Our perceptions on what beauty is, is completely distorted. Beauty is portrayed in the media as being a super slim woman, with flawless skin, and stunning, silky styled hair – and for guys it’s all about owning a gym-ready body, with bulging muscles, being incredibly strong etc. Social media is overwhelmed with false pretenses of appearances. Images are filtered or airbrushed to meet the ‘standards’ of being considered attractive; there is no room for displays of the slightest imperfections.
This exposure on a daily basis, of how the world sees beauty, is just one of the reasons so many people suffer with low self-confidence and issues with body image. We all have things we would like to change about ourselves, but for some people, this obsession with their appearance can lead them to taking drastic measures to try to change themselves.
Growing up, I really struggled with body confidence and my appearance – and even now there are times when I still do. I often found I was constantly comparing myself to other girls at school – “If only I were prettier”, “If only I were thinner”, “If only I were taller”. ‘If only’ is a phrase too often used to describe ourselves. For years, I have found it hard to accept myself as I am, until I reaslied that my true worth is not judged by the exterior but the interior.
“You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.”
1 Peter 3:4
God sees who we really are. True beauty comes from within. And while I am not deemed beautiful by the world, I am called so by God, which is the most amazing compliment I think you could ever receive. I am part of His creation:
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Psalm 139:14
“You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way.”
Songs of Songs 4:7
“For we are God’s masterpiece.”
Ephesians 2:10
‘Names can never hurt me‘ – what a stupid saying! Words do have such a power to hurt someone deeply. If someone is told they are ‘something’ over and over again, then eventually they begin to believe it. Labels are hard to break, even if they are not true. It’s hard to block out the critism and negativity of the world but we must try to focus on the real truths. The words the Bible uses to describe who we really are. We are loved by God EXACTLY as we are! We need to remove the labels the world places on us and replace them with what God says instead.
It’s not a quick-fix process, but over time I have grown more confident in myself and have begun to love my body and appearance, because I am now starting to believe more in the words of God than those people who try to put me down. Starting today, why not write out the verses from above and put them up by a mirror. Tell yourself everyday that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, you are God’s masterpiece, you are beautiful! Soon you will begin to see the true beauty God sees, for yourself.
God Bless 🙂
STEADFAST 