Have you ever stopped at 7-11 to buy your favorite pack of gum…
and ended up leaving feeling completely insecure?
As you stood in line, your eyes scanned those gazillion magazine
covers and you started thinking “why am I not pretty enough?”
“Why can’t I look like that?” “My crush
would want me if only I had that body.”
And before you knew it… you were driven into a whirlwind
of negative feelings and untruthful thoughts about yourself that
lasted the entire day (or week… or month).
Maybe it drove you to tears; maybe it caused you to run for the
cupboards to eat that entire package of Oreos; or maybe you even
started contemplating plastic surgery.
Whatever the case, if you felt this way, the pressures in our
culture to be perfect and flawless have definitely impacted you.
They have made you question your true beauty.
But what is true beauty, you may ask.
True beauty comes from within. It comes from a heart of contentment.
It comes from knowing truth in the innermost parts. That is…
truth that your Creator fashioned you and no one else can be you
as effectively as you can be you!
Next time you hear yourself saying “I’m too fat,”
“My hair is too thin,” “My nose is too big”,
replace it with truthful statements about who you are and focus
on the positives.
Beauty is not about having that perfect figure, no wrinkles and
a magazine cover smile. It’s about having a soulish beauty
in the heart that’s unveiled for all the world to see.
Is it not true that when you meet a really great looking man but
he has no depth, you are on to the next one? It’s the same
for us, ladies!
When you embrace your inner beauty and know your worth, you exude
self-confidence that is more attractive than any “perfect”
body (which, of course, is only temporary).
The only things standing in the way of unveiling this beauty are
doubts, fears, hiding and striving. We must stop trying to be
perfect. And we must have a heart of rest, letting our defenses
down and allowing our beauty to shine.
Inner beauty is powerful--it speaks, it invites, it nourishes,
it comforts, it inspires, it is transcendent. And that is what
the world longs to experience from a woman.
The world needs it—the world needs YOU.
P.S. And next time you’re in 7-11, get that pack of gum…
and while you’re at it, buy that candy bar as well to celebrate
the fact that you are beautiful!
More Resources:
Check out the campaignforrealbeauty.com launched by Dove. And
be sure to read “Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a
Woman’s Soul” by John & Stasi Eldredge.
