What a great question to ponder at the Cafe today! I believe we are living in a generation where women, even Christian women fall victim to the lies of the enemy and the secular world. Unfortunately, the "lines" are being blurred and Christian women aren't "set apart" from the "world." Kim had a great example of submission. I blogged a bit in this area last week.
When I read the question, a different example immediately came to my mind......
What are some lies out in the world (secular views) today about
women that contradict what God says in His word about how women should be/act?
Diving a little deeper…What are some lies that are still out there in our
Christian circles about women? (Feel free to talk from a single woman’s point of
view or a married woman’s point of view)
I was having a conversation with my friend recently. We were at a school function and I told her how beautiful she is. And, she is gorgeous. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but is lovely on the inside. She is a caring, loving person and an amazing mother to four adopted children. She gives of herself and has a deep care and concern for all children.
Her reaction to mu compliment was a horrified expression and a long list of arguments- her complexion, her wrinkles, her hair... What she said next, though, stunned me. She said that she didn't want to go out in public because she felt so ugly. This woman, as I said, is beautiful. It broke mu heart that she had set such an unrealistic standard of beauty for herself- one she probably could never attain: perfection.
And, isn't that the lie we have bought into as women? We have to be perfect~ skinny, but with large breasts. Perfect skin. Perfect hair. Perfect clothes. We have to look like we are 16, but with no acne! Botox. Diet pills. Surgery.
But, what does the Word tell us? "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Is that what the world teaches us? Honor. Purity. Beauty.
God loves beauty. Look at His world. Sunsets, oceans, flowers, birds. But, what we fail to understand and teach to Christian women is that God looks at beauty differently than the world does! He doesn't see beauty as the world does. "Man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart." And, we forget that He is the potter, the Creator.....We are His creation. We look the way He "designed" us! He knit us together in our mother's womb. God's beauty is so diverse. And, God's beauty is NOT "skin deep."
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as
braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it
should be that of your INNER self, the unfading beauty of a GENTLE and QUIET
spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." -1Peter:3-3-4
Sisters, we have got to stop believing the world's lies about beauty! God has created each one of us uniquely beautiful in His own way. "The King is enthralled with your beauty." Believe the Truth of who you are in Christ and approach the throne as a confident woman!
Please visit the Cafe for more ideas and chat!
9 thoughts shared....:
I know. You're right. It's so hard to not get caught up in how I look when the message is coming at us so strong. Plus, I think that a lot of Christians are guilty of judging based on looks just like the rest of the world. I need to work on that confidence that He sees me as beautiful.
I know what you mean Tracy. I weigh about 145 pounds, I'm 26, 5,4... I feel good physically, EVERY doctor I've seen tells me is just right; my mum thinks I look fabulous (of course)... but TV?
We keep chasing that myth - perfection. I think its just a problem of focusing on the wrong things. It's like the Teacher said 'a chasing after the wind'.
Thank you for this insightful post. It really hit the nail on the head.
Tracy,
You are soooo right about this. For many year I bought into that lie about measuring up to the world's standard and ended up being anorexic. Thankfully the Lord intervened in my life through a caring professor and I got into counseling.
I read a book that really made me think about the lies that I believed. It was entitled "Tired of Trying to Measure Up" by Jeff Van vonderen. We don't have to measure up to the world's ideas of what a woman should look like. God loves us just the way we are. Until we see ourselves as much loved daughters of the KING, we will fall for Satan's lies.
Have a great weekend, dear one.
Leah
Wonderful post!!! Thank you for sharing the bible verses too... We want to get our truth from Scripture and you pointed us the the Word...
Blessings...
Thank you for sharing these thoughts...I know that we all fall for "beauty on the outside" at some time or another...isn't it funny that others SEE us as beautiful and we sabotage ourselves???
God must be so sad when we do it...and I am guilty!
Wonderful chatting with you!!
hugs,
lori
Amen, Tracy!
Have a great weekend!
Wonderful thoughts!
You wrote that PERFECTLY!!! I love the verse, "The King is enthralled with your beauty." To see ourselves the way the Lover of our soul sees us! That's the cure for the lie!
blessings!
sheila
There is an AWESOME book out called "The Divine Dance" by Shannon Primicerio...OH MY! Great book for pre teenagers before they get sucked into the lie about what is good and not good about themselves. It basically asks thye question..."If the world is your stage...who are you dancing for? HMMM!
Thank you so much for posting this because so many of us struggle with this very thing and unfortunetly, since we don't have it right yet and struggle we have no greater hope to pass to our children. They see that we are not happy with how God made us and they start to critique themselves too...we have to take back what the enemy has stolen from us! Our identity in Christ!
Thanks Tracy
Post a Comment