"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

~Confucius

     Let’s face it – we live in a visual culture. We are constantly bombarded by images on the television and in magazines that compel us to feel physically inferior for one reason or another.  We see a woman who has everything we want, a perfect face, a perfect smile, a perfect body.  So we try our hardest to lose weight, shape-up, perfect ourselves – doing anything it takes to look like “her,” to achieve the results that Hollywood promotes. Yet, in our attempts to look like “her,” we give away ourselves.  We hope that by gaining the approval of others, we will become more confident and self-assured.  When we feel ugly and vulnerable, we hope that by gaining praise of our outsides, we can learn to love our insides too.  When did this happen? When did the women of this world begin to base their self-worth not on such virtues as integrity or class, but rather on the size of their waistline? I fall into this category myself.  I’m having a good day if I fit into my “skinny pants,” and nothing can get me down.  Yet if I’m having a fat day, well then watch out World.  Not much can make me happy and the day no longer holds a bit of joy.  Since when did something so trivial start deciding the outcome of my day?  Isn’t there a bit more to life than whether or not I can fit into my Express Jeans?  I certainly hope so.

     So what is the solution?  How do we remedy a plague that seems to haunt us daily?  Do we not turn on the television anymore, afraid that we’ll see some actress with a size zero figure?  Do we not go to the grocery store (because we all know those tabloid magazines stop us dead in our tracks)?  The answer won’t be found by simply shutting the door to the outside world, but rather by opening the door to the Truth.  The truth is that while we strive to meet the world’s standard of beauty, we forget that we should be living up to a much higher standard – God’s.

“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."

1 Peter 3: 3-5

      His never-ending love for us is not based on the size of our clothes.  He will not forsake us if we gain ten pounds, or two hundred pounds.  He made each and every one of us to be "vessels of His glory." Although “when we mold ourselves according to the world’s image, we take what God has created to be a vessel of His glory and use it instead to glorify ourselves and satisfy our desire for admiration.”  Not that there’s anything wrong with wanting to look good and feel great about ourselves on the outside – in fact, God wants you to love yourself.  The problem arises when we become so preoccupied with physical attractiveness; we begin to believe that the world’s standards of beauty matter more than God’s – that the values of an evil world matter more than God’s.

“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that

You should keep them from the evil one. 

They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

John 17: 15-16

     I am not a size zero, nor will I ever be.  I’ve accepted that fact – and I’m okay with it.  Yet I am still beautiful in my own way.  Regina Franklin, the author of a very inspirational book called “Who Calls Me Beautiful?” writes “The journey toward understanding who we are as women in Christ is simply that – a journey.  Each day we live we are in the process of becoming more like Christ.  Likewise, understanding our beauty through God’s eyes is a journey.  Each moment we face the choice of seeing ourselves through the world’s eyes or through God’s eyes.  Many days we long for the journey’s end, the place where we’ll never struggle to love ourselves again.  But still, not there yet, we press on.” 

            you have a choice .....

                          when it comes to how you see yourself….

“Self-worth comes from one thing – thinking that you are worthy.”

~ Wayne Dyer

     I read an interesting article today that I felt was rather inspiring and thought-provoking.  The writer told about her decision to start wearing her “fancy clothes” during everyday outings and errands, instead of just saving them for special occasions.  She expressed that too often, we find ourselves letting our moods dictate what we will wear that day, and usually end up in stained sweatpants and an old T-shirt.  Instead, we should dress for how we “want to feel” that day.  It’s like the old saying “dress for the job you want to have, not the one you do have,” only slightly modified.  I’ll admit, the vision of myself strolling down aisle Eight in a full-length ball gown popped into me head, and the thought caused me to chuckle.  However, I totally understand where the woman was coming from and I suddenly found myself identifying with her every word.  Not that fashion alone has the power to change who you see on the inside, but it sure is a great way to make yourself feel good.

“A woman who is convinced that she deserves to accept only the best

challenges herself to give the best.”

~Maya Angelou

     I looked through my closet today and was almost ashamed of how many clothes I have that I don’t even wear – not because I don’t love them, but because I’m too afraid I’ll spill something on them, or get them dirty.  I even have to admit that I don’t wear some clothes I love simply because I’m afraid of how others will perceive me.  However, after reading this article, I felt like throwing on my cutest mini skirt and sparkly top and heading off to Meijer’s – To hell with what people think! Life’s too short to worry about what other people think all the time.  God’s opinion is the only one that really matters anyways, so why waste time being concerned with the world’s view?  Overall, I felt the article was geared more toward establishing positive self-perception rather than the importance of fashion.  When you believe you’re something special, you view yourself in a different light.  Every day becomes a special occasion, one worthy of wearing your finest, simply because you’re worth it.

 ~Dave Pelzer