I have been thinking a lot lately about beauty. How do I learn to love myself as God made me. I think back on the times that I have lost significant amounts of weight and how I still would beat myself up and think I was fat. Will it happen again? Will the weight loss ever be enough? Will I always want to lose more or change something about myself.
As women, we are so prone to judge ourselves against other women's bodies. It is a sick thing we do. We "measure up" each lady we meet. There are conversations in our mind of what we have better and what they have better. "I love the shape of her legs, but her arms are fatter than mine". We pour over magazines and stare in amazement at the flat abs and awesome bodies of celebrities. Then we look in the mirror and even if it is subconscious, we judge ourselves.
I found a verse in Proverbs this morning, that in context is speaking about adultery, but I think can also be applied in this case. Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. Proverbs 6:25
This problem I have with myself originates with the lust of eyes that settles in my heart. I can't ever be happy with myself when I am measuring myself against someone else's beauty.
The Lord doesn't care if my arms are toned or if I have jiggly thighs. The Lord cares about the beauty of my heart. Even though I should take care of my temple(and that is important to God) the most important is my heart. I need to start seeing the beauty of others because of their love for the Lord and their desire to do God's work and follow his will. That is the beauty that I want to emulate. That is the beauty that I want to strive for.
Lord, keep my eyes from being captivated by others physical beauty and let me instead be overwhelmed by their spiritual beauty. Let me also, find beauty in myself. Beauty in the way you made me. But, let me not focus on the outer shell when I seek beauty in myself. Let me focus on the heart.
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