No tags yet.
Hello Sunshine!!!!!!
Man, am I so excited to share this post with you! Today, I got asked a super deep question by my cousin. Shout out to my cousin Hannah ;) Love ya girly! Here's what she said:
"ooo kk whats the hardest thing you have gone through (or maybe going through) and how have you overcome it (or overcoming it)?"
Can I get a "Woah, that's good" from ya'll? It really got me thinking about my deepest struggles in my life, past and present. I came to the conclusion that self image and true beauty has probably been one of the greatest hurtles I have had to jump in the past. I think a lot of women struggle with it since it's so easy for us to compare ourselves to each other. Who doesn't want to be considered beautiful? I know that I did and sometimes still do. So, today I'm going to share with you some of my journey. Hold on for the long ride!
As you may or may not know when I was little I had extremely crooked teeth and as a child when people asked about them it really hurt my confidence. When I was about 12 years old I began to realize the reality of Jesus love towards me and the fact that Jesus died for my sins and everyone else's. How shallow-minded I had been to think that the way others viewed me defined my worth. Are we not supposed to look to things which are eternal? Once that truth sunk deep into my being, my heart was transformed into viewing my appearance on a more spiritual level. God gave me my body to be used as a tool for His kingdom. My eyes have seen things that have brought sorrow to my soul as well as laughter to my heart. They have cried many tears and sparkled from my smile. They have shown others that I care, and how deep my heart is filled with love. I am able to speak the truth, with the mouth He gave me, even though it might not be attractive compared to the world's standards. I have a stomach that is a warm home to the food I eat and even though it might not be a six pack it gives me energy to face each day. I have legs that take me on adventures and places that I get to see with my own eyes. They have taken me to share the gospel, go on walks for long talks with friends, ride horses, swim in the ocean and stand up tall for the National Anthem. They might have cellulite, stretch marks and be curvy, but they still work! How marvelous is the body that God has given me.
Psalm 139:14 "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well."
Think about it! You too have most of those precious gifts as well. I believe that when my heart realized what true beauty is, that is when my mind knew what I should focus on the rest of my life. Now, hear me out. This does not mean that I don't enjoy dressing up nice, putting on makeup, doing my hair, exercising, and eating right. It means that I learned how to put those things into perspective. God gave us creativity and a brain for a reason. So, we should use it for His glory. However, when you or I try to take our physical appearance for our own glory to draw attention to ourselves rather than God, that is when it gets dangerous. We are vessels for Him, not for ourselves. God can take away our attractiveness at any given moment. Just ask someone who's been in a car accident. It doesn't matter in the long run what physical beauty we posses.
Another thing I'd like to touch on is comparison. Yeah, we're going there. Ha ha! I think it's easy to roll our eyes at the word comparison because so many people mention it. I would like to talk to you about it on a sister to sister level. Truth is girl. I have probably compared myself thousands of times to other people. Yeah, I know, that's a lot you might think. It is a lot! I'm sad that it has happened so many times. Comparison truly is the thief of joy. When I start looking at another woman and trying to become like her because she's "perfect" I'm loosing the characteristics God gave me to be me. The funny thing is, is that a lot of times people like you for the things you're trying to change. For example, I smile, a lot! Like I smile until my cheeks hurt. When I started realizing I was super smiley compared to a lot of people in this world I stopped smiling as much. This was one of the characteristics that so many people appreciated about me, but I was changing it just to fit in. Now, I have learned that lesson. Never change to fit in because you'll never fit in and that's okay. Girl, your body is beautiful. If there are any guys reading this as well, your body is beautiful too. The fact that your body functions and does the things it needs to do each day speaks so much louder than the opinions of others. If you're a thick person with curves, you don't have to try to be skinny. If you're a skinny person without curves, you don't have to try to gain things you don't need. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!
So now that I've given you some snippets of my story I have some practical steps you can apply to your life.
1. <Evaluate your heart every day> Get into a habit of going before the Lord and asking Him which areas of your life you haven't been pursuing true beauty in. Trust me, it's a constant battle. Every day will bring a different struggle.
About a year ago my acne was getting pretty bad and I had been wearing makeup literally every day because I didn't want people to notice. I also hadn't viewed it as a problem until one day when I realized I had been using it to cover an insecurity of mine. After that I didn't wear makeup for a while and even up to this day I do makeup fasts to check my heart.
2. <Ask friends and mentors to call you out> Trust me, there are people in your life who know you well enough to tell when things are spiraling out of control. Ask your friends and mentors to challenge you to go makeup less sometimes, go through your wardrobe, tell you if something is immodest, and if you're losing/ gaining unnecessary weight. The list goes on. Make sure you have other women in your life who are challenging you to always pursue lasting beauty in your heart.
3. <Memorize scripture> Seriously!!!!! Memorize, memorize, memorize! In Ephesians 6 it talks about how important it is to speak truth to fight Satan. He cannot fill you with lies if you are already filled with truth.
4. <Pray> Prayer brings all of these steps together so that they actually impact your life. God is ultimately the only one who can fill you with true beauty.
That's all I have for you today on beauty. :) Love you all so much! Send me an email at thejoysblog@gmail.com. I would love to hear about how I can pray for and encourage you. Kaela and I are always welcome to post ideas and your thoughts on our blog.
Remember whose you are!