Psalm 139:14 King James Version
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Since I was a kid, my body image has been a struggle. Growing up, no one ever complimented me about my looks; even when one or two persons complimented me, I felt they were just trying to butter me up.
I spent Junior and high school being the butt of so many mean jokes. I ate low self-esteem for breakfast, insecurities for lunch, and depression for dinner. A lot of the time, I wished I could just become one of the beautiful ladies celebrated in music videos.
I wished for a lot of things back then. I wanted a thinner waist, perkier bosom, firmer backside, wider hips, different color of eyes and fuller hair. All these were my definition of beauty.
I wanted people’s heads to turn when I walked by and for people to validate my beauty. I was constantly under pressure to fit into the world’s definition of beauty.
I have been in a gathering where a lady started complaining about how fat her arms had gotten and how she wasn’t comfortable with it anymore. As soon as the lady complaint was ending, another pretty lady on her right chimed in “your arms are perfect Chloe, have you seen my nose? I need a nose job”.
Another litany of complaints sparked up from another lady in the group about how her stomach was nothing to write home about and it went on and on. Only then did I realize that these ladies that I admired, considered beautiful and perfect suffered insecurities as much as I did! Who knew!
Today, many people are under the pressure to act, dress, and look a certain type of way. With the media endlessly showing us stick-thin size zero models, to celebrities showing us the marvelous wonders plastic surgery can do, beauty has been defined.
I am not saying trying to look young, or lose weight is wrong, but take a step back and ask yourself this question: am I beautiful? And by whose standard?
Dearly beloved, you are beautiful. You are beautiful not because I am saying so, but because God says so! The psalmist also acknowledges this in Psalm 139:14. God is perfect, and all his creations are perfect.
Have you forgotten that God made man in his own image and likeness? Genesis 1:27 “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”.
What this means is that physically and other attributes, we are modelled after God. Even with your skin color, acne, stretch mark, chubby cheeks, or scar, you are still in God’s likeness. If you say you are not beautiful, you are ultimately saying that God is not beautiful.
The value of your self-worth should not be measured by your physical appearance. There is more to you than your outward appearance. Yes, there may be some physical features that you may consider to be flawed, however, those flaws are by no way an indicator that you are not beautiful.
Don’t let the world tell you otherwise. Once the insecurities about your looks start, it never ends. Even when you achieve your desired looks, it will never be enough; you will always want more. God’s word has made it clear that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. What other validation do you need?
So beloved, shut out the voice of the world about your looks and about what beauty standards should be. The first step is to learn to love yourself. What’s not to love about you?
You are beautiful, special, and more importantly, you are made in God’s image. You can’t truly live, love, and be joyful if insecurities get a better part of you. Self-love is the key to unlocking high self-esteem and self-worth.
Why not get comfortable in your own skin? You don’t need the world’s validation, only God’s. When you shut out the world, only then will you be focused on God and what he has to say about you.
Go to the scriptures; God has a lot to say to you. Surround yourself with people who will look beyond your looks and get to know the real you. Your physical appearance is just a tiny bit of all the awesomeness God has created you with.
Anytime those insecurities come rushing in, show them the door because you are fearfully and wonderfully made!
