...And then I fell beneath the world's standards of beauty.
Warning: I am about to be terribly candid.
I used to think I looked pretty enough that men would be attracted to me...then I gained weight. Enough to make me feel terribly uncomfortable in my own skin. Enough to change my whole perspective about my appearance. Enough to make me feel...well...ugly and fat.
A plea to my man friends: Help the women in your life believe they are beautiful. . The media yells at them enough that they're not. That they're too round, they have unsightly "muffin-tops," that their skin is not perfect enough, that their stretch marks are ugly. Pray for the women in your life, give honest complements when merited, love them well.
A plea to my women friends: The negative self-talk has to stop. The self-hatred has to stop. We need to believe that no matter what this twisted world says about beauty, it's just not true. We were fearfully and wonderfully made. We were created with purpose. Our Creator loves us deeply.
Now the challenge is to believe deep down that I am beautiful, that we are beautiful. That even though I am not the "perfect" size or weight for my height anymore, I am worth loving.
Easier said than done. But to be truthful, it's the road I'm trying to navigate right now.
Thanks for reading.
Shayla
Amen sister! We are the daughters of a God and King who loves us far beyond all we can think or imagine. May we rest in that love every moment of every day.
ReplyDeleteThe world's take on beauty is as twisted as it is on love. May we rest in our beautiful Savior. He rejoices over us with singing!! ...and He can indeed put it in the heart of a young man to rejoice over us too. ;) So glad to be traveling this life alongside you, my dear!
Much love. Can't wait for next Friday morning in the Hub!