Made in His Image

I read recently that ninety-seven percent of women have a negative body image; meaning that ninety-seven percent of women look in the mirror each day and view themselves negatively. Those numbers are disturbing. I believe this also applies to Christian ladies as well. I can't count how many times over the years I've heard godly, beautiful, vibrant ladies point out how over or under weight they were, their hair type, their lack of style, and some actually said they felt ugly. I can relate. Perhaps there have been times that you could too.

We ladies have a tendency to compare ourselves. Perhaps we don’t compare ourselves to the women of Hollywood or the models splashed across magazines in the grocery checkout lines (at least I hope not!), but I have to honestly admit to seeing some ladies in various churches and thinking to myself, “I wish I looked more like her.” In fact, one of those young women, with her beautiful and thick hair that I had so admired approached me one day and said she wished she could trade hair with me. I was shocked. She wanted my thinning hair? She had no idea the embarrassment I sometimes felt about my hair! My take-away from that exchange was this: the Bible is very true when it says, “but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” (II Corinthians 10:12b)

I have listened to Christian ladies all across the age spectrum from sweet teen girls to Godly older women express frustration and displeasure with their outward appearance for whatever reason. These are ladies who are truly beautiful inside and out. My heart hurts a little each time I overhear them share their insecurities. What can we ladies do to help ourselves and each other? Do we have to continue to feel defeated and discouraged in our daily lives when we step on the scale or get dressed each morning? Perhaps it doesn’t seem very spiritual to even bring up the insecurities a Christian woman faces about her outward appearance. Yet if it truly affects ninety-seven percent of ladies, I think it merits being addressed, especially since the Bible contains verses that tell us godliness with contentment is great gain (I Tim. 6:6), beauty is vain (Prov. 31:30), and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). How we view ourselves must matter to the Lord, or He wouldn’t have included verses in the Bible that address or apply to the issue. So what can we do?

I think the first thing we can do is stop comparing and criticizing ourselves so harshly. Verses referenced above mention that it is unwise to compare ourselves with each other (spiritually, physically, or otherwise) and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We are created in the image of a holy God.He didn’t make a mistake, He didn’t mess up, and He didn’t fail. Therefore we can walk confidently, knowing that He made us just as He wanted us to be. Along those lines, we need to cast out thoughts from the enemy. If the devil can sow seeds of discouragement in our hearts, for whatever reason, we can not serve God as effectively. We can ask the Lord to cast down imaginations, tear down strongholds, and give us victory concerning our thoughts.

We can also concentrate on the areas we do like. We all have things about our features that we honestly wish were different, but don’t focus on the negative. Each person has strengths and weaknesses, and that is also true of physical appearance. Camouflage the areas that aren’t your favorite, and concentrate on the things about yourself that you do like. Change what you can, and embrace what you can not. If Esther spent months preparing herself to meet the king, Ruth prepared herself for Boaz, and the woman of Proverbs 31 clothed herself in silk and purple, then we know we can work on ourselves in moderation. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and it’s perfectly acceptable to do so.

We should most importantly, consider Scripture. We are in Christ. We are the bride of Christ. We are daughters of the King of kings He loved us so much that He died for us. Those facts from Scripture should fill us with confidence and joy. Remember your standing in Christ! In Him we have our being, in Him we are complete, and in Him is all sufficiency. He came that we might have abundant life. We do not have to live in defeat for any reason, because in Christ we are more than conquerors.

In closing, I’d like to say that I'm glad God made a world of beauty, and in that world He allowed people to be made in His image (what an honor!) and yet have unique appearances. Only God can do something as special as that!