The subject of beauty is one that is very close to my heart. I have never struggled with self-worth, self-confidence, or hating my body, so when I see a young woman believing lies about herself, it breaks my heart. Why haven't I ever struggled with what is so common among my generation (and all generations)? I don't know. It's a way God has protected me, I suppose. First of all, God has given me a beautiful body, as He has everyone on this earth. From a young age, it was drilled into me (that probably sounds bad, but it's good) that I AM a child of God. I'm His daughter, and He made me perfect. I've rarely been criticized for my looks. I do, however, remember one time when I was at a sleepover, around age 9 that shaped what I believed, and even what I believe now. What happened that day was both encouraging and discouraging. We were piling into my friend's suburban to go to church, and I was wearing what I deemed cute: a cream and purple plaid skirt, with a matching shirt. It was one of my favorite outfits. Then from the backseat, I heard, "Why doesn't Emily....." (the last part was inaudible) and another replied, "It's because she knows what's important- your insides and not your clothes." I was, of course, offended at first, because this was my favorite outfit at the time and I thought it was very in-style. However, after a few silent minutes, I was proud. My efforts, years if you can say that, of dressing modest and trying to be cute at the same time, were noticed, and I was, in a way, praised for it. I knew what was important. How I longed to hear that! I look back and wonder, "Am I the same person today? Do I still know what's important, or have I succumbed to this world?" That's what I strive for.
So why do I share all of this? Well, it's a story that goes along with my point. Personal stories are powerful, or that's what they say. Today I want to talk about beauty, and how all women are beautiful. So first, why is this idea rejected? I think we all know why- the world tells us that in order to be attractive, have friends, or be successful, we need to wear make up, show our skin, or change our bodies. Everyone just wants to be loved and accepted, so in hopes of achieving such things, we do what the world tells us to. That's mistake #1. In today's world we pretty much need to do the exact opposite of what it is telling us to do. People don't get attention by going with the flow, but by standing out, like me sitting in that suburban, wearing what was *apparently* not cute (I still believe it was).
Let me go off on a little rabbit trail for a minute: make up. It is so controversial, whether or not Christian girls should wear it. Perhaps the heat has died down a bit, but it is still a popular topic of conversation (along with boy friends and *sigh* yoga pants) For the purpose of this post, I googled, "Should Christian girls wear makeup?" The first result talked about how it's really what's on the inside that matters, but the outside still matters too. Basically, make inner beauty your top priority. The second result taught about makeup in moderation. Sounds good to me, because I just wear concealer and mascara (it has something to do with the fact that I'm pretty much the opposite of a make up artist). The third result (the last one that I'll share with y'all) was from Lies Young Women Believe, the website. Ooh! I like that book! (really, y'all, go check it out) The post was thoughts from boys about make up. The jist of it was that boys are okay with it, but not too much. So that's what the internet says about Christian girls wearing make up. I agree with it. I love what the Duggar girls say in their book, or rather what their pastor says about makeup- any old barn looks better with some paint on it! Cracks. Me. Up. I personally like make up that enhances my beauty: mascara to lengthen my eye lashes, or some concealer to restore the skin I had at birth. So that's my little tidbit about make up... It's great in moderation.
So moving right along, why do we need to believe that we are beautiful? Good question. Why not just learn to live with the fact that we're ugly? Two reasons: 1) It affects the way you see God and 2) Why not just learn to live with the fact that you're beautiful? So first, how does it affect the way we see God? When we see that we're ugly and that's how God created us, we start believing that He makes mistakes, He doesn't make everything beautiful, and even that He's ugly. We were, after all, made in His image, and is His image ugly? Nope. Although we may not realize it, what we believe about ourselves does affect our lives, how we see God, and how we see the world. That just happens whether we like it or not. And secondly, why not just learn to live with the fact that we're beautiful? I think some women are afraid to believe this, fearing that we might be seen as vain. Let me tell you girl, that if you believe that you are beautiful for the right reasons, you won't come off as vain, nor will you care what others think about you. It's a win-win!
What does the Bible say about your beauty? Psalm 139:14- I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Song of Solomon 4:7- You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.
To wrap this up, how do we believe that we are beautiful? It's a process. First, it helps to focus on the inner, not the outer. Also, write out verses about beauty (like the ones listed above) on index cards and place them where you'll see them, on your desk, mirror, or kitchen sink. Daily encouragement of verses spoken by MY Creator helps me to combat the lies of this world.
Thank you so much for reading! What do you do to understand that you're beautiful?
-Emily
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