Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"I Praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful and I know that full well" Psalm 139:14

As I was mulling over what I should write about for SOP this week, this scripture kept repeating in my mind. I am fearfully and wonderfully made… I am wonderfully made, really?

But what about the extra inches and pounds that linger after baby number two? What about the gray hairs that keep appearing? Or that I always seem to fail or disappoint someone?

There is an enormous amount of pressure put on women. To be excellent wives, mothers, friends, cooks, housekeepers, etc AND on top of all that you are suppose to eat well and be thin.

This time of year is marked by New Year’s Resolutions. This will be the year that I will loose weight, eat better, workout more, get more done and on and on…  Have you noticed that most of the ads are focused towards weight loss, redecorating or being more organized?

The other night as I walked through the grocery store I noticed fitness and diet book displays, fitness equipment was on sale and there were storage tubs galore.  The ad on the loud speaker was saying “try the full plate diet, everything you need is right in the store and in just a few weeks, you’ll be a new you, wearing a new wardrobe!” The commercial made it sound so simple and easy, lose weight then you will be a better person and everything will be great!

My thought was, "it isn't that easy for some and what if you don’t have money for new a wardrobe? And do I need to become a new person?”

We are hearing the message that our value is based on our outward appearance.  Our success as a person is placed on how organized our lives (houses) are.

We are comparing ourselves to unrealistic ideals.

The women in ads are airbrushed and the photos are perfected. The houses in the ads aren't even real, no one lives there!  There is nothing wrong with working towards a healthier lifestyle or a more orderly home.

But if we believe the messages of the world, we will never measure up.

Instead of turning to the cultures’ standard for beauty I encourage you to view yourself as God views you.

Yes, easier said than done!

You are special, you have been created in God’s image and you are beautifully made!

This may be hard to accept.  It is for me, I have struggled with body issues and self-worth my entire life.

1 Samuel 16:7 reads “…The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”.

Let that be our standard of beauty.

The Lord loves you and created you just as He wants you to be. Having a heart for the Lord is beauty.

How can you avoid our culture's trap of what it means to be beautiful and successful?

What can you do on a daily basis to have a heart (and mind) for the Lord?

Photo Credit - Sign and Image created by Love and Leftovers