Made In God's Image

We live in a society where the beauty industry is raking in millions and millions at the expense of the low self esteem of many women. We are told by commercials and magazine ads that our eyes are not large enough and our lips are not pouty enough. Our legs are not long enough and our weight is always too much no matter what the scale happens to say. Girls are younger and younger when they begin to 'enhance' their look with make up in an attempt to look like the magazine covers which have been airbrushed to a point where the celebrity or model being shown is almost unrecognizable from their original self.

We could tell our young women that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and 'you are perfect just the way you are' but if they are inwardly comparing themselves to the glossy, airbrushed  photos you will never convince them of their true beauty. Instead, I believe, we need to teach our daughters and sons what true beauty actually is. It is not Angelina Jolie's lips or Mariah Carey's legs or Jo-Lo's backside. Outward beauty soon fades, (if it didn't Oil of Olay would soon be out of the anti-wrinkle business).

True beauty begins inside a person and radiates to the outward appearance. We are each created in God's image (Genesis 1:21). He carefully made each one of us and formed our tiniest parts (Psalm 139:13) That nose that you don't like... He made it that way. That cheekbone that just doesn't match the one on the magazine cover...yup, He made that too. He made you beautiful.

A truly beautiful woman fears the Lord. She honors Him in the way she conducts herself (Prov. 31:25) She is strong and full of wisdom (Prov. 31:26) She is a hard worker and is a loving homemaker and she is kind. (Prov.31:26-27) She doesn't fear her hair growing gray because she knows the Lord says it is beautiful (Prov. 20:29).  Because we are made in God's image we are a reflection of Him. Why should we try to look like anything different? We are chosen and we are His. We should embrace who God says we are!

We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people. (1 Peter 2:9)
We are the bride of Christ. (Rev.22:17). We are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:12-14). When we know how special we are to God and when we realize that He made us look the way that we do, how can we not be content with what we see in the mirror? God doesn't make mistakes. He loves you and delighted in creating you.