Beauty

Beautiful.
Are you beautiful?
I would bet money on the fact that you just thought of something you don't like about yourself. Perhaps it's the shape of your eyes, the texture of your hair, or your weight.

Let me ask you something: when you look at yourself in the mirror as you're getting ready, what is your goal? What defines "beautiful" for you? A certain style of make-up? A certain way to do your hair? A certain fashion statement?

If you were given five minutes before you walked out the door to check your wardrobe and make one change, where would you look first?

I know where I would look: my hair. My hair has this awful tendency to pop out of the styles I like to put it in. I'm always looking for new ways to do my hair, since whether or not I "look good" in a certain style depends on what my hair has decided for the day. And more often than not, as I go out the door, I notice that some of my hair has decided to pop out of the confinements of my hair tie and must be re-arranged.

I know that, when I think of "beautiful" for myself, I think of a slim girl with medium-long hair in soft curls. She has a round face and a cute little nose, big eyes (but not too big!), and a sprinkling of freckles--and a stunning smile.

Take a moment to outline your requirements for yourself. What is your goal every morning? What is your "ideal image"?

Now, I want you to notice something: part of this thing we call "culture" is the image of beauty. Think about it. All people strive toward fairly similar images of beauty, relative to where they live. Beauty is defined differently in the United States than it is in African tribes. Beauty is defined differently in the United States than it is in Canada. Beauty is even defined differently in the eastern United States than it is in the western United States! Nevertheless, you probably have a pretty good grasp on what constitutes "pretty" based on where you live.

Time also makes a difference. We all know how radically ugly '80s fabrics are...or do we? They were beautiful in the '80s. And someday, years from now, everyone will be wearing '80s clothes, and girls will be blogging about how 2010 fashions were the ugliest things ever worn.

Now, let me ask you another question: what would it take for a radical change in the fashion trend--for example, what would it take for everyone to suddenly love 80s clothes? Music stars, movie stars, and clothing companies would all start sporting flair jeans and other 80s stuff. Suddenly, skinny jeans would be in over-supply as flair jeans flew off the rack. Everyone would throw out their straighteners and spend hours each morning untangling their permed hair. And they'd do all of this with the same expectations they have today with skinny jeans and straightened hair: the expectation that they will be beautiful. Why? Because we, girls, tend to believe that "beautiful" starts with looking like everyone else.

Learn a lesson from this, ladies: we often let those in clothing companies, the music industry, and entertainment tell us how we should look and act to be "beautiful."

Why?

Why do we let those people determine how we define "beautiful"?

And who does define beautiful?

Realize this: God created you! And when He did, He said you were beautiful.

That's it. In your life, your highest aim for beauty should be to augment the beauty God has given you.

If He gave you curly hair, He thinks you're gorgeous with it. If He gave you hair that's as straight as straw, He thinks that you're beautiful with it. That is beauty. Not straightened hair. Not curly, permed hair. Not soft curls or ringlets. Whatever God gave you. That's what's beautiful.

If He gave you big ears, He thinks they're dazzling. If He gave you tiny ears, He thinks they're stunning.


And weight? As long as you're taking care of your body, eating healthily, and exercising, you should be at a weight that God intended for your figure.
Of course, there are zits and burns and freckles and such, but don't forget that nothing escapes God's notice. Yes, He was in control when you forgot to put on the sunscreen this summer and now you're peeling. He was in control when that zit showed up. And even if they're reflections of the flawed nature of the universe, they're still under God's control--

--and guess what--

He still thinks you're beautiful.

There is no one standard of beauty--unless that standard is "The Creator of the World made me to His pleasure and calls me beautiful, so I am beautiful just the way I am."