A Perfect You
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10
We grow up in a world of familiarity where everything seems normal, until we realize it’s not. For me, I was raised by a mother who was very materialistic. And not really to her own fault either. You see, her mother was raised in Hollywood during the late 40s, into the 50s. Her father a musician; her mother a model. It was taught very early on that appearance was directly related to status. She was put on many diets, told to look a certain way, wear certain clothes, and even had a career as a model for a short time. She was praised for her poise and value came from beauty.
As one mother passed it on to her daughter, so that daughter passed it on to her daughter. All of a sudden begins the cycle of finding value in one’s image. Well, if we’re being honest, who knows when that cycle really started. I wonder how many generations of women thought that value, beauty, and worth came from outward appearances.
Although I can say I was never directly shamed or belittled because of my appearance, there were just certain things said that made me believe these same lies. Whether it was being asked if I was going to wear makeup to go to the grocery store; being told I needed to get my eyebrows waxed because they were “out of control”; coming home from college to find out an appointment has been made for me to get my hair and nails done.
Cosmetic upkeep was more than a norm, it was an expectation. It taught me that I needed to do these things in order to make sure that I was beautiful. I needed to keep up with things to make sure that my appearance to the world was acceptable. I never really learned how to just value myself for who I was. And it shouldn’t be any surprise that in my early years, and even into my young adult life, I struggled with low self-confidence, no self-worth, and little self value. I didn’t really know who I was, but whoever I appeared to be, I had a hard time loving her. I chased acceptance from the world by doing the things that I had been taught were socially acceptable. And can I tell you, a lot of those things that are socially acceptable don’t actually bring you joy, fulfillment, love or any of the things that were missing from my heart.
When I started to go to church and started to open my heart to God, one of the things that I really struggled with was accepting God‘s love for me. I stopped wearing makeup, got rid of all my hair products, including the blow dryer, and did a deep cleanse of my closet. Then, as I looked at myself in the mirror, I would pray, “God help me to love myself the way that you love me.” I had to pray this everyday because the reality was, I did not love myself. I had to choose to believe that His Word is true, that He created me in His image, and that I was his masterpiece. I prayed every day because I knew I needed to start believing that for myself, otherwise, how would I even expect my children to believe that? I was going to break the generational brokenness for my family, and it started with change only possible through Jesus.
I challenge you, if you feel this same struggle with inadequacy, comparison, low self-worth, or little self-confidence, pray this verse over yourself, and believe it! God will renew your heart with His truth.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)