Dear Beautiful Girl,
You may not want to admit it, but at some point in your life you have probably struggled with low self-esteem; I know I have. It’s only human to compare yourself to other people and be jealous of them. It’s even harder to avoid comparison when we are constantly confronted with society’s standards of beauty on TV and in magazines. But even harder still is the pressure social media puts on us to look a certain way. As a college freshman, I am in a completely new environment where I had the chance to meet hundreds of people and make hundreds of first impressions. So while I am meeting a tall, thin, blonde with a perfect complexion, I am thinking about how I am 18 and still have acne. I’m thinking about how unfair it is that I don't drink alcohol, I eat healthily, and exercise, but I still gained weight first semester. Of course, this perfect girl has no idea that these are the thoughts going through my mind because I have mastered the art of hiding my insecurities behind my smile. As a girl living in a Kardashian society, so have you.
Vulnerability is not a word in your vocabulary, because vulnerability is weakness. You hope that if you put on more concealer, then your insecurities won’t be visible. You hope that losing weight will help you gain self-confidence. You hope that posting perfect pictures on Instagram will somehow make your life perfect. But all of these things are short-term solutions to a long-term problem. Simply cleaning up the outside will only mask the ugliness of jealousy, pride, and hatred underneath the surface. Before you can begin to love who you are, you have to know the one that made you who you are.
In his book, "Christ and Culture," H. Richard Niebuhr says that "worth is worth in relation to God." We only have worth because God created us. And because nothing can ever change our Creator, nothing can ever change our worth. You were "fearfully and wonderfully made" whether you always believe it or not (Psalm 139:14). So it's OK to be self-conscious sometimes. It's ok to not feel perfect; because you aren’t. But you are enough.
As soon as sin entered the world, God stopped expecting his creations to be perfect; he only desires that we strive to be more like him every day. And no matter how close or far away from looking like God you are, God says that you are enough. You are enough whether you have clear skin or acne. You are enough whether you gain the freshman 15 or lose it. You are enough whether you get 200 likes on a picture or 20. You are enough because God made you exactly the way he wants you to be and you are His.
This truth does not make being a girl any easier, though. We will still find ourselves wanting to be thinner or more popular. But that’s ok. It is ok to not feel like you are enough, because that’s exactly when you need to cling to God and his truth. So even if you don’t believe every day that you are enough, remind yourself what God says in His word about you. You are God’s handiwork and were made in his image. Never forget that.
Love,
A Girl that is Enough
