From time to time, I, like every other human being, battle with insecurity. With it always comes the lie, “You are not enough.” I have struggled with it especially in the area of my own beauty and self-worth. For the most part, this is an area of my life that God has really healed me in, but at times the enemy whispers in my ear, tempting me to forget everything that Jesus has told me about where my true value comes from. I’m just being honest and I think most girls would admit that they struggle with this same battle.
We are constantly surrounded by images of women who are presented as flawless. We see it in television, in the music industry, in magazines…it’s everywhere. We are told that this is the standard of beauty we should strive to attain and when we don’t achieve it, we are confronted with that lie. Not enough.
The worst is when you encounter those women in your day to day life that have reached that standard and are flaunting everything they got. You know the ones I’m talking about. They put all their assets on display, wearing what seems to be the least amount of clothing possible and attracting all kinds of attention.
We are ultra aware of the attention this gets from the male persuasion. Heads turn. Jaws drop. Men flock. Guys go out of their way to chase after these women. We have restaurants that exist just so that men can be served a burger by a big-chested girl in a tight shirt. It’s a thing. To make matters worse, we are constantly reminded that men are visual…highly motivated by appearances and looks. So we are left wondering where does that leave me, just your average girl?
Usually, I don’t lack self-confidence. Most days I look in the mirror and I like what I see, but at times I have compared myself to other girls and felt like I must look like a sack of potatoes. I have been plagued with the thought that if this is the standard of beauty, I’m not making the cut. Compared to someone who looks like that who will see the value in me? Who will take the time to get to know me when a girl like that is such an enticing option? Let’s just be honest. The struggle of comparison is real. There will always be someone prettier than us, funnier than us, smarter than us….It’s just the way life is.
Choosing to love yourself for who you are is a choice.
For me, I had to remind myself that I don’t want to be the girl that serves herself up on a platter and I don’t want the kind of man who is looking for that kind of woman. And this is where it gets tricky. I also have to recognize that the girls I see that are flaunting everything they got are real women too, real women with their own set of insecurities just like the ones I have. It would be so easy to judge a girl like that based on her appearance alone. Why? Because it helps me to desperately cling to my own sense of security. The harder thing to do is to realize that we are all up against the same battle. We all compare ourselves to others. We all fight with the need to prove ourselves to others, especially members of the opposite sex, and make them see that we are worthwhile.
I suggest that we stop trying to prove ourselves, so we can actually start being ourselves.
I can be secure in who I am and the convictions God has given me. I plan on doing the whole marriage thing one time. With one person. I don’t plan on sharing my goods with anyone else…even if it’s just to look at. That makes me different. At the right time, the right man will be looking not only at my outward beauty, but my inward beauty as well, the truly beautiful parts of me. And you know what else? I am anything but average. I am the complete package and so are you.
God calls me the crown of beauty in His hand (Isa. 62:3). He says that I have stolen His heart with just one glance from my eyes (Song of Songs 4:9). He fashioned me. He molded me. He sculpted me. Every detail of who I am was hand-picked and crafted by Him. I’m valuable because He says I am. And He always chooses me.
He says I am enough for Him. And you know what? That is enough for me.
