I’ve been thinking a lot about our perceptions of beauty lately.

Last week, Kristen Howerton over at Rage Against the Minivan shared about wearing makeup everyday.

The next day, as Ben, Cadence and I were mooching the malls air conditioning during the biggest heat wave of the summer, we saw a line of women (and a few very bold men) lined up five storefronts long to see a Victoria’s Secret model in the flesh.

And it’s summer.

And in general I hear from so many of the women in my life about how they “need” to lose weight…

or they won’t wear tank tops/shorts/a swimsuit/etc. because some aspect of their body doesn’t measure up to a certain standard.

and pinterest boards are overflowing with the latest, greatest workouts to trim your thighs and whittle your middle.

six packs. toned arms. freaking thigh gap?????

And we spend close to 20 BILLION dollars on our appearance each year.

to which I would like to ask a resounding

Why???

Do you know that you, yes you, in this moment are beautiful?

Yoga pants, bed head, no make up, chin hairs, under eye circles and all?

You.
Are.
Beautiful.

Not because of what you have covered your body with.

Or painted your skin with.

Or scented your neck with.

Or the shape of your abdomen, arms or whether or not there is a gap between your thighs.

You are beautiful.

Because God is beautiful.

The Source and Author of all that is true beauty.

and you, are a tiny mirror of God.

You are beautiful.

And this,

this,

supermarket check out line. pinterest boards. maybe it’s Maybelline.

this is vanity.

this is false.

Sure, it can be fun.  But I think we sailed past the point of fun long ago.

How many of us can’t even run to Target without putting on a face?

We’ve moved from from something fun that celebrates the beauty we each inherently posses, to being a slave to the image in the mirror.

It dictates our time

our thoughts

our meal choices

our perception of ourselves

our perception of our very worth as a person.

Please hear me, beauty is not wrong or bad or shallow.  Beauty is a gift.

God chose to make things aesthetically pleasing.

For all the authority and holiness and power of God we love to dwell on, we’ve forgotten to see God’s beauty.

God’s grace.

God’s peace and joy.

And in doing so we’ve twisted and pinned and carved away at what beauty is and what beauty means and distorted the image in our heads and our mirrors.

By stripping our understanding of what beauty is of it’s Source, we have opened the door for so many others to define beauty.

As skeletons wrapped in skin.

As all that is sparkly and polished.

As flawless and faultless and youthful.

And every day that we neglect to look to the Source of beauty is a day that we are susceptible to the toxic vanity that we are literally assaulted with at every turn.

The lie that somehow we are worth less or, perhaps, completely worthless because of our reflection.

So you, in this moment

Yes, you.

You are beautiful.

Not because of what is on the outside…

or on the inside.

You are beautiful because you are.
Your very being is a reflection of Beauty itself.

Whether you polish or straighten or wax or tighten or smooth or moisturize.

Whether you write or design or calculate or lead or defend or mother or train.

You, because you exist, are beautiful.

Not because of how you look, what you do, how graceful, smart, talented, or wise…

You are beautiful.

You were created “very good.”

Today, in this moment, just try to hear the still small voice that sings that over you.

“You are beautiful.  You are loved.  You are worthy.”

Try to hear it.  Just that voice.

Even if only for a moment.

Even if only at a whisper.

I hope you can hear it.

“You’re beautiful.”