As soon as I type the title of this blog, the line 'beauty is only skin deep' popped into my head. This is so true their are plenty of what is considered gorgeous women in the world that are ugly on the inside eg their personalities, actions, and attitudes are just plain for the most part UGLY!
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. More importantly we are spiritual beings having a natural experience. Therefore if you work on yourself from the inside out, you shall radiate the light of God within you and whomever looks at you will see your beauty just as God sees it.
I see so many women of all ethnic backgrounds buying into the belief that the way they were created isn't good enough. I attended a seminar where the speaker asked all of the participants to write down 3 things they would change about themselves. She began to read what had been written, people spoke of wanting a bigger butt, breasts, to be thinner, nose jobs etc. The speaker let us know that she struggled with things she wanted to change about herself but at the same time she realized God created her and all of us just the way he wanted to.
God didn't make any mistakes when he created you and to want to change anything about yourself is like telling God he doesn't know what he is doing!
Now don't get me wrong, I wear make-up and fake eyelashes (very rarely), I wear false nails, I have even put pieces in my hair although my hair is down my back. So there are things that I have done that altered the way I look outside of how God made me. At the same time I realize I only make temporary changes that don't alter anything permanently. I also do those things when I am "dressing up" and going out and I just want to go full force with the glam. However, I recognize none of those things make me beautiful, they only enhance my beauty.
That is what young girls and women need to understand you are beautiful and there are things that can enhance your beauty but not make you beautiful. Eventually outer beauty begins to fade I don't care who you are you will get older and begin to lose your youthful appearance so why focus so much on something that will change?
I think of someone like Heidi Montage who has had over 10 plastic surgeries and she's only in her early 20s. Some people become addicted to plastic surgery and I would call her an addict. The thing is after each surgery she still found something that was wrong with her and decided to have yet another surgery. What she doesn't realize is that she is searching for something outwardly that can only be found inwardly.
If you don't love yourself, how you are just as you are right now, you will have a hard time loving yourself once you make changes. Now don't get me wrong if you are overweight and want to lose weight for health reasons and just so you feel better about yourself I say go for it. However, it doesn't matter how much weight you lose if you don't love you and have a positive self image you will constantly find something that is wrong with you.
I think about Janet Jackson and how she is in her 40s and is only now starting to learn to love herself. She mentioned how as Penny on the TV sitcom Good Times, she was already developing breasts so they would strap her chest down. In her mind she felt that she wasn't good enough as she was. That image continued to stay engraved in her mind and more importantly subconscious up until this day. So while she had her breasts done and a nose job, she still didn't feel beautiful and is now learning to love herself more day by day but still struggles with negative self image.
THERE IS NOTHING ON THE OUTSIDE OF YOU THAT YOU CAN CHANGE TO MAKE YOU FEEL MORE BEAUTIFUL, YOU HAVE TO FEEL IT AND BE IT ON THE INSIDE.
Once you feel it inwardly and believe it you will radiate and energy and a glow that will give people no choice but to recognize your beauty.
Yes I know we live in a society where its all about big butts, small waists, and a nice breast size. We are bombarded by these images in videos, magazines, TV etc. A lot of girls and women feed into and buy into these images. That is why it is important to instill into our children at an early age that they are beautiful. There are even people in the African American community putting weaves in young girls heads as little as 5.
That act is placing the notion in a young girls head that you have to have long straight hair to be beautiful and that is a sad situation. I admire women with large natural Afros, those with short hair dos like fades, those with short dos as well as long dos, there is beauty in differences. If we all looked alike the world would be a boring place.
In no way am I saying if you get plastic surgery, wear weave, make-up etc. that you don't love yourself. I will say that you need to check your motives when you decide to do any of these things. Make sure you love yourself the way that you are and you are only choosing to alter because it is something you need to do not something you want to do based on societal "norms". I would encourage someone not to get plastic surgery unless it is for health reasons but I am not here to put my own personal beliefs on you.
What I will encourage those reading this to do is focus on their inner man, their spirit. Build your spirit up in goodness, love, joy, peace, faith, kindness be filled with the fruit of the spirit, sow the fruit of the spirit in others and I guarantee you that your beauty will shine brightly.
Some biblical scriptures to meditate on....
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5
"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is too be praised." Proverbs 31:30 (read the entire Proverbs 31)
Be a blessing and be blessed,
Epiphany Essentials
