There Could Never Be a More Beautiful You

As women, we are naturally over-critical of ourselves. We stand in front of the mirror, picking at our faces, examining our pores, and we suck in our guts turning every which way trying to find the most flattering angle. We either leave satisfied, with chin up in the air and chest puffed out, or we leave distraught, with heads down in defeat.

We walk through the grocery aisles, and we flip through magazines; our eyes devouring every bit of information. The woman on the cover has a flat stomach, a big bust, and the curves we so desperately long to have. We don't mean to, but we naturally compare ourselves. Our heart breaks because we do not fit society's standards of beauty.

We scroll through other women's pictures on Facebook or Instagram, wishing we were as beautiful, or as funny, or as charismatic. We feel worthless.

We turn to extreme dieting, surgery, or even develop eating disorders to feel better about ourselves. But in the end, we are left feeling empty. We let the numbers on the scale determine our value and worth.

We can't even watch a movie with our friends, or our husbands, without critiquing every flaw we find in the actress we truthfully find so intimidatingly beautiful. We feel threatened.

If you have ever felt this way, you are not alone. I cannot tell you how many times I have felt like a busted can of biscuits whenever I have tried to wiggle into my pre-pregnancy pants.

We have grown up in a world where appearances are everything. Our culture is sex-obsessed, claiming feminism, but pushing towards rights that would allow us to expose ourselves in our most vulnerable state--nudity. If we truly are women of God, then let us empower one another to be more modest, not to show ourselves off!

Society tells us to be ourselves; but when we are ourselves, we are chastised for not being like the norm.

I am here to tell you that you no longer have to seek approval or confirmation from anyone but yourself. You have God who created you perfectly! Every time you look in the mirror with disdain, you spit in the face of your Creator.

It is a mother's worst nightmare--the day your child comes home from school crying because someone said they were ugly. They grow up, and you watch them mimicking the same behavior as you. They turn every which way in the mirror, criticizing themselves. They wish they had straight hair, or different colored eyes. You KNOW they are perfect just the way you made them. Your heart breaks for them...you wish they could see themselves through your eyes.

I will tell you a story I have not told anyone else about an encounter such as this that I had with my mother a few years before she passed away. I have always been called, "pretty," by my peers and family, but it was never enough for me. I couldn't see it. In my eighth grade year of school, I noticed a girl who I thought was gorgeous. She was tan, with blue eyes, and long blonde hair. She had a perfect body and an enchanting smile. I longed so badly to look like that!

Finally, yearbooks came in, and I really wanted to show my mom this beautiful girl. I flipped through every page until I found the girl; for I had not known her name. Excited, I pointed my finger at her picture, and exclaimed to my mother, "See?! Isn't she the most beautiful girl in the whole world?" My mother examined the picture for a moment, and looked back at me with brows furrowed. She said, "Mariah, you are way more beautiful than she is." However, I refused to listen; insisting that she was, in fact, the most beautiful girl in the world.

My mother began to cry, and I never understood why until I reached womanhood. She believed I was beautiful. She had created me out of love she had for her husband, and I was hurting her. I was telling her she was wrong, and that she had raised an insecure child.

My mother bore six children, and she was still slim. Even still, growing up I had watched her analyze herself in the mirror, and be upset when her weight wasn't where she wanted to be.

God made each and every one of us according to his standard, and in his image. You have brown curly hair because God wanted you to have it. You are tall, short, big-boned, or super petite because thats how God wanted you to look. The way we look, helps God achieve his purpose for our lives. You are your boyfriend's/husband's type, are you not? Surely you are or they wouldn't have even looked twice. God knows what he is doing and we just have to trust him.

I implore you women, to take a stand against society's standards, and to not show your vulnerability in front of your children. Whenever your son or daughter catches you glimpsing at yourself in the mirror, tell them the good features you have, instead of pointing out the bad. "Mommy has beautiful eyes, doesn't she?" "Mommy's hair is thick and long, isn't it?" "Mommy has beautiful sun-kissed freckles, right?" "Mommy's stretch marks are beautiful, because it means I get to have you."

You would be surprised at the response your child would give you. I myself have practiced this in front of my two year old. Now, every day, without my prompting, he tells me, "Mommy, you beautiful."

The Bible says that truth comes out of the mouth of babes, and it's true. You are beautiful, and valued, and loved, and more importantly, you are PERFECT just the way you are.

Jonny Diaz puts it perfectly in his song, "More Beautiful You." The lyrics read thusly:

"You were made to fill a purpose, that only you can do. There could never be a more beautiful you."

Negative views of ourselves, is something that is taught. As little kids we are color-blind, and beauty-blind. We don't choose our friends based on their looks, but on their personality. If we ask the Lord, he can help us see through the eyes of a little girl once more. The song goes as far as saying, "He will take your dark, distorted view, and with His light, He will show you truth, and again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl."

I encourage you to take a moment and listen to this song. Remember--there could never be a more beautiful you, and true beauty lies within the heart.