Who Am I Really? A Journey to Discover Your True IdentitySample

According to the King, you are BEAUTIFUL.

• LORD, you are enthralled by my beauty. I will honor you, for you are my LORD. ~Psalm 45:10-11
• LORD, my outward appearance is not what is important. For you, O LORD, look at my heart. ~1 Samuel 16:7

Life Application:

When my siblings and I were young, our mom kept growth charts for each of us. Every year, she entered her collection of data into a journal to track our progress. Gathering the information involved a tape measure, straight wall, flat floor, and trustworthy scale.

I didn’t mind her growth measuring process when I was young, but as I got older (about seven or so), I began to hate the whole experience. I distinctly remember the day it became humiliating for me. It was the year I began understanding the information my mom was collecting. (Or more accurately, the moment I began comparing my measurements to that of my sister.)

Although my sister was five years older than me, I weighed only a couple of pounds less than her. Her body type was naturally tiny and petite. Mine was not.

Compared to her, I felt like a big old elephant. Although I didn’t let my mom know it, I was mortified by the whole experience, especially when I realized that I was bigger than my sister. I can’t tell you how relieved I was the year my mom finally stopped recording our height and weight.

As an adult, I realize comparing ourselves to others is never a healthy practice. We either come away feeling deflated (loathing ourselves), or we come away feeling prideful, believing we are better than those around us. Critical thought patterns lead to destructive behavior patterns when they’re not dealt with in a godly manner.

There was nothing wrong with my mom wanting to journal our measurements. She was doing what many mothers do, recording the developmental milestones of her children. Satan, however, used this opportunity to twist my perception of myself, turning my thoughts into an all-consuming, self-loathing mindset that eventually became a harmful weapon of self-destruction.

By age fifteen I was in bondage to an eating disorder. I hated who I was on the inside and detested how I looked outside. My self-esteem was defaced in the wake of Satan’s deception, all because the enemy recognized my weakness and used it to his advantage.

In order to truly overcome self-destructive thought patterns, we must renew our minds with God’s truth. When Satan tempts us to compare ourselves with others, we need to remember the true standard by which all things are measured—God’s incomparable love, which has absolutely nothing to do with our outward appearance.

When we play the comparison game, what we are really doing is comparing the inside of ourselves with the outside of someone else. I can tell you from personal experience, that exchange always comes up short.

Make it Personal:

• How do you view your general appearance?
• Can you recall a specific experience or words spoken over you that you feel may have contributed to the image you have of yourself?
• Describe a time when you felt beautiful. What were the contributing factors?

Action Step:

Our culture is obsessed with outward appearance. But God tells us that true beauty does not come from what we see on the outside. It comes from what we see on the inside, a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. At least five times this week, compliment someone outside of their outward appearance. (Examples: I love your laugh. You are such a great friend. You are so filled with joy. I can always be myself around you. You are such a hard worker. etc.)

Prayer:

Lord, help me to stop comparing myself with others and help me find contentment with who You created me to be. Your Word tells me that I have been created in Your image and that You knit me together in my mother's womb. I am your beautiful daughter. Help me to see all the beauty you have created in and around me. I am loved by You—the only One who truly matters. Today I choose to believe that you are enthralled by my beauty. Thank you, Lord Jesus. In Your name I pray. Amen.