Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24
I stood in front of the magazines looking for one with interesting content.
I was baffled by how many magazines had a girl on the cover and “how to’s”.
How to lose ten pounds in two weeks.
How to get your perfect body.
How to look hot in your skinny jeans. (SEVENTEEN magazine for teenage girls, I wanted to throttle whomever wrote that).
We as women are desperate to be beautiful and we are begging the world to please show us how.
I confess I am guilty as charged to obsessing over my looks and ashamedly taking way too much space up in my brain and in front of a mirror meticulously figuring out how to look better.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t take pride in our appearance, but I do believe there is a fine line we can so easily cross over.
One of self-absorption and making our appearance a God in our lives, and we need to ask ourselves some hard questions and what it is we are truly searching for when we cross over that line.
As I stood there in front of those magazines I realized we as women spend so much time and money pursuing a beauty that is going to fade in order to impress others, instead of pursuing a beauty that not only will last, but can impact the lives around us.
Instead of standing in front of a mirror asking “how to” change our flaws, may we kneel before a holy God and ask Him to change our hearts.
How do I obtain a heart like yours?
How do I love like you?
How do I forgive like you?
How do I stop hyper focusing on my outer appearance and instead run after the heart you desire me to have?
Ladies– we live in a culture which taunts us to be obsessed with self.
Will we pave the way for this generation of young ladies and teach them it’s okay to take a selfie every now and then, but more importantly can we lead them in example in taking a selfie of our hearts?
Looking at what’s inside of our hearts can be painful and scary. And sometimes we find things that just aren’t pretty. But have courage friend, because the Lord shows us in His word it’s so worth it to purge what must go, in order to become the woman He created us to be and have a heart that radiates His glory.
So friend—let’s stop obsessing over obtaining a perfect body to impress the world, and instead chase after a heart that is pleasing to the Lord.
And God’s word promises it will be a beauty which is everlasting and that will never fade.
