About a week ago I was flipping through channels looking for movie to watch. You know.... a hundred channels and NOTHING good was on???? As I flipped around, I lingered for moment on a program that I wasn't sure what it was. I thought perhaps it was one of those crime dramas. What compelled me to stop on this channel was the beautiful woman who was talking. She was sitting at a desk talking to a handsome man. I became engrossed in her "story" and what she was saying.
She was breathtakingly beautiful....long, blond hair, delicate face, and wearing a gorgeous black dress. I think it was her beauty that gave me pause... As she talked though, she was was saying that she wasn't "good" enough. She shared with the man that she used to be a "10" and now "out here" (LA???) she was just a 6 or 7 because of all the other beautiful women who were even more perfect than her. "Before" she had been the desired one, the sought-after prize....now she was just like everyone else. She felt like she didn't measure up.....inadequate.
It was then I realized I was watching "Nip-Tuck" as the scene cut to the operating room to give her the "perfect" body with a "better" bra size!
GAG ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But her "story" so resonated with me. I was intrigued with what she was saying because I could hear it in the cries of so many other REAL....not fictional women in our generation. All around us are messages that we must be perfect to be desired.....no wrinkles....no body fat....no gray hair. We must be perfection....flawless.
And now not only do women have young 20 something women to compare themselves to, but older women who, like in this "Nip-Tuck" show, shell out thousands of dollars to reach an naturally unattainable perfection. So, we compare ourselves to the "illusion". We no longer just compare ourselves to the airbrushed women of magazines, but now we also find ourselves looking at "real" women perfected by surgeries and wondering why WE don't "measure up."
You see, you are precious and honored in God's sight. God doesn't focus on our outward appearance. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1Samuel 16:7
I know....I know.... It is HARD to remember this when you look at yourself and then begin comparing. It's hard when you hear the voices in your head telling you that you aren't "good enough".....not skinny enough....too many wrinkles.....maybe you should give that under eye cream a try.... But, we MUST continue to renew our minds in the Truth! And, the most IMPORTANT Truth to continue to encourage ourselves with is WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST. When we aren't looking to the world to define us, but seeking our identity and worth in Jesus Christ, remembering we are "hidden in Him," our perspective will change. Simply singing the little song, "Jesus Loves ME, this I know" over and over.....reminding ourselves what is important....what is ETERNALLY important.
Girls, it is a constant battle in the generation we are living in. We must continually remind ourselves of God's Truth. We must also remind ourselves of "the facts."
Our bodies are not perfect (yet). They will get old. They will change. We will get wrinkles. Gravity is real and body parts don't stay where they used to.....
But, God' love is not dependent on HOW we look. He loves us unconditionally. God created each one of us uniquely, in lots of different shapes and sizes. We MUST not compare ourselves to others....especially magazine covers and stars....their beauty is often an "illusion" created by airbrushing, surgery, and lots of people around them making them look that way!
I want to be the best ME I can be.....not Demi or Angelina. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so I DO WANT TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT, so I eat good things, exercise, take care of my skin.....nothing "wrong" with that! Be careful that you don't go to the "other extreme" of heaping guilt and condemnation from taking care of yourself....
I want to be FREE. I don't want to be in bondage to the way I look. I want to enjoy a cookie when I want, not freaking out about gaining a pound if I do! I want to dress up and enjoy a night out with my husband, feeling like a princess in a movie, being confident, not comparing myself to other women and feeling inadequate. I want to give this area of my life to YOU God....trusting You, not the world. Lord, renew our minds in this area. Father, we live in a time where we are bombarded constantly with "outward appearance". Lord, heal our wounds....change our thoughts....renew our minds. Holy Spirit, speak Truth to us when our minds are being saturated with lies. Lord, we pray every time we hear a LIE that You would immediately remind us of the Truth. Jesus, take our hand and lead us through this generation, navigating us around all of the potholes of deception.... We love You and adore You, God! In Jesus' most precious Name we pray! Amen.
If you need more encouragement on this topic, please check out these posts as well! As you can tell, I have needed much teaching in this area! I have struggled with these issues that keep so many Christian women in bondage!
Click here and here. And for more, just search "beauty" tags. And always remember beautiful daughter, you are so loved by Him.
She was breathtakingly beautiful....long, blond hair, delicate face, and wearing a gorgeous black dress. I think it was her beauty that gave me pause... As she talked though, she was was saying that she wasn't "good" enough. She shared with the man that she used to be a "10" and now "out here" (LA???) she was just a 6 or 7 because of all the other beautiful women who were even more perfect than her. "Before" she had been the desired one, the sought-after prize....now she was just like everyone else. She felt like she didn't measure up.....inadequate.
It was then I realized I was watching "Nip-Tuck" as the scene cut to the operating room to give her the "perfect" body with a "better" bra size!
GAG ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But her "story" so resonated with me. I was intrigued with what she was saying because I could hear it in the cries of so many other REAL....not fictional women in our generation. All around us are messages that we must be perfect to be desired.....no wrinkles....no body fat....no gray hair. We must be perfection....flawless.
And now not only do women have young 20 something women to compare themselves to, but older women who, like in this "Nip-Tuck" show, shell out thousands of dollars to reach an naturally unattainable perfection. So, we compare ourselves to the "illusion". We no longer just compare ourselves to the airbrushed women of magazines, but now we also find ourselves looking at "real" women perfected by surgeries and wondering why WE don't "measure up."
Girlfriend, DON'T DO IT!
You see, you are precious and honored in God's sight. God doesn't focus on our outward appearance. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1Samuel 16:7
I know....I know.... It is HARD to remember this when you look at yourself and then begin comparing. It's hard when you hear the voices in your head telling you that you aren't "good enough".....not skinny enough....too many wrinkles.....maybe you should give that under eye cream a try.... But, we MUST continue to renew our minds in the Truth! And, the most IMPORTANT Truth to continue to encourage ourselves with is WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST. When we aren't looking to the world to define us, but seeking our identity and worth in Jesus Christ, remembering we are "hidden in Him," our perspective will change. Simply singing the little song, "Jesus Loves ME, this I know" over and over.....reminding ourselves what is important....what is ETERNALLY important.
Girls, it is a constant battle in the generation we are living in. We must continually remind ourselves of God's Truth. We must also remind ourselves of "the facts."
Our bodies are not perfect (yet). They will get old. They will change. We will get wrinkles. Gravity is real and body parts don't stay where they used to.....
But, God' love is not dependent on HOW we look. He loves us unconditionally. God created each one of us uniquely, in lots of different shapes and sizes. We MUST not compare ourselves to others....especially magazine covers and stars....their beauty is often an "illusion" created by airbrushing, surgery, and lots of people around them making them look that way!
I want to be the best ME I can be.....not Demi or Angelina. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so I DO WANT TO TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT, so I eat good things, exercise, take care of my skin.....nothing "wrong" with that! Be careful that you don't go to the "other extreme" of heaping guilt and condemnation from taking care of yourself....
I want to be FREE. I don't want to be in bondage to the way I look. I want to enjoy a cookie when I want, not freaking out about gaining a pound if I do! I want to dress up and enjoy a night out with my husband, feeling like a princess in a movie, being confident, not comparing myself to other women and feeling inadequate. I want to give this area of my life to YOU God....trusting You, not the world. Lord, renew our minds in this area. Father, we live in a time where we are bombarded constantly with "outward appearance". Lord, heal our wounds....change our thoughts....renew our minds. Holy Spirit, speak Truth to us when our minds are being saturated with lies. Lord, we pray every time we hear a LIE that You would immediately remind us of the Truth. Jesus, take our hand and lead us through this generation, navigating us around all of the potholes of deception.... We love You and adore You, God! In Jesus' most precious Name we pray! Amen.
If you need more encouragement on this topic, please check out these posts as well! As you can tell, I have needed much teaching in this area! I have struggled with these issues that keep so many Christian women in bondage!
Click here and here. And for more, just search "beauty" tags. And always remember beautiful daughter, you are so loved by Him.
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