Alright girls, let’s be real for a second.
I’ve seen your selfies with your duck faces and your pouting lips. I’ve read your hashtags and your sappy song lyrics. I’ve contemplated your obscure captions that reflect your innermost cries for attention.
I see you searching for affirmation, Generation Z. I see you looking for someone or something to fill a God-shaped hole in your heart.
Maybe no one has ever told you you’re beautiful or maybe you just weren’t listening. Maybe they have told you but you crave more affirmation. Or maybe you don’t know what beauty is because you’ve only been exposed to the lies of Hollywood.
Oh my dear, if you only knew.
Beauty is not the way you flip your hair or when you smile at the ground (I disagree here with 1D).
Beauty is not having eyes that make the stars look like they’re not shining (sorry Bruno).
Generation Z, the media has been lying to you. And my generation has been lying to you. The truth is, the generation before mine lied to us just like the generation before theirs lied to them. It’s a vicious cycle and it needs to stop.
I’m sorry that we deceived you, Generation Z. I’m sorry that we preyed on your innocence and ignorance and took advantage of your youth.
Your dissatisfaction with yourselves breaks my heart because you don’t know how beautiful you are. How could you? You can’t know you’re beautiful unless you know what beauty is.
First of all, I want you to know that you are beautiful simply because you exist. Psalm 139:13-14 says “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” When you compare yourself to others or you complain about your appearance you are telling God that he made a mistake when he made you. Guess what? God doesn’t make mistakes! He put a lot of thought and effort into you and he literally knit you together in your mother’s womb. I don’t know if you fully understand the weight of that verse. Let me say it again: You are fearfully and wonderfully made. In other words, you are awesomely made, fantastically made, intricately made… beautifully made.
We can get an idea of what beauty is from 1 Peter 3:3-4 which says, “Do not let your adorning be external -- the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear -- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” Braiding hair is fun, jewelry is fun, clothes are fun and makeup is fun but… that’s not what makes you beautiful.
According to James, what makes you beautiful is the person of the heart. Who are you really, when the world isn’t watching? What is the condition of your heart?
What makes you beautiful is the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Though your external beauty will fade, if you are obeying God’s call to love and live according to His word the beauty of your heart will never perish.
It can be hard to reprogram our minds to believe that we are beautiful. Believe me, I know. I have days where I look in the mirror and I don’t like what I see and I have to ask the Lord to see through His eyes. I have days where I have an ugly attitude and I have to pray for humility, dignity, and strength. Each and every time I am unsatisfied with myself my heavenly Father reminds me who I am. I am His. And he doesn’t make mistakes. He makes masterpieces.
I hope you’ll join me in redefining beautiful, dear sisters. Let’s be more concerned with the condition of our hearts rather than the adornment of our flesh. Let’s live beautiful lives. Let’s be kind, compassionate, gentle, humble, courageous and generous. Let’s let strength and dignity be our clothing. Let’s speak in love and build others up. And let’s praise God for making us fearfully and wonderfully.
