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crackley10205

A woman's desire to be beautiful and her walk with Jesus

Updated: Dec 16, 2022

"It's not vain to want to feel good in your own skin, Cat."


This God-fearing, older sister, calls me Cat. Cat and Catie have always been my two favorite shortened versions of my formal name "Catherine." For some reason, I feel like these nicknames represent who I feel like I am on the inside better than "Catherine" does, informal and playful. I felt so seen by her in those that 13 word sentence she spoke to me...not just because of the affectionate "Cat" but because of her validation of what I was wrestling with.


I had requested prayer from her and our other prayer partner that God would help me lose this weight that I gained during Covid, about 25 pounds to be exact. "I don't want to be vain or obsessed with body image, but I do want to feel comfortable and confident in my own skin."


I felt vain/ashamed saying this out loud to these christian sisters that I have so much spiritual respect for. Shouldn't I long for holier things? Have you ever been there?


So when does this desire for contentedness in my own skin cross the line and become a sinful idol centered around vanity? As I searched my heart the answer became obvious...when it kicks Jesus off the throne, and sits itself down as master of my affections and consumer of my thoughts.


How do I keep the desire to be in a right-sized body from being an idol as I actively pursue weight-loss (still going on BTW)?

Prayer!


If you are like me, growing up, the message I heard in christian circles, whether intentional or not, was that outward beauty does not matter, but inward beauty does. I affirm my strong belief in inward beauty, that's a Biblical, non-negotiable, many times spoken directly to women throughout the Bible. The beauty of the heart, the fruits of the Spirt, these are of upmost value in God's kingdom. These unseen attributes of the heart reflect our unseen God who is alive within us.


Proverbs 31:10-31 (the wife/woman of noble character)

1 Peter 3:3-4 (the context of this passage is more directed as socio-economic status being flaunted through dress, but still)

Galations 5:22-23 (Fruit of the Spirit)


But is it true as believing women to say that outward beauty does not matter to us? I can't say that for me. I want to feel confident in my skin. (It's good for my marriage when I feel confident...TMI, maybe, but real talk) But even outside of marriage, is it really wrong to appreciate and acknowledge beauty and enjoy feeling nice in our own bodies?


As women, I believe God made us to reflect some really special aspects of him, one of which is his beauty.


There are many special ways God made us to reflect Him that looks different from men...his amenability, his nurture, his softness, his receptivity, the relationships within the trinity, his life-giving ways, his beauty, just to name a few. Beauty is just one of those reflections. It is not the only attribute. But maybe this can help us understand why we value it.


He is beautiful. We are beautiful. We are made in His image. We don't have to neglect outward appearance for the sake of being God-honoring. But how to implement this in a Christ-honoring way (with culture we live in) can feel like a delicate dance. I am convinced that it cannot be done alone. We need him.


In our diet-driven, skinny-obsessed Western culture, it can be especially challenging to see our bodies the way the Lord sees them. He made me more muscular/curvy than he made many of my lean friends. He made me with fair skin and some of my loved ones with darker skin. I have straight, thick hair, one of my best friends has very curly hair.


God defines beauty, NOT our culture! He is the authority on the matter. Submit yourself to His artistic creativity and humbly (and gratefully!) receive the traits he chose specifically FOR YOU! They weren't a mistake.


He is the artist and we should not insult his masterpieces, that's us!

Think on that, you are his artwork, when you criticize your features, you criticize the artist, God Almighty.


So, sit with him in the quiet and examine your heart. I am doing the same. It's ok to pursue weight-loss if you are not in a right-sized body. Its ok to pursue weight-gain if you are not in a right-sized body. It's ok to buy skin care products that hydrate your skin to give it that youthful glow. It's ok to get your nails painted because that makes you feel lovely.


What's not ok is putting any of these habits and pursuits before your lover, King Jesus. Don't let these "beauty enhancers" pave the way for you to give beauty the VIP seat in your heart.


So how do we acknowledge our desire to be beautiful without becoming vain? We pray. We do honest "heart checks" before the Lord in the quiet. And we draw our confidence from the artist who designed us, and not from the world that tells us a size 2, blonde hair, blue eyes, and cream skin is the only picture of real beauty.


You are beautiful. Believe it.





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2 Comments


Ann Lee
Ann Lee
Dec 22, 2022

Refreshing and so encouraging!

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crackley10205
Feb 23, 2023
Replying to

Thank you! We are EACH his masterpiece!

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