saw snippets of the Victoria Secret Fashion Show...
some days its harder than others to remember that you are beautiful because you were made in the image of God. its difficult to remember that your value isn't based upon how you look, what you wear, how skinny you are.
and its quite tautological if you ask me. because the crummier your day is, the fatter you feel, the more you just want to put on a pair of gray sweatpants, sit in front of the TV and eat the neopolitan icecream that is sitting in your freezer. This of course, makes you feel fatter. Which just makes you want to sit and veg more.
the secular standard is just SO impossibly high. at 5 feet, 3 inches, i've already failed. And i didn't even have a choice. Chinese genetics staked its claim on me. .
billboards, movies, even cartoons for heavens sake (by this i mean final fantasy...not something like the simpsons..haha)... they all whisper in my ear.."if only you were prettier lydia" "if only you lost those 20 pounds you've been meaning to lose" "if only you ate less and exercised more"
if only.... if only....
then you'd be worth more. then you'd be loved more. then you'd be beautiful. then you'd have a boyfriend. (addendum: yes, i am single. no i am not looking for or wanting a boyfriend)
and i have a feeling that its not only me who hears these whispers. i have a feeling its most of us gals out there.
i see my friends, settling for less. Settling for boyfriends who don't/can't give them what they deserve. Settling for guys who don't prize God before all else-- how can they TRULY love when they do not know He who IS love? Settling for guys who are great guys, but aren't the BEST. Settling because they feel lonely, homely and unloved without someone to love them. Settling because they don't think they deserve better. i can't help but weep for these friends of mine. and weep for myself.
how easy it is to fall into the trap of believing these lies! how easy it is to forget that it is HE who breathed life into us. that to Him we were worth the cost of His only Son. THAT is a powerful reminder.
S'abonner à :
Publier des commentaires (Atom)
7 commentaires:
three words for you lydia...
you are beautiful!
Hey Lyds,
Thanx for this post. You are most definitely right in saying that you think it's not just you who hears the whispers...it is probably heard by every woman. Personally, I struggle with this on a daily basis, constantly trying to find the lastest shirt, pair of pants, eyeshadow, face wash jewelery and so on to stop the whispers...but the more you feed it, it seems the louder it gets. The only way to kill it is feeding it with truth...from God's word and those positive reinforcements that promote the truth (Ex. the book "captivating")
It's funny you mentioned the Victoria Secret fashion show...because today while I was working out at the gym, I decided to grab some of the magazines to read while I was on a cardio machine (generally I try to avoid most female magazines, b/c they don't do much for my self-esteem and what not!, but today I gave in cause I thought it would be totally boring otherwise)...the only magazines that I could find that weren't like 2001 were 2 Victoria Secret catalogues, as well as a J.Crew catalogue, which are like both the epitomy of so called 'perfection', or that whole ideal. I gotta say it's very damaging looking through those b/c you can't just appreciate the clothes...you ALWAYS look at the model and think..."Gosh, if only my skin were that clear, my face that perfect....look at her perfectly proportioned figure"...in a sick an twisted way, it was almost a motivator as I was working out to look at that crap and think..."10 more minutes of sweating on this stupid machine will bring me closer to looking like THAT!" haha But ya, all in all it's true...not matter what the media, our emotions or feelings say...Truth is Truth and that IS that we ARE beautiful b/c created in God's image...even if it's hard to believe sometimes.
boys are dumb anyways.
hey. it can definetely be hard sometimes (and i can imagine how watching the victorio secret fashion show can make it harder. :s ).
I'm reading the book 'captivating' right now and it has some really good stuff in there :).
The king is enthralled by your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord.
Psalm 45:11
I love this verse. It always brightens my day. To think that our KING is taken by our beauty. That's something eh :). And we need to honour Him, appreciate Him for the way he has made us. Not to say that's easy. I don't think most of can say that if given the chance there isn't one thing we wouldn't change about us....one thing we could make "better". Which is pretty sad.
And yeah Erin, I totally know what you mean about that working out thing. As good as it is to work out, to eat healthy (after all this is the TEMPLE of God...we need to take care of it). I hate it when my motivation for working out becomes "oh, if only I could get rid of that fat right there...if only i could have that super flat stomach, if only...." I definetely need to watch out for that attitude.
But anyway. I agree with the "anonymous" post above. you, my dear, are SO prettiful!!!
Matt Rice wholeheartedly agrees with his friend Travy. Guys are shallow and don't get it. Your last paragraph puts it all into perspective, what a powerful reminder indeed.
to the bigger picture... the world around you shouldn't tell you how pretty you are, what the mold of beauty is.
when i was watching last night, i kept thinking 'wow, look at how thin they are' and 'i wish that i had a stomach like that' and then i realized that there are moments where i feel ugly, where i don't feel good enough... where i just don't make the cut. but as much as i look and wish, i look at myself in the mirror and i don't see myself pulling off that body anytime soon. i have fallen short, but i like the way that i am... and for the longest time i battled with wanting to be the way that they were, but i accepted that this is the way that i am... and i am beautiful the way that i am. taken way too long to get me to this point though.
in reference to the last point, i guess that it hits close to home. I KNOW that there are people in my life that want to talk to me about 'some things'... but shy away because of the way that i react. honestly, i would be the same way. in my case, maybe it sounds like i am 'settling' for something less than i deserve, but i can only be told the same old story by so many people. in all honesty, sometimes hearing the same thing over and over again doesn't make it anymore reinforced, it just becomes clutter and noise around me. maybe i just have to find out for myself the way that this ends... or doesn't.
i agree in my mind what you say about settling, but my heart doesn't quite grasp the concept.
Keep pressing onward and seek God's face, Lydia! You're awesome! And like all things, we are asked to surrender areas of our lives and God's good and perfect will will unfold before your eyes!
Beauty comes from within and Christ lives in you and I...it's His beauty that shines through! :)
Thanks for the post, Lydia...the struggles of this generation are for real and you've articulated them perfectly.
~ Roberta
Publier un commentaire