Originally published Wednesday, 06 May 2015.
Ivana Trump said, “Gorgeous hair is the best revenge.” Well, okay then.
Last Saturday morning, I woke up and thought that if I didn’t do something to make myself feel better about my appearance, I just might die. I’m not dramatic or anything!
I already had a salon appointment booked, but instead of having my roots done and leaving it in the same style I’ve had since what seems like 1996, give or take some bangs and a few inches in length, I decided to get it cut in to an inverted bob.
The next morning while at church, someone walked up to me from behind and said, “Hey, I like your hair!” My response: “I figured it was either wake up tomorrow thirty pounds lighter, or cut my hair. I did the only thing I could.”
Why didn’t I just say thank you?
Have you been there? Do you constantly humiliate yourself so often that you don’t even recognize it?
If I wasn’t writing this series, I bet I wouldn’t have noticed what I said that day. One painful foot-in-the-mouth moment at a time I’m detecting a pattern in my life. I am incredibly mean to the girl I see in the mirror, and I tell EVERYONE about her imperfections.
So I guess I played Ivana’s “deep words of wisdom” against myself. What am I trying to do… seek revenge for not being able to put down the Oreos? Should I have a staring match with the image in the mirror? I mean, her pants might not button but her hair is fabulous!
It’s ridiculous.
Here is what the Bible says:
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
-Genesis 1:27
None of us have ever seen God face-to-face, but we do know that He created each one of us in His image. That means we have worth, we hold value, and we are important to Him. Do you think for one moment He wants us to stand in front of a giant piece of glass, stare at the woman He created in His image, and belittle who she is?
I’m thinking that’s not His perfect plan for us! Not even close!
We have to get in to the habit of speaking life to ourselves. We must remind ourselves that we hold value. Here is how I propose we start…
- Print out the Printable I created for Genesis 1:27. In the blank space, insert your name. I’ll show you an example with my name..
- After writing your name in the blank, hang it on the mirror you look in the most. Hey, print out as many as you need and hang them everywhere!
Sometimes, we need to remind ourselves of our worth. We have worth because Christ is worthy. We were created in His image. That says so much about who we are, friend.
I also want to say something else, and we are going to talk about this more on another day, but you don’t have to think of yourself as overweight to identify with anything I’ve said. You could be a perfect size two and have another complaint about yourself. The ugly whispers that start in our heads over the way we look, they don’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter what shape you are or what you look like, we all have baggage relating to beauty.
If you missed Monday’s post, we are starting something called Finding Her Thursday! It’s about finding who we are as individuals in the search for beauty and gaining encouragement through it!
For tomorrow’s first Finding Her Thursday, we are sharing a picture of our “grace art” to social media. We are using the hashtags #findingherthursday and #beautifulblogseries.
Take a picture of anything imperfect that you need grace for… burned Mac & Cheese, bed head, a sink full of dishes, a messy shoe closet. (Hello!) It’s for solidarity, sisters! We are going to give each other encouragement. Finding beauty means finding value in every part of our lives… not just our appearances.
The whole point is that we aren’t perfect and it’s okay to admit it. It’s our own personal mess art, our unique stamp on life, and we’ll get through it. Together. Many of us are raising kids and loving well. We need each other, and that is what #findingherthursday is all about. We are finding the beauty inside every facet of our lives. You know the old saying… “One person’s mess is another person’s masterpiece.” Or something like that!
In the mean time, remember that you were created in the image of God. You hold so much worth. You are beautiful!
Love,
Jennifer
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