just the way you are

​​Imagine a little girl, about twelve years old. She peers at her swimsuit clad body in the mirror and grimaces. She shifts her weight from side to side, trying to find an angle that makes her look skinnier. She critiques every little part of her body, begging it to become the version she sees in her mind.

I was a fat kid. If I'm honest, I still struggle with being the fat kid.  I've gone through seasons of weight loss and weight gain, complicated by hormones, genetics and medication. I try to eat healthy, and then sometimes I don't. I tell myself I'm beautiful in the eyes of God I recite the verse from the Bible that says I'm fearfully and wonderfully made.  And yet, there are still times I feel like the twelve year old girl who looks in the mirror and wills herself to just get out there and stop worrying about how she looks.

I know some of you know exactly what I'm talking about. The circumstances might look different, but you are familiar with the same horrific feelings.  You might have looked in the mirror just this morning and cried. You might feel ugly and worthless.

I know it feels hard to measure up to the world's standard of beauty.  You wish you looked like those gorgeous instagram models with their perfectly posed, airbrushed legs. I get it. The contrast is very real in our minds.

We have to get to root of our quest for perfection.  We have to come to grips with the fact that we will never measure up.  Will you join me today in giving our imperfections to the God who made us and ask for His perspective as we navigate the seemingly endless expectations of those around us?

I want you to know you are not alone.
Every person has believed a lie about their self-worth at one time or another. 

Name the lie.
Contrast it with the truth in God's Word.
Repeat daily.

There is more to you than the frame that holds your beautiful soul. Tend the beauty on the inside and it will shine to everyone around you. 

You are a beautiful masterpiece, just the way you are. 

---