Beautiful

Despite our best efforts we seem to fall into traps, agree? I was driving to Carbondale tonight and as I was scanning radio stations I came across a Christian song that came out when I was in high school. The song was Beautiful by Bethany Dillon. Now, I do not listen to tons of Christian music but this song is just so gripping that I cannot seem to turn away from it whenever I hear it. The reason I cannot pry myself away from the song is because it speaks to every single individual who has ever lived. Body image and the way we perceive ourselves is so prominent in our culture. In a moment of honesty you would admit that there has been a time where you have really struggled with the way you look and feel. Some of us are in the midst of that struggle this very minute.

Here are some very honest lyrics from Bethany Dillon:

I was so unique
Now I feel skin deep
I count on the make-up to cover it all
Crying myself to sleep cause I cannot keep their attention
I thought I could be strong
But it's killing me

Does someone hear my cry?
I'm dying for new life

[Chorus]
I want to be beautiful
Make you stand in awe
Look inside my heart,
and be amazed
I want to hear you say
Who I am is quite enough
Just want to be worthy of love
And beautiful

Sometimes I wish I was someone other than me
Fighting to make the mirror happy
Trying to find whatever is missing
Won't you help me back to glory

[Chorus]

You make me beautiful
You make me stand in awe
You step inside my heart, and I am amazed
I love to hear You say
Who I am is quite enough
You make me worthy of love and beautiful

For those who are currently struggling with this you should first know that you are not alone. So often we allow Satan to deceive us and believe we are the only ones who struggle with similar things. You are not alone. Hear me again, you are not alone! People all over the world are struggling with how they look, they range from the age of 5-65. Personally, I'm willing to admit that my biggest insecurity has to do with physical appearance. It saddens me to see girls all over the place with such low self-esteem and self-worth. It honestly eats away at me. Girls have so much pressure to look a certain way, dress a certain way, carry themselves in a certain way, etc. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. Doesn't it just get exhausting? I mean honestly, when you consume yourself with how you look and whether or not you can eat that certain food because you will gain five pounds, do you not eventually crumble and break down from all the stress? Of course.

Guys are definitely not exempt from this struggle. There is a lie that has tripped up young men and caused them to believe they have to be ripped with a 6 pack and muscles popping out of their shirt. The truth is, most of us do not look this way. Are we any less of a person or human being? Absolutely not. Both men and women feel like they are not worthy of being loved when in reality God is the one who determines our worth. We have been created in God's image and looked at as the best of all creation. He loves us with a love that is far beyond our comprehension and yet we still doubt that we are good enough. On our own we are not good enough, but through Christ we have been redeemed and are wonderful people made in the image of Christ and God loves us more than we'll ever realize. God loves us whether we have large muscles or below-averaged sized ones like me (don't laugh). God loves you whether you have blond or red hair or your fill in the blank struggle.

The hardest part of the song for me to swallow is the part where Bethany states she wishes she was someone other than herself. God does not want us to wish to be someone else. He has created us all unique with different gifts and abilities and looks. There is a reason there is no one else like you in this world. You are just as important as everyone else in this world. Find strength and comfort in knowing that God who created you just the way you are and loves you so much and you are far more beautiful than you can imagine.