Me, I’m not much of a roar-er; barely even qualifying for a modest meow. The very suggestion of roaring implies that one must be willing to be confrontational – which I am not.
My pussycat personality is such a huge part of who I am, I was caught completely off guard recently when I responded to an offensive Facebook post with an uncharacteristic roar. A friend of mine had posted a link to a video lambasting the media for objectifying women in magazine ads and commercials. The video highlighted the practice of airbrushing models and celebrities to make them appear thinner, more smooth-skinned and much more cleavage-endowed than they truly are. The common practice of photo-shopping and air-brushing has caused an alarming increase in bulimia and anorexia in young girls and women of all ages who are desperately trying to measure up to these “perfect” images.
The video pointed out that women feel inferior because they can’t compete with these flawless looking women. It also suggested that men are part of the problem oftentimes struggling with commitment issues because their girlfriends and wives don’t measure up to the women in these ads.
My fury was ignited when a man posted a comment on my friend’s Facebook page after watching the video stating: “Not all women are born to be beautiful. That’s obvious.”
I rarely comment on Facebook posts but this man’s statement stirred a pot of emotions bubbling over with righteous indignation on this very sensitive subject. This is a topic that’s close to my heart. As a young girl being made fun of because of my weight or my looks, I carried around that ugly duckling image of myself for many years. Sadly, I’m not alone in this ugly-duckling-syndrome, as many women have been made to feel less-than-beautiful at one time or another.
It wasn’t until I really let myself fall in love with Jesus and allowed myself to accept His love and healing that I was able to see myself as He has always seen me. My Lord sees my heart and my beauty is reflected through His eyes. The more I love Jesus and the more I grasp how wide and deep His love is for me, the more beautiful I become. Jesus thinks I’m beautiful – and what’s more: He thinks YOU are beautiful as well.
For any woman who wrestles with a poor self-image and finds herself constantly struggling with her looks – STOP IT! God doesn’t want us to compare ourselves with anyone else; in fact, He likely is very saddened by our negative self-talk.
We can be transformed from ugly ducklings into beautiful swans if we will stop comparing ourselves to the images we see on television and in magazines. We must start believing God’s Word that says, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” (Psalm 139:14 NLT)
If anyone should ever dare to say to any of us that “Not all women are born to be beautiful,” we should point out that we are made in the Heavenly Father’s image and we were all born to be beautiful!
I am beautiful and you’re gonna hear me roarrrrrrrr!
Blessings in Christ,
Kathy Kurlin
Author
www.kathleenkurlin.com
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