I Peter 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
I was standing in the check out line yesterday and glanced at the rack of magazines. On one of them was a HUGE picture of a former actress that had recently been a spokesperson for a weightloss program. They type beside the picture indicated that she had gained 83 lbs. It was portrayed very negatively. Beside it was a magazine promising a loss of 20 lbs if you used their walking program. And beside that one was one promising the right hairstyle to make you look great. It seems like everywhere I looked it was all about appearance, beauty. America has become obsessed with how we look.
You only have to look at the magazine aisle, or watch a few commercials to see it. It is easy to fall into the belief that we have to look a certain way to be beautiful. The reality is that God isn't looking at our bodies for beauty. God specifically tells us that beauty isn't something we can put on and take off. I believe the God also isn't looking at the numbers on the scale or counting your scars, or looking at your acne and counting that against you on His beauty scale. God is looking within us, He is looking at how we treat others, how we behave, our actions, in search of our true beauty.
It is important, especially as a Christian mother, to teach our children this. With 8 million Americans suffering from eating disorders in an attempt to be beautiful, and 95% of them under the age of 25, we as Christian mothers need to be sure that our children know what REAL beauty is and teach them to look for it not only in themselves, but also in others. This is even more true for those of us that are losing weight ourselves.
If our children only see us struggling to beautify our physical body, and don't see us beautifying our spiritual body they will get the wrong impression. I know that it is hard finding time to fit everything into our lives. However, you need to remember your priorities, I wanted to remind you that first and foremost you are a CHRISTIAN mother. Please take time to show your child that spiritual beauty is more important than physical. Let them see you studying God's word, or study with your child. Demonstrate a gently and quiet spirit. Treat others kindly. Don't neglect the true beauty that God is looking for in pursuit of a thinner you. Don't get so wrapped up in what the world sees that your forget what God sees - the beauty in your heart, you ARE beautiful.
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart ~ I Samuel 16:7b
