But God showed me that what He cares about is my heart’s beauty. I was getting to the point of having that beauty in the outside, but I was so obsessed with it that in the inside I felt empty and ugly.

Instead of comparing yourself to worldly things, compare yourself to JESUS. That’s the only beauty that matters. If you’ve found that inner confidence in God, that beauty will overflow to the outside. If you haven’t found that yet, seek it with all your being, it’s worth it.

“As a face is reflected in water, so a person is reflected by his heart. ” - Proverbs 27:19

Thanks for your comments; and you are right when you say that our focus should be God’s focus. I think that’s what the writer’s point is: it’s not wearing makeup that’s wrong—but feeling the need to wear makeup to help with certain insecurities is more the issue. We need to ask ourselves why we are feeling insecure about our features, and see if there’s something in our thinking that needs to be renewed on the inside, instead of being covered over on the outside.

I know the perfect example of someone who had a serious makeup dependency: me! For years, I actually carried my makeup around in a box like a tool kit, and I took great pride in the way I could use makeup to get the most out of my face. I thought I was something else, but in reality I was making myself into someone else—someone who thought she would be more accepted, more liked, and more desirable just because she could make herself “prettier” with makeup. I believe I did a lot more damage to my spirit in the way I used makeup than if I had been brave and confident enough to depend on it far less, if at all.

I know that’s just my story, and not everyone has those kinds of insecurities. Still, it’s important for us to know what God says about how we should carry ourselves, and what kind of image we should portray to the world. Here are a few scriptures that help us see His perspective:

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” (I Peter 3:3-4, NIV)

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (I Cor. 6:19-20, NKJV)

This one’s great:

“And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it.” (I Tim. 2:9-10, The Message)

“So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to Him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to Him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to Him and what is perfect.” (Rom. 12:1-2, NCV)

Again, makeup itself is not bad (I Cor. 6:12, 10:23). It’s how and why we use it that needs to be submitted to God, as we ask Him to reveal our hearts, change our thinking, and make us more like Him. I still wear makeup (especially when my dark circles are starting to look like carry-on bags, and my eyebrows are almost invisible), but I need to be sure that I am properly decorating my temple, not making myself an idol. I pray that God will keep all our hearts pure before Him, so that we can accurately reflect on our faces the intents and purposes of His heart.

Much love,

Beloved by Him

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God–you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.” (the Message)

God planned you exactly the way He wanted you to look, and was there every moment as you were being formed. He made you in His image, and created you to give Him glory (Ps. 108:1, Gen. 1:26).

So the question is, why are you so critical of yourself? Are you comparing yourself to some false ideal that the world has asserted as “beauty”? Is there something about you that is beyond your control that you wish you could change (a scar, skin blemishes, etc)? Or are you feeling bad about something on the inside that has caused you to incorrectly see how you look outside? Whatever it is, you need to start accepting the truth about how precious you are to God, beginning with how much He, the God of the universe, loves you:

“The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying , ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.’” (Jer. 31:3)

God has always loved you, will continue to love you, and wants to spend eternity with you. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are permanently rooted in His love, which it so great and powerful it can’t fully be comprehended by the human mind (Eph. 3:17-20). And the Holy Spirit is pouring out His love in your heart and giving you hope every day (Rom. 5:5). You are really, truly loved, girl!

If you are comparing yourself to others, stop!! That’s a lie that the enemy uses to destroy the lives of countless girls and women, as they try to measure up to the world’s standards of beauty (I John 2:16). This world is Satan’s playground, and he is the father of lies (John 8:44). He wants to keep us jumping through hoops—starving ourselves, changing our looks, dressing immodestly—so that we can feel “accepted.” This is a bunch of garbage. God wants His girls healthy, well-cared for, living lives of peace, rest, and joy (3 John 2, Ps. 103:5, Ps. 23).

One of the most important scriptures we can apply to our lives is Romans 12:1-2. It teaches us to not act or think like the unsaved world, but to change our thinking by applying God’s word (His thoughts and will) to our daily lives. It says,

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
This scripture changed my life forever. Through it, God taught me to stop thinking and acting like the world, and to start thinking and meditating on His word and His thoughts about me, and how I should view myself. It’s important to see in these verses that surrendering our thoughts, our bodies, and our actions is our “reasonable service” to God. It’s true—in light of all that He has done and continues to do for us, how much He loves and cares for us—should we really have an issue with doing things His way, which is the best way (Ps. 18:30)?

If you’re down on yourself about something that’s out of your control, then please remember that God truly does use all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). God can use an affliction in our lives not only to teach us about Himself and His love, acceptance, and provision, but also so that we can comfort others with the comfort we receive from Him (II Cor. 1:4-5). If there’s something about you that you truly can do nothing about right now, then maybe you can pray for His grace to accept it, and for Him to change your mind about it, because by it He is working in you something more special and glorious than if He were to just change you on the outside (II Cor. 4:17). He could be teaching you patience, faith, and perseverance, which are more valuable than gold (I Peter 1:7, James 1:7).

And if this is about something inside of you that is weighing on your heart, making you feel like less than you are in God’s sight, I would encourage you to take it to Him, to the cross of Christ, and ask Him to remove this burden. If there’s sin in your life, confess it to Him and He will forgive you and make you clean of any unrighteousness (I John 1:9). If you feel shame because of something you’ve done or someone else has done to you, know that there is no fear or shame in God’s love, and that He does not afflict Christians with shame—He redeems and restores what the enemy takes from us (I John 4:19, Rom. 8:28, Is. 54:4, 61:7).

Let God heal those places in your heart that have been damaged by any wrong thinking in your life. Any thoughts that say you should see ugly in anything about you are completely, totally wrong. You are precious and honored in God’s sight (Is. 43:4). Get into the word and ask Him to show you how much He loves you. I know He will!!

Love,
Beloved by HIm

Here’s Mandisa with True Beauty

We need to always realize that God as Creator is the only one who has the true definition of anything including beauty. The world cares more about living in the moment and looking their best. The emotions of those around them and how they could be feeling is last on their mind.(Jn 17:17,Pv 31:10-31)

We agree with you that beauty doesn’t have to come in a size 0 to 4. The real goal of our physical body should be to be healthy so we can be productive specially for the LORD to use us. Don’t cave in to thinking that you are alone in this battle. Many other girls go through the same thing.

I am certainly on your side. I feel a bit sad that your dad may be acting a bit carelessly with comments about your diet. Please draw near to God who is your only perfect heavenly Father (Heb 13:5-6). He will know how to comfort you in times of need. He will know how to help you gain self control in every area of your life so you can determine what a healthy diet would be for you to keep. I am sure you are gorgeous in God’s eyes and ultimately HE is the only one who really matters.

With regards to sharing your faith…I must say this is hardly ever an easy thing to do (Mt 5:11-12). However, we must do it out of obedience to our God(Mt 28:19. Alot of people won’t welcome what we might have to say about Jesus, but I can guarantee you that if you let the Holy Spirit lead your conversation you will sense when He is opening a door (Rom 8:14-15). Our responsibility is to live the Gospel out loud and when HE guides us to say a word, we need to go for it in His power.

in HIM,

Gabie