"I wish I could be like her. I'll never be as pretty as that girl. I'll never find the right person. I wish I had the kind of life that lady has. Why can't I ever have what someone else does? I'll never be good enough. I just want to be happy."
It's hard to imagine how many women face the giant of these intrusive thoughts on a daily basis.
The inability to be confident is a growing epidemic.
The mind and the thoughts put into it are at the heart of someone who becomes uncomfortable with themselves. The seeds planted are small, yet reap so much destruction--someone in a half joking way makes a comment on your weight or body shape, comparisons between you and another person seep into conversations; critical words become an every day part of life and those seeds go on to grow a heart of discontent.
A lot of women develop unhealthy coping patterns; body image and confidence are two of the most affected areas of our lives as a result. Most fight unspoken battles; their wounds are locked away completely.
What if I were to tell you that life doesn't have to be this way?
It can get better.
Placing our complete faith in the Lord and trusting Him to fight our battle lies at the heart of where true healing begins. I want to spend some time today with you to be an encouragement to the soul, to show the way that God truly sees us, how He desires us to see ourselves, and to hopefully plant the seed of confidence.
The battle of body image leaves us constantly searching for what we perceive to be perfection. The supermodels in magazines and the crazy celebrity diets inspire us to focus on our flaws. We come to forget that the Lord sees us as fearfully and wonderfully made; beautiful as we are. The world and its lure of smoke and mirrors distorts our view and turns our focus from the Word of God and what He says about us.
"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." (Psalm 139: 14)
The devil desires our confidence to be lost; the smoke and mirrors depicted encourage us to examine the world and trust in the approval of those around us as a source of a healthy well being. You may not be as popular as some. You may not have the same circle of friends as another person. You may not have the same opportunities as someone else. And that's okay. The Lord wants us to see Him as a source of refuge and support.
"I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou are my refuge and my portion in the land of the living." ( Psalm 142: 5)
The heart of the fight starts small--and all it takes to have victory is the smallest faith of a mustard seed. I encourage you to choose a prayer space, write down how you feel and what you think of yourself; pour your heart out to the Lord every chance you get. Once you begin to uproot those devious seeds, the seed of confidence will grow, and the victory will follow.
" And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove: and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (Matthew 17:20)
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