This is my first post for Seeds of Faith, and I've been giving a lot of thought over the past few weeks (probably more than I should) on just how I wanted to begin.  In my classroom, I generally create a KWL chart with my students the first day, letting them tell me what they already know about me and the class they will be taking, allowing them to ask questions around what they want to know, and then determining what they've learned.  But this isn't a classroom and I don't think the comment section is set up to hold graphic organizers.  So, I'll begin with this...

My name is Sara, without an h, and although I might be plain, no one would ever call me tall.  Sara translates to "princess"; specifically, "God's princess".  However, aside from an obsession with the color pink (my childhood bedroom at one point looked like an ad for the Circus, Circus Hotel in Las Vegas) and a Princess Di paper doll set, I can't say I strongly identify with that word.  I have more pajama pants in my wardrobe than jeans and dress-up to me consists of corduroy pants and a sweater.  Part of this is that I have two toddlers, boys, and nice clothes become splotched or smeared before I even get out the door in the morning.  The other part is that I'm about forty pounds above what my maximum weight should be, and dresses just do not hide that well.  So, since they don't generally give tiaras to fat girls in pajama pants smeared with peanut butter and apple juice, I've really just let the whole "princess" bit go.
 Yet, here's the thing I keep coming back to.  Although I don't generally look in the mirror in the morning and see a "princess" staring back, that is exactly what God sees when he looks at me.  Read this passage from Psalm 139: