“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. (14) I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” – Psalm 139:13-14 (ESV)
I had freckles growing up, and I hated them. I was the only one in my family who had them. I wanted clear skin. My mom and grandmother told me my freckles were beauty marks, but I didn’t believe a word they said. They weren’t beautiful to me.
A magazine article I read said to use lemons on my freckles to help fade them, but all it did was make my hands and face sticky. To this day I stay away from most things with lemon because it reminds me of that low period in my life when I wasn’t happy with my face and body image. I wasn’t perfect! And to make things worse every time I came in from being in the sun, my freckles increased in numbers. I felt powerless because I couldn’t make those so-called “beauty marks” go away. They were a permanent part of me.
As I got older, I learned many things. Genesis 1:27 tells us that He made us in His image, and Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are God’s masterpiece. So who are we to be criticizing God’s perfection? Once I learned that God made me the way He wanted me to be, that gave me the courage to embrace who I was and what I looked like. He made me special with freckles. I smile now because I embrace my freckles. Having a positive body image is important, in that we embrace what God has bestowed upon us.
Beauty means having beautiful thoughts; being a caring individual with a giving heart. It also means living the kind of life that is pleasing to God. We are to study His Word and to tell others about Him. That is true beauty. Then watch how that beauty from the inside transforms your beauty on the outside. Your face will radiate all that is inside of you. Your smile will be seen from far away, and others will see the joy in your heart. Beauty is everywhere, but it isn’t perfect. It is how you choose to look at it. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that what is important is how you look. Let your beauty come from deep inside of you. Be the person God created you to be.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, help our young people with their body image. It’s a hard time in their lives when ads in magazines, television commercials, and social media try to convince them that beauty is skin deep. Show them what true beauty is, that it comes from inside. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Written by Laurie Davis
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