!! Your message is inspirational and much needed in today’s society especially for young women. Thanks to you and Tim’s words of encouragements!
Our Father God has formed us perfectly and loves us unconditionally.
I’m sharing a scripture Deuteronomy 31:8
the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you he will be with you he will not fail you or forsake you do not fear of be dismayed.
God will take our mess and make it our message God will take our test and make it our testimony God will take you break you and make you over.
Demi,
Thank you for sharing your heart and thoughts with others through your blog. I am looking forward to hearing what GOD has purposed for you and me through this ministry. I truly believe, GOD has a plan and purpose for ALL of HIS children.
Thank you for your kindness and dedication to share with others. You may be the one connection a lost person needs to find JESUS. Prayers lifted for you and your ministry. Praise lifted to GOD.🥰
Yes absolutely Thank-you Demi!
Amen! God does not define us by what we do, but by what we bear. The fig tree was defined by whether it bore fruit. We are called to be fruit bearers. Not only in season, but out of season too. Wow! Xx
Beautiful first message! I’m so thankful for you and your missions with your husband Tim. God Bless!
Great word & encouragement for women today especially! Thank you for sharing the light of Christ in you, Demi!💖
Absolutely beautiful Demi! The website is stunning and this blog is so beautiful
Wow thank you Demi-Leigh for this. Thank you for being such an inspiration to our South African women. I really admire everything you do, And also you so genuine on everything you do. What you see is what you get. That shows that you know what God has called you to be. Thank you for the words of encouragement. God bless you!
Wowww, this is so true. Demi you are and will always be my biggest rolemodel ever. And I wish to full your footsteps one day.. ✨
Congrats on your launch. Loved the message and your verve is infectious!!
Thank you Demi for such a beautiful Godly message! I am a mother of two teenage daughters who follows your every move and having you as a role model in their lifes are a bonus Blessing from God.
Hi Demi! That is a great message that is very relevant nowadays. Most of the believers at present times usually being discouraged by the enemy that what we have is not enough. We tend to degrade ourselves and have a mindset that the abilities that we possess is not enough to be a better servant of God. There are times that God is calling us for a certain mission but we are hesitant to follow His will because Satan put a seed in our minds that we cannot do it for we know nothing. We must always remember that God uses even our weaknesses to give glory and honor to His name. We are God’s wonderful creation and we are perfect in his eyes.
Thank you sharing, Demi. This is so important, it’s a message that speaks to the heart. To realise I am beautiful. God made me beautiful. I can show my girls this and say look this lady is a beauty queen and she still looks to God for her confidence.
Demi, you have the true spirit of our Lord. It’s wonderful that you shared this beautiful faith with the world and nor ashamed to express that. You’re definitely a woman of God and happy to read this. Love that you have for Jesus.
I just love your passion and thank you for the confidence and strength.
Demi this is so inspiring, I love it…from Nigeria
This is what I really need nowadays. Thank you for the beautiful message Demi. You and Tim are a blessing to many. God bless!
Beautiful message and I luv your new blog! Super excited to hear more from you and your thoughts.
I do have to ask though about your comment about not wanting to be defined as a beauty queen? Can you sort of explain that a bit more? You made that choice to do that whether it was to follow your dream or what you think God had planned for you, but yet it almost sounds as if you are almost saying that it was something you are embarrassed by? I think it’s just so important to be real especially when we are talking about our decisions and how they have shaped us. I also don’t want someone to read and think that if they do run in a beauty pageant their life is defined by this because they did that, but more about why they made that choice and what they can do to help spread the work of God and be more humanitarian so to speak.
Thank you Demi for shining your light to the world! Jy is ‘n amazing rolmodel, die Here seën jou ryklik.
Couldn’t be more proud. You continue to inspire us to dream big. You are our African idol
This message was truly glorious. It made me so warm inside like God was inside of me all along. I don’t really have God inside of me right now. Keep up the good work! You & Tim are such an inspiration to so many people. Y’all’s smiles always light up a room when y’all walk into it. Keep traveling the world & bringing Jesus to others that don’t worship Jesus. Everybody in other countries that are poor & don’t have what we have needs to hear Jesus & change there evil ways to good. Thank you for sharing your blog with me! I loved it all the way thru to the end. I will gladly share with someone who needs Jesus or either is already a Christian. You are part of God & He is a part of you.
Such an inspiration especially to young women😍💓
I love everything about this website/article. Demi is my idol and I idolize her a lot. I know she has a beautyful soul. Also everytime I am visiting this website I am enlighten to what I am reading in this website. Every content in this website is obviously pure, simple and sincere.
This is a very beautiful, inspiring, and encouraging message, and I thank you for sharing it, Demi!❤️
As a 46 year old woman, even I need to still be reminded of these truths! How I wish I had someone telling me this when I was a young teenager, so unsure of myself. As a mom of two teenage girls now (and one rambunctious 5 year old boy!), I try so hard to instill this truth in them. They both love following you on Instagram, and I am grateful that they have someone of faith to follow after (we also live in the Jacksonville area, so they feel like you’re a “local” to them). Thank you for inspiring women of ALL ages to follow after God and what He has created us to be!
Well Done and Congratulations…. Love from Marlene in Jhb SA.
Amen Demi beauty starts from the inside and projects on the outside.
We know who we are and who’s we are in Christ.
It has taken me from the age of twelve to now I am 62 50 years too long but that’s okay I have a greater understanding now.
I want all the young girls to understand that.
LOVE THIS SO MUCH, Demi! 💃🏻👏🏼
Today is my 32nd birthday and this message has been on my heart all week. When I saw you were launching your website today, I was thrilled that it would be on my birthday and knew this message on my heart was confirmation from the Lord.
Reading this today is an answered prayer and a joy! Thank you for a beautiful post, I can’t wait to see what else the Lord has in store for you!
🤍 🤍
You are beautiful inside and out! Thank you for encouraging all the women! I am so inspired by your blog! I have 4 grandkids and one on it’s way next week! God bless you!!
Amazingly said, true beauty comes feomvthe inside, God has created each one of us fearfully and wonderful we are His precious daughters.
May this new adventure be blessed
May His favor shine on you and your marriage
Dankie so baie
Great post – important reminders for all of us, young and… not so young. 🙂 Congrats on your new site!
[email protected]
I love how you really used and continually using your platform to share God’s word. I wanna thank you for always reminding me to not just have self confidence but to also have God-confidence in me
Congratulations for the launching too. I wanna say that all the wait is worth it 🤍
I, also Love that you and your husband use your platform to share Jesus- thank you, thank you, thank you! Time is short. Eternity is forever ✝️
I am so excited to share this journey with everyone!!! I love beauty, fashion, design, etc. however, fashion isn’t necessarily what’s on the outside, if on the inside, and how you present yourself. I myself went through some very hard times a couple years ago where I was told, “oh your not pretty enough,” or ,” you aren’t tall enough,” whatever it was, it deterred me from what God wanted from me. I got saved on Wednesday, April 29th 2021, which was last night for me. I feel like a completely different and beautiful person, from a godly, woman, perspective. Let me know if you have any questions as I’d be glad to answer them! Have a blessed evening!!
I am so happy for you Eden!
HivDemi !
Thank you for your website. Thank you for encouraging us with a Christ-centered message.
May you continue to shine as a bright light and be a spokesperson for what you believe in. I feel that all that you have spoken is so very valuable.
You are truly not just a Miss Universe the time you win the crown, but you are always the Miss Universe who knows your purpose even until you finished your reign. You continue to uphold the plans that God has for you since you were born, you have given His confidence to the extent of inspiring people like me to see the truth in every detail of exaggeration. I thank God for you. You are able to show the life driven by purpose and plans of God.
When I was a teenager I was in my room crying and I had told God if I’m not worthy of my mom’s love (she didn’t raise us our grandparents did and we never saw her) then how could I ever be worthy of his love. No one knew what I had said to God. We went to Church that night and a lady was there with her husband they were our special guests that day and she walked up to me and said God told me to tell you that you are worthy. I just started crying. God is so good. Thank you Demi for sharing this with everyone. God bless you.
Glory to God so excited to find your website …I love your encouraging words that have for sure come from knowing Jesus …..
Jy is fantasties Demi, wat my die heel meeste trots maak is die feit dat jy Suid Africa erkenning gee waar dit nodigste is al is dit iemand hier in SA wat jou website help aan mekaar sit het.
Jyt ons nie vergeet nie- ons het waardering vir n vrou soos jy , ons LAND het JOU ook nodig vir baie ander dinge wat ek glo jou hart van weet. Amen vir jou. God Bless
What a beautiful message. You and Tim are bringing so much love and hope into the world. God’s power couple for the Kingdom. You inspire me!
Wow so good Demi…Love yah!!!
Demi thank you for that encouraging message! I see Christ’s light shine through you everyday! I hope to deepen God confidence with God each day. Truly this message is a reminder for me to know he made me in his own image and it is something I really hope to know more in depth as God’s child. I hope to grow and understand God’s purpose for my life. So thank you for being such an inspiring role model!
I love this so much!! Such great truth for myself and the upcoming generation to hear!
What a God-filled inspirational message! Thank you for sharing and inspiring us with this wisdom. It means a lot to me and others how you can reach us through your words. May the Lord bless you and your work in His name. Thank you again and continue to inspire us all!!
Thank you for sharing this Demi! ❤️
Thank you 😊 Beautifully spoken.
Hi,
I am really grateful that I subscribed with no second thoughts. This is truly amazing. I knew you when you won Miss Universe and you are my favorite coz you seem so genuine and humble and when I learnt that you married Tim, I was more excited and happy for you and now, you are inspiring and leading women to Christ. Really2 happy for you. Godbless you more Demi.
Love, Sarah (a Filipino but now living in London)
Thank you for this reminder that we are Beautiful in God’s eyes! I sometimes forget I dont need to measure up to Social Media Beautiful, God created me just perfect in HIS image <3
Thank you. I really needed to hear this today.
Thank you! What a beautiful message and I look forward to the next one!! 💖
Demi, this is such an important and wonderful reminder! It’s really encouraging to read, keep the posts coming ❤️
What a powerful message not only woman but especially young girls need to hear. KEEP ON ROCKING DEMI
I can’t wait to share this with my 14 year old daughter. Such a beautiful and important message.
Thank you so much for the heartfelt and inspirational message….it really touched a special place in my heart.
Thank you Demi for such encouraging words of wisdom, you are truly an inspiration to all women young & old.
Amen
♥️
What a beautiful reminder that we are all made in the image of God. Thank you, Miss Demi.
Such beautiful words! Thank you Demi!
Beautifully said !!! Very Awesome !!
Yes, indeed! I’m a teen, and it’s so difficult not to compare yourself with others especially when people you know are more famous on IG and the like. Thank you for sharing your heart Demi❤️, and this really helps especially when you see it from the perspective of someone who is actually a beauty queen/ influencer (which most teens wish to be).
Bravo, this magnificent idea is necessary just by the way
Oh! Thank you so much Ms Demi…. for sharing this….
Yes! I do believe God’s wonderful creation and i am one of that creation… So thankful to God, that though i am not perfect, He made me perfect in His eyes. and that i am living in His grace everyday…. I came to know Jesus since April 1998 and since then, my life has been in line with God’s purpose in me, sharing the Love of God to others… Love you Lord… 🙂
Love,
Ness Duran
I love how you’re using your platform to let Jesus’ light shine through. I believe we’re called to use everything we have for His glory.
May your ministry continue to grow and your blessings be pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing.
This is a beautiful message. I am raising a beautiful young lady, she’s 10, and a handsome young man, he’s 7. These words are not just for me, they are for them too. I’m praying that God will help our family to walk in this kind of love, knowledge, and wisdom daily. You are a blessing, and these words, God’s words, touched my heart today. Thank you!
Well said! I am sharing your message with my pre-teen granddaughters, to help them recognize their true worth and to help build their self-esteem without relying on others’ opinions or social media approval. Thank you for setting such a wonderful example!
Thank you for sharing. As a life long Gator fan. It is a privilege and honor to get to know the real Mrs. Timmy Tebow, and see God has answered years of prayer that God would bringTimmy the perfect partner for him.
GB
BEAUTIFULLY written. This is a precious reminder of who we all are in Christ! Thank you for this!!
.
This is very beautiful, thank you very much💖✨🙌🏻