"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."
Proverbs 31:30 NIV
I have just finished chapter three...finally. I am coming to realize I am definitely not a reader or I just have too much to read, but it's good for me so I will make it through :) This chapter was pretty good...but I realize I've been struggling with constantly thinking I am fat a lot this past week or two. The lies continually flood my mind and there's days I feel like I'm drowning in this struggle I face. But, I know I don't want to deal with these thoughts anymore so I'm going to fight this out until the end!
Something that I read at the beginning of the chapter really struck me. The author states, "Like the others, they initially grieved, but their negative body image continued to affect their attitude as a whole, which in turn affected all areas of their life." That statement really made me think. Is this true of me? Has the negative way I viewed my body poured out into other areas of my life? How was this negative attitude toward my body affecting others around me? All these questions were good for me to ask myself because it challenged me to really have that desire to change. I do not want to be known as a woman that is constantly negative and always down. I want others to see Christ shine through my life and how could that be accomplished if I am so focused on my self-image and going against the truth of God's Word that says I AM beautiful in His sight? Wow...that seems deep but very impacting on my life.
The next part in the chapter that I underlined I loved! The author was speaking of a friend of hers who had fought breast cancer and had to have both of her breasts surgically removed! How hard that must have been for her to face such a trial in her life. But she acted with grace and faith in her loving God. She stated, "A lot of women think they will be noticed with tight clothes or plummeting necklines, when in reality the real attraction is the look on their face, their smile, their attitude, the way they convey themselves to others. To me, it's a lie to think the real attraction is all physical, because I have experienced something else." Seriously, that was probably the best statement I could have read. For a woman that had to face such a trying time in her life was able to walk away from it saying that--she really understood that she was beautiful to God no matter what! Society pushes such inappropriate and revealing styles for women and make it seem that if you don't dress to those standards or look a certain way than you're worth nothing basically. But that's not what matters to God and it shouldn't be what matters to us either; though most of us are guilty of making that our focus. But what would it look like if every man and woman focused on what was inside! The look on their face. Their smile. Their attitude. The way they convey themselves to others. Well that would be amazing to see, but unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world where that would be true. Society has distorted how God intended things to be. Lord, I pray you give me the grace and faith to see myself and others as You do!
"We may not always have a choice as to the change that comes, but we do have a choice as to how we will deal with it. Just like with anything else in life, we can choose to react or respond when it comes." This statement stuck out to me as well. When it comes to my self-image I know I have always chosen to react and not in a good way. Constantly putting myself down and mistreating my body all because I thought it would make up for the way I looked. But what would it look like if I chose to respond rather than react. Responding to the way I look, as the author puts it, would be to acknowledge that we might not necessarily like how our body looks or has changed but realizing what we do have. What blessings we have been given. Responding is opening our eyes to a new perspective. Responding is sitting back and looking at Jesus. Jesus is our beauty. "As physical change may be affecting us outwardly, He is beautifying us inwardly in character and faith." So rather than reacting I choose to respond!
"Beauty lies in a woman who fears the Lord, a woman who loves and reverences Jesus Christ, who submits to Him as Lord of her life and lover of her soul" - Jocelyn Hamsher
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