Dear girl,

Perhaps you’ve been howled at, whistled at, and heard the whispers of how nice your assets are. Maybe you’ve also been the subject of uncomfortable stares from total strangers – like your body is on display and welcome to any comments people feel like throwing your way.

You’ve most certainly seen advertisements with sliver-thin girls who have the perfect curls and the longest legs. They were probably barely covered in a bikini or maybe they were laughing while wearing the perfect outfit.

Maybe you’ve walked through department stores looking for just the right shirt to show your best features. You’ve gone home to curl your hair, apply make-up, and prepare yourself for a night where you will appear to be enough.

Here’s the thing I know about this girl. She has been me. I have gotten a very good look at her heart and it is quite broken. It’s broken for the body features she simply doesn’t have and yet, the dog calls from men she doesn’t know. It’s broken from high school relationships telling her that she is physically appealing but failing to see past those “good hips”.

I know what it’s like to be on that side of the fence, where everything you wear and do is critiqued and never quite enough. Those shorts that are slightly shorter than what truly makes you comfortable is just a facade. You desire to be so much more than a girl with nice legs but you don’t know how.

So here’s a secret…you can put down the mascara. There’s some harsh truth I learned the hard way but it has given me so much freedom: you’ll never be enough for them but YOU ARE ENOUGH.

There will always be someone who doesn’t like what you’re wearing or maybe they like what you're wearing too much. You, as a woman, will always be subjected to comments on your size or your hair. You’ll be complimented when you work very hard on your appearance but you’ll still be empty at the end of the day if that is where your confidence comes from.

So guess what I’ve done: I’ve stopped trying to please other people and started living for my audience of One – Jesus. The best news is He always thinks I’m the most beautiful girl in any room because He made me. My cleavage doesn’t have to be showing for Him to be pleased with me and I don’t ever have to earn His attention.

There is so much freedom in being a daughter of the King, if we just learned how to grasp it. The more I rest in that freedom, the less I try to please others. I wear what makes me feel beautiful and comfortable. My hair doesn’t have to be perfect and neither does my eye shadow. My boobs, butt, and belly button can all remain covered and guess what – I AM STILL BEAUTIFUL because I belong to the King.

So I guess what I’m trying to say to you is that it’s okay to stop trying. It’s okay to wear that t-shirt because you just love it or rock the messy bun four days in a row. Just let it go. Your eyebrows don’t have to be perfect and neither does your heart. He loves you, messy bun, messy heart, and messy room. He loves it all. Every single part of you.

Now…go rock the only thing nobody else has: the gift of being uniquely yourself.