Comparison. A deadly killer of how I once viewed myself. Comparison leads to us neglecting our true worth and inner beauty. The worth and beauty that we have in Christ. I once let comparison dictate how I viewed myself and my worth. Being in the wrong relationships where I let the other person’s perspective shape how I viewed myself. Along with this I was also teased for my weight in primary school. I was told I was anorexic along with other harsh words. This lowered my self-esteem and caused me to start thinking that I wasn't beautiful and that I needed to "look" and "act" a certain way in order to be beautiful. I started to compare myself to other girls who had that "coco cola" bottle shape and I would try my hardest to fit in and be beautiful with how the world defined beauty. This took up my time and most of all it made me think less of myself, as I was constantly comparing myself to others. With all these magazines and TV adverts floating around with all these outwardly beautiful people, people are lead to believe that this is what beauty looks like. However, we do not know what’s going on the inside of these people’s hearts. It wasn't until Christ found me and showed me that my beauty is not defined by what the world says, but it is defined by what He says in His word. You do not need to look a certain way, dress a certain way or even talk a certain way for you to be beautiful. Your beauty should not come from the things that you wear, but from the things hidden in your heart. You should be beautiful both inside and out. You do not need another person’s approval in order for you to know that you are beautiful.
Instead of focusing on the things on the outside, why not focus on
the things that are inside of your heart. We often tend to focus on having
flawless skin, laid weave, on fleek eyebrows and all these other things, which leads us to neglect the things on the inside of our hearts. Yes,
it’s good to keep up your appearance and make sure you are looking good physically. But what is the inside of your heart saying? What's happening on the inside of your heart will reflect the things that are going
on outwardly. These are just temporary adjustments to the beauty that you have
within. Sure enough you can look beautiful on the outside but on the inside of
your heart is a completely different story. What are some of the permanent
adjustments that you are doing to make you beautiful? Are you striving for
godliness? Are you striving to be more like Christ each day? Is there jealousy,
malice, slander and strife in your heart? If there is, I urge you
to go to the Lord on your knees now and ask Him to remove anything that is not
like Him from your heart. Ask Him to let your heart be more like His. People
may look at the outward appearance and say you are beautiful but God looks at
the inner beauty, the beauty of one’s heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 showcases this beautifully, But the Lord said
to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature,
because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on
the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” People base beauty on what's on the outside, but the Lord sees your inner beauty. You can be beautiful
on the outside, but what's going on the inside of your heart? Are you oozing
the fruits of the Holy Spirit? Are you being an imitator of Christ? Have a read of 1 Peter 3:3-4.
You are not defined by a designer label . As said before your beauty is not defined by what you wear. Living and abiding in Christ shows your true beauty. You have a spiritual label, a label that is eternal. Proverbs 31:30 states that Charm is deceptive and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. True beauty comes from a woman who has respect and reverence for God. In other words, she fears the Lord, she admires Him. She is so consumed by Him, that His beauty is reflected in her. A beautiful woman is someone who showcases Christ around her, so people are in awe of her beauty secret, who is Christ himself and not some Mac Concealer. A beautiful woman knows who she is in Christ. She is not defined by what the world defines beauty to be. The enemy wants to redefine what beauty is, by stating that it is external. But let me tell you something, do not be gravitated towards this way of thinking, do not be conformed to the patterns and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think -Romans 12:2. We need to get out of this way of thinking like the world. Break or rather challenge the norms of beauty! We are called to not think like the world. Therefore, the way you view beauty should be in line with what God has said in His word. The Lord knew you before you were born -Jeremiah 1:5. He knows the number of hairs on your head -Luke 12:7.
Beauty is found in the character that you have. Have you ever found yourself comparing yourself to others based on how they look? You may be struggling with low self-esteem but I am here to remind you that the Lord has made you beautiful. He says that you are more precious than rubies and that nothing can compare with you -Proverbs 31:15. You are beautiful and there is no need for you to compare yourselves to other people. Comparison wastes times and dampens your inner beauty. You become so focused at looking at other people that you neglect the beauty that is inside of you. Your beauty is based on Christ radiating through you. It is based on Him shining through you. Be content with who you are in Christ. You are beautiful because the Lord himself has made you in His image. David understood that he was fearfully and wonderfully made by the Creator. He acknowledged the handiwork of the Lord -Psalm 139:14. Put an end to comparing yourself to others, and ask the Lord to allow you to be content with who you are in Him. Do not let what others think about you be the source that you use to validate your beauty. The Lord has already made you beautiful in His eyes. You were made in His image -Genesis 1:27. He has made you beautiful flaws and all. God made you unique! You may not be like Mary or Susan, but you will be you (insert name). There is no one like you, and the Lord loves and cherishes you just the way you are. People will tell you that you need to change in order to fit their standards of beauty. I encourage you not to change for anyone! Your husband will love you just the way you are. If some no nonsense boy is telling you that you need to dress or act like Kim Kardashian in order for you to look beautiful, please let him continue to think that way and leave him alone. He does not deserve you because you are far too precious and baby-girl your beauty is not defined by what he says. Do not ever change to accommodate for someone else, be your beautiful self and live up to God’s standards of beauty! Do not conceal your inner beauty but let it shine through so others can see Christ living in you.
If anyone could describe your character at this
very moment in time, what would they say? Would they say you are malicious or
slanderous? These are not things that you want to be associated with. Colossians
3:12 says that as God's chosen people, holy and beloved, we must clothe
ourselves with compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience.
This is what beauty looks like. It looks like the fruits of the Holy Spirit
shining through us -Galatians 5:22-23. God’s character should be shining through us daily.
Instead of clothing ourselves with temporary things such as designer labels,
let us clothe ourselves with these things as described in Colossians 3. This is
true beauty. Be a woman of character. Invest your time in another sister’s
life. Be a mentor and encourager to someone. Spend time serving in a ministry in your church. And don’t just do it because
it looks good that you are doing something, do it because you love the Lord
with your whole heart and you want to serve Him and be a blessing to others. Spend
the time making a difference on things that will be eternal and not on temporary
things that will fade away. Show kindness and patience to those around. Let God’s
love shine through you. This is even more beautiful as you are reflecting His
image. Continue to imitate Christ in all that you do -Ephesians 5:1, this is
what makes you beautiful. Speak with words of wisdom. Be a woman of integrity
and diligence. Love others whole-heartedly. Work hard and put others before yourself. Find your purpose and
work in order to please the Lord and not man. Speak words of encouragement and positivity
to those around you (Please read Proverbs 31). Ask the Lord to work on your character
so that you are more like Him every day.
I pray that we as young women will not be caged in by what the world defines as being beautiful. My prayer is that we will be satisfied with who were are in Christ. That we will be reminded that He has made us beautiful and unique!
Love and blessings,
Shelly
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