How often do
you find yourself looking at the mirror and lacking confidence in yourself? We are all created differently, but that does
not define our beauty. Merriam-Webster
defines beauty as, “the quality of being physically attractive; the
qualities in a person or a thing that give pleasure to the senses or the mind;
or a beautiful woman” (2014). The world
has defined a women’s beauty as outward, and often times that is something that
we see as thin, flawless, and perfect in every expression of the female body. We must each understand that no one is the
same and we are each perfectly created by the Master. One of the most beautifully written love
letters from the bridegroom to the bride is in Song of
Solomon. This book was written to
express God’s love to us as His children.
Song of Solomon 4:7,
“You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
beautiful in every way” (New Living Translation).
Take a moment and let that verse sink in, let
it penetrate every fiber of your being.
You are beautiful, beautiful in every way.
For me this
is a daily struggle. I must continue to
remind myself that God created me just as I am.
Now, am I saying that living a life of complete and total unhealthiness
is okay? If we are all beautiful then shouldn’t
we stop taking care of ourselves?
Absolutely not, our bodies belong to Christ, so we must honor God with
our bodies and that means choosing to live a healthy lifestyle.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20,
"Don’t you realize that your body is the
temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do
not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must
honor God with your body" (New Living Translation).
We each have
a choice to make, we can either let our physical appearance, disabilities, and/or imperfections define who we are or we can choose to honor God with our life,
our bodies, and our whole spirit.
“None of us
would turn down the opportunity if God said, ‘Pick one thing you don’t like
about yourself and I’ll change it.’ If
you’re like me, you might even say, ‘Lord, may I pick ten things?’” (Squier,
2010, p. 67). Satan is great at making
us feel like we’re worthless, ugly, and completely imperfect. In those moments we must also remember, who
we find our strength and confidence in.
Jesus loves us just as we are; we are completely perfect in His
sight.
Max Lucado writes,
"If God had a refrigerator, your picture would
be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo
would be in it. He sends you flowers
every spring and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, he’ll listen.
He can live anywhere in the universe, and he choose your heart. And the Christmas gift He sent you in
Bethlehem? He’s crazy about you" (Squier,
2010, p. 68).
Jesus has a “heart
overflowing with love, saying, ‘I’m crazy about YOU!’” (Squier, 2010, p. 68). What an amazing, wonderful, loving Father we serve! From here on out, live like
someone is absolutely CRAZY about YOU! That
will not only change your outward appearance, but it will also change your
heart. Look not only for opportunities to
remind yourself of this, but also look for opportunities to remind others of
this. It’s so easy to let the world sway
our opinions of ourselves and others. I challenge
you today to look for the beauty in yourself and in every person around you! Speaking from experience – one compliment can
change not only a person’s day, but their life.
Knowing you have purpose, beauty, and a life filled with people who love
you is simply amazing!
Psalms
139:14
“I praise
you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well” (New International Version).
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well” (New International Version).
Reference:
Squier, J. (2010). His majesty in brokenness. Lexington, KY: Judy Squier.
