To all of the girls who need to be told they are beautiful today ... this one goes out to you.
Being a woman in this day and age is not an easy task. "Beauty" in modern culture is defined as being a size double zero, having legs that stretch for days, blemish-free skin, perfect hair ... the list could go on and on. But ladies, let me just tell you: that is society's definition, not the truth.
Now, if you are anything like me, believing that you are beautiful is a hard pill to swallow. I mean, when you are constantly looking at Victoria's Secret model ads everywhere you go, confidence is pretty difficult to find. Here are three steps to realizing how beautiful you really are.
1. Find your beauty in the Lord.
Song of Solomon 4:7 -- "You are altogether beautiful my darling, there is no flaw in you."
Ladies, if the same God that made the snow-capped mountains and beautiful beach sunsets says that you are beautiful, how does that not mean something to you? This amazing God of the universe is sitting here telling you that you are beautiful and flawless, so believe it.
So what if you aren't a supermodel? God made you in His image and says that you are perfect in the eyes of your heavenly Father. Stop comparing yourself to the world's so called "beauty" and start realizing that God thinks you are beautiful in eternal standards.
2. Stop settling for "hot."
Ladies, we are not in sixth grade anymore. Stop settling for guys who are still stuck there. If a guy isn't man enough to call a lady beautiful, then he isn't a man at all. Look for the man who will remind you every single day that you are the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes on. A man that would never think about another woman in the way he thinks about you. A man who thinks you are beautiful with or without makeup. A man that does not care what jean size you are because he loves you for who you are, not what size you are.
I promise these men exist. It is our job as women to search for the very best and never settle for anything less.
3. Find beauty within yourself.
Finding beauty within ourselves is the hardest part of all because we are our own biggest critics in this life. Sure, we will have bad hair days, we will have breakouts and we will gain a couple of pounds every now and then, but guess what? You are still beautiful. It is time to stop criticizing yourself and start rocking the beautiful woman that you are.
"There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a women being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty." -- Steve Maraboli
So ladies, it is time to embrace your imperfections, accept who you are and start being confident in yourself. After all, confidence is beauty.
