Have you ever looked in the mirror and winced? Have you ever tried on so many outfits that before you walked out the door you had a mountain of discarded clothing that you hated? Do you ever avoid the camera at family gatherings for fear of looking awful in a photo? Well, if you have, you are not alone. Many, many people feel really bad about how they “look” either on the outside, on the inside, or both.
We read in Genesis 1:26 (NIV), “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” We are made in the image of God. That is serious stuff. God wasn’t “playing around” when He made us. And, then, after the work of creating us, He made people rulers of all He created. Again, this is a seriously big deal.
I have heard it said, many times, and in many different ways, that when we insult ourselves and each other, we are insulting God. When we feel bad about how we look or when we make fun of the appearance of others, we are making fun of God. That is not something anyone in their right mind should set out to do. God loves us with a passionate love that is so big, and so wide, and so deep that we can’t even wrap our minds around how much He truly loves us. When you love someone that much, it is hurtful when someone else “picks” on them.
Why, then, are we so hard on ourselves? So many celebrities today seem to set the worldly tone for what is good, and beautiful, and acceptable in our culture. How many of these celebrities’ photos have been airbrushed or otherwise “touched up” to look what people consider to be “perfect”? I’ll bet the answer to that question would be quite shocking.
Then it stands to reason that if “touched up” photos that aren’t even normal are the “norm” for beauty and perfection, how many of the “real” people of the world can ever achieve such a level of beauty? God wants us to take care of ourselves and honor Him by taking good care of our bodies.
We should be proud of ourselves and make the most of what God gave us, both inside and out. When we honor Him and do what is healthy and right, we will begin to feel good about ourselves. This goes against what our culture teaches us. And, that is okay. We shouldn’t bow down to worldly pressure to starve ourselves and “touch up” our photos until we disappear out of the family album.
If we are good enough for God, isn’t that enough? This week, I challenge you to take a good, long look in the mirror and remind yourself that YOU are made in the image of God. He loves you and created you just the way you are! Be encouraged and be blessed!
