My perception of beauty

When I was a kid, people always told me to lose weight and kept calling me fat until when I finally lost weight... I still thought I was fat. I was so bent on losing weight that I skipped meals and only ate once a day (breakfast, 'cause my grandma wouldn't let me leave the house without eating). I only got fat because of the steroids that were in my medicine for asthma. People think you're "healthy" just because you've got meat in your bones, but that's not it at all. I was a very sickly kid. I missed a lot of days in school, because if I'm not having an asthma attack, I would have allergies or I would have a high fever. I was always visiting my doctor and popping different kinds of pills for different kinds of illnesses.

The thing that bothered me the most was how that one word changed my perception of beauty. I had low self-esteem and whenever I looked at myself in the mirror, I would say "still fat". I was so body conscious that I didn't give myself enough credit for being intelligent, kind and talented. I thought I was fat even when I was skinny.

I didn't realise my body was built with curves in the right places until God made me see my worth. I used to think that being "fat" is related to being "ugly." That was my mistake. I let that one word control a part of my life... maybe even most of my life.

So please, ladies and gentlemen, be aware of how your words could affect another person. I was weak for listening to people who criticised my body. I was weak for letting their words affect my perception of beauty. I was weak for making myself believe that I wasn't pretty. Though, in that weakness, I found strength in the Lord. Because as I matured and got closer to God, He opened my eyes to His perception of me. I didn't know what this verse - "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:13-14 - meant until He showed me that I am a young woman who has a beautiful heart - the kind of heart that would love people the way Jesus told her to, He saw a young woman who has the passion to encourage and lift other people up, and He saw a young woman meant for greater things than she could ever imagine.

This isn't a narcissistic post meant to annoy narrow-minded people, but this is a post meant to tell you that no matter what your body size is - as long as you're healthy and happy - YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL! Human beings were never meant to be perfect. Your flaws and imperfections are what makes you YOU! Don't worry about what other people think and say about you, because if you spend your time worrying about their unsolicited opinions you won't be able to do what you were meant to for Jesus.

Look at yourself in the mirror. I mean really look and see all the beautiful pieces that makes you wonderful and tell yourself, "you are worth it," because Jesus wouldn't have died for you if you weren't, honey. You are beautiful, because God created you in His own image (Genesis 1:27). You have what it takes to be loved, because God loved you - and still does - even when you didn't love yourself... (Romans 5:6-8)

#BodyPositive #ChristianLife