How Dare You!

My friends, what I’m about to write is as much for me as it is for anyone who is going to read it. Further, what follows isn’t only for women, it is for all you guys out there as well who need to hear this. Forever and always I have struggled with self-image. Now, this isn’t a statement meant to draw in compliments and I do not want them, I am just setting the stage. I have never been satisfied with how I look. A few weeks ago as I was praying, one of the things I was praying about was being satisfied with my beauty. I was just asking to be content and here’s what God told me. He spoke into my heart and said “How dare you? How dare you think that you are not beautiful? You were made in my image; every time you scoff at yourself in the mirror, you insult me.” Um, wow. That stopped me in my tracks. How dare I? But you know what, it’s true! We were not created outside of God’s will or knowledge. We were put together in the most intricate and exquisite way. How dare we suggest that our bodies, our temples, are not perfect? They are the images of God! Every time you wish your stomach was flatter or your teeth were whiter, you insult the fact that God created you perfectly, in His image! Since God told me that, I’ve discovered something. Every morning that I wake up in Jesus, wake up worshiping, I look in the mirror and like what I see. Now, don’t mistake that statement to say that I wake up happy and singing. Far from it! I hate mornings! But you know what I mean, when I wake up in the Spirit, I feel beautiful: my hair is long enough, my face is clear enough, my stomach is flat enough. I feel beautiful. I understand how petty that sounds. But isn’t that true? We get our beauty from the One who loves us, not from our own efforts! When we dwell in Him and seek to find our confidence in Him, we truly are beautiful, inside AND out! So my friends, guys and gals, young and old, next time you are standing in front of the mirror and are about the say something about how you look, remember Jesus is standing right next to you saying “HOW DARE YOU?”