(Photo by Selma Komisky)

Beauty: Back to the Basics

By Kyle Jane Heskett

Recently, I decided to pay attention to all the messages about beauty I came across in just one day. They were everywhere. These messages came from social media, billboards, commercials, and even people I know personally.

Women are hit with so many perceptions of beauty on a consistent basis and these perceptions are all saying that they are the standard we need to hold ourselves to.  I know that many times I felt that what I looked like wasn’t good enough. I’ve felt like that a lot recently. I sometimes envy other people’s clothes, perfect skin, and body type. I know you have been there too. It’s time to declutter our lives and weed out all the perceptions of beauty that are not of God.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to look beautiful physically. God gave us eyes to admire and enjoy what’s appealing. But those things are not standards you have to hold yourself to. Messages that tell us we need this product or that to be happy are not only unhealthy for our mind, body, and souls, they are also not the truth. After years of struggling with self-image, I’m not interested in what’s not true anymore.  I’ve spent too much time trying to find the one thing that will make me feel good about myself only to be disappointed, even if I get it. The only one that has made me believe I am truly beautiful is God Himself.

When I feel ugly, God says I am wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

When I feel inadequate, God says through Him all things are possible (Philippians 4:13).

When I feel insecure, God is my assurance (1 John 3:18-22).

When I feel disappointed, God is my comfort (Isaiah 41:10).

The truth is that I am constantly having to declutter my mind and get rid of negative thoughts when it comes to beauty. But the major difference with knowing the truth is that I don’t feel hopeless anymore. I know God has my back and will reassure me in time, if not right away. That is who He is. That is who He wants to be for you too. We are blessed to be able to have a relationship with God that allows us to go to Him when we feel ugly, inadequate, insecure, or disappointed. We can tell Him if we feel bad about ourselves. Stability in Him provides us with the knowledge that our feelings about ourselves are not final and they don’t have to control us.

When I step into His truth and fully embrace it, the Holy Spirit fills me up and gives me a joy I can’t express. My flaws stop bothering me, and I honestly feel beautifully and wonderfully made. So, let’s take it back to the basics together. Let this be a year where we seek God for our identity and sense of beauty. We may have to remind ourselves of His truth every day—multiple times a day—but assurance will come again. He will always be there to remind us of the masterpieces we really are.