And then there's the other side of it, the side propagated by ugly people...except not really. That side says that it doesn't matter what you look like, because true beauty is within.
For a long time, I struggled between those two, trying to find some sort of truth inside one or the other, and failed, time and time again. And then I realized: neither is true. Our exterior isn't everything that matters, because God doesn't look at the outward appearance, the Bible tells us that. But neither is the inside the only thing that matters, because humans are wired to care at least somewhat about the exterior, for whatever reason.
And so we must find a balance. We must learn to accept ourselves as we are, to look at our bodies and ourselves with the eyes of Christ and see the beauty He made. As Shannon posted below--"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!" But we also must realize that, yes, the inside will always be worth far more than the exterior. What we put into our minds and hearts will, as the Bible tells us, always come out eventually. We must take care to guard our inner beauty as well as our outer.
In the end, I struggle just as much as the next girl with accepting myself as I am and seeing the beauty that God sees. I get up in the morning with bedhead and too-big pants and a t-shirt that literally hangs off me, and I look in the mirror and think, "If I ever get married, it will be a miracle." But I like to think that I have come to simply accept myself as I am, to strive to be the best I can be and to cultivate my inner beauty--what little bit of it there is.
Always remember that you, too, are an amazing person created by God, a beautiful individual crafted for His purpose. It could just be that someday, that bedhead and those annoying, bookish manners will come in handy.
I apologize for my rather scattered thoughts. I've been trying to pull different ideas together all day, hence the lateness of my post, and...whatever this is.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Kyla Denae!
ReplyDelete"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised." Proverbs 31:30, and, "Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." 1Peter 3:3-4. are both verses that have been a sweet encouragement in this area for me.
Our goal should be to bring glory to Jesus Christ alone through all that we do, the way we dress, our attitudes, etc. When we make this our goal we don’t derive our value from the attention of others. Our value comes from knowing we has been redeemed and loved by the King of all kings. Our focus will be on His desires and will for our lives, not on our own selfish wants.
Blessings,Tessa
proverbs31wannabe-tessa.blogspot.com
That was beautiful Kyla! You made some excellent points while writing from your heart and I think most girls who read this will agree whole heartedly with you. - We are made in God's image and are crafted for a special and specific purpose.
ReplyDelete"It could just be that someday, that bedhead and those annoying, bookish manners will come in handy." - I sure hope so as I have some similar mannerisms =)
In His Steps,
Devin
Right on, Kyla! There is definitely a balance. To hear some Christian girls talk about modesty and inner beauty, it makes me wonder if they walk around Walmart in sackcloth, apologizing to everyone they meet.
ReplyDeleteThat's an exaggeration, of course, a backlash against one extreme. The other extreme is plastered across the tabloids at the checkout counter, and neither one is beautiful.
True beauty is a combination of care for our outer appearance and inner beauty as our highest priority.