Beauty

A while ago I had a friend lend me Captivating by John and Stasi Elderidge. It's a book about how women portray the image of God. John Elderidge wrote a book before that called Wild at Heart which focused on how men reflect the image of God. I've finally gotten to start reading the latter, and I'm enjoying it so far. Both are very thought-provoking.

There's a portion where he discusses how men today often feel like they have to put on a front and live up to expectations they aren't sure they really can live up to, and that made me stop and think, "Well, isn't that really the story we all can tell?"

I started thinking about my own life. As a woman, there's a lot of pressure to be beautiful in every way: wear the right clothes, do your makeup the right way, make sure you're an ideal weight, but do it all while being strong, independent, andconfident.

I know I don't always live up to those standards, but I often try anyways. I hide my body's imperfections in what I wear and my skin's flaws under makeup. Sure, I can walk out the door feeling good from that stuff, but it's fleeting. All it takes is one look at somebody who has better skin or a better body type and my confidence is off to hide in some corner. I have a hard time feeling beautiful then.

Do you know what I feel the most beautiful? When I don't have to hide anything. The moment I look up into the mirror after washing off the day's makeup. When I'm in clothes I wear just to be comfortable. That's when I'm down to the underlying "me" layer.

It really bummed me out to think of how often all of us -- men or women -- feel like we don't measure up, like we aren't living up to some standard set by other people. All too often we lose sight of how beautiful we are in God's eyes because He made us and washed us in Christ so we are glorious in His eyes.

Friends, I pray that in your next moments of feeling inadequate or anything less than beautiful that you remember who made you and how much He loves you. >

~"The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation." [Henry David Thoreau]~