We live in a world that is fixated on how to look better. 50 is the new 40, 40 is the new 30, 30 is the new 20, 20 is the new 10?! Ok maybe that last one is a little odd, but the truth of the matter is that is how our world thinks. We are constantly looking for something to make us look younger and better. Think of how many magazines you see that can "help" women achieve this. Think about how many products that are out there that promise "youth" for women. Sometimes I think guys have is easier.
My husband once asked me why us women used so much crap and do so much stuff to themselves. I automatically answered, "Because of you (generally speaking of guys.)" And truth be told, some of it does come from guys, but really it comes from other women competing with each other and just the world in general. Satan knows exactly how to attack women and he is getting better at it. We constantly compare ourselves to others, or spend way to much money on trying to look our best.
Now I will say there is nothing wrong with wanting to look and be your best. It is important to take care of yourself health wise and to have confidence in yourself. But like some many other things, when that becomes our only goal and focus, we become lost in that, and in the world.
We forget so quickly that material things fade, including beauty (or at least how the world sees it.) So when all of that has gone away, whats left? If we strive to be a Proverbs 31 woman, a lot. The verse I cling to a lot in times of low self esteem is this:
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting. But a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."
This completely contradicts what the world says. The world wants us to praise women for their beauty and place them on a pedestal. But this is just another lie the world loves to feed us.
The most beautiful women I know are the ones that love God, love their families, and work for the greater good of others; not themselves. Their inner beauty reflects on their outward beauty, and when you are a woman who is after God's heart, its His beauty that shines on you, and that is a beauty that surpasses all others.
This may be a struggle for a lot of young ladies to grasp because looks have always been pushed in one way or another on you, and the world is consumed by it. I challenge you though to really think about this: at the end of your life, what do you want to be known for? Someone who at one time was considered beautiful, or someone who loved her God with all her heart and made an impact on the world?
