Not The Boss Of UsSample

Day Four

True Beauty

Scripture: 1 Peter 3:4

Societal beauty standards so often determine ideal body types—something that tends to be a brutal measuring stick since much of our body type is predetermined. In the 1960s long, slim legs were the standard—as if anyone can control the length of their legs. In the Han Dynasty, large eyes and small feet were treasured—the latter of which were often forced by feet-binding, a practice that lasted a millennium. 

In today’s world, women and men are quick to reach for surgical procedures in order to create a desired appearance. We do the same with exercise, taking something necessary in life and using it as a sculpting tool in order to achieve a look. But our current postmodern standard seems confusing: flat stomach, healthy-skinny, large breasts, and large bottom. How does that even work? 

Maybe it’s at that point, free from so many of society’s elusive beauty markers, that we can be content—even, dare we say, be grateful with our size, gray hair, and wrinkles. Honestly, I see my gray hair and am grateful. Grateful for the years that have passed—even the hard ones that sprouted a few more gray hairs than I anticipated. Those years not only provided provision perspective for today but they also filled my compassion tank to overflowing. Those hairs are a physical representation of age but also a physical manifestation of stress.

Even though I feel very little stress in my soul since I know without a shadow of a doubt that all is well, we cannot avoid living days of pressures and hard circumstances. The fact that they really aren’t the boss of us undeniably girds those days and years with deep, unshakable peace in the midst. And I’m grateful to those hairs for the reminder. 

So grab hold of Truth and drink deeply from its well of living water in order to be hydrated before, during, and after heightened self-assessment situations such as swimsuit shopping, preparing for a school reunion, or even something as casual as scrolling through Instagram. Like putting on sunscreen to block harmful rays, we can cover ourselves with reality checks and wear them into environments that have potential to land us in the mud and mire of negative self-worth assessments. 

How old were you when you first started to have concerns about how you looked compared to others? How do those same thoughts affect you today?