You Are Beautiful #1: Surround Yourself with the Truth

That's something that we as women don't hear enough.  Or, if we do hear it, we don't believe it.

I have struggled with this problem a moderate amout throughout my life.  Probably about the same as any average woman does.  I have asked the question, "Am I beautiful?"  And the followup that always goes with it, "What can I do to become beautiful?"  Beauty is a hot spot for women.  Why?  Because we were created to be beautiful.  I have recently started reading the book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldgredge.  Oh - my - word... this book is amazing!  I bawled my way through the first chapter, as I realized what a beautiful woman I was (and we all are) created to be.  The authors discuss how we are all made in the image of God (which, if I may say, I always thought was an elementary concept for those of us who were raised in the church - - until I read this book and began to understand the depth of that statement).  God created women because the man didn't completely encompass who God is.  The man shows God's strength and power.  The woman, though, reflects God's relation.  We, as women, are relational beings.  We long for love and for someone to pursue us.  We long to be beautiful.  And that's exactly what we are!  God created us to reflect His beauty.  Whether you are tall, short, skinny, fat, bony, bulky - - God created your body, your face, your voice - - to reflect His beauty.

Here's the problem with beauty: we are told by the world that beauty means something entirely different than it does.  Beauty is actually an aspect of God - - a reflection of God.  Women are a reflection of God's beauty.  Somewhere down the road, the media took over and completely changed the way we view beauty.  Guess what?  They're wrong!  So, here are some ways to feel beautiful.  This is a series of posts about beauty, and how to remember that you are a beautiful woman of God.

Before I start in on tip #1, though, I would like to very, very strongly recomment that you read the book Captivating.  Let me tell you, it will change your life.

Okay, so here it is:

You are Beautiful #1: Surround yourself with the Truth.

This is the number one way to feel beautiful.  The fact of the matter is that you are beautiful as a woman.  It's what God created you to be.  When we surround ourselves with things like the unholy television (shows like Desperate Housewives, Greek, Glee), movies (romantic comedies especially tend to make us feel unloved and unbeautiful), books (romance novels), magazines (the ones like Cosmo, Glamour, InStyle, even Women's Health sometimes), and websites (pornography and even some blogs or YouTube videos) - - we begin to buy in to the idea that the world's ideal woman is the actual ideal woman.  But how do we stop watching television, or reading magazines?  Should we start to live like the Amish and cut ourselves off from our own society?  Certainly not.  Here are some wholesome replacements for those agents of low self-esteem listed above:

Television
...that are almost always good:
The Andy Griffith Show (on Netflix)
The Dick Van Dyke Show (on Netflix)
Best Food Ever (on Netflix)
Mythbusters (on Netflix)
Take Home Chef (on Netflix)
Cake Boss (on Netflix)
America's Funniest Videos (ABC)
Drop Dead Diva (on Netflix and ABC currently)
Extreme Makeover Home Edition (ABC)
Once Upon a Time (on Netflix and ABC currently)
Good Morning America (ABC)
The Amazing Race (CBS)
Undercover Boss (CBS)
American Idol
X Factor
Charles in Charge (NBC)
I Love Lucy
Get Smart
The Colony (on Netflix)
...that you should ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM if you have self-esteem issues:
The Bachelor
The Bachlorette
Don't Trust the b- in Apartment 23
Revenge
2 Broke Girls
Days of Our Lives
Big Brother
Jersey Shore

Movies (Note that these movies are not being suggested because they are perfect.  They simply feature women who are confident in who they are not because of how they look, but because they are women created to be beautiful.)

Use this site to help you decide which new movies (newly released and in theaters) are appropriate.  To keep your self-esteem in check, keep an eye on the sexual content portion of the reviews.

Forever Young
White Christmas (on Netflix)
Last Holiday (on Netflix)
The Wedding Planner (on Netflix)
Sleepless in Seattle (on Netflix)
IQ (on Netflix)
My Fair Lady
Paulie (on Netflix)

Books

Use this site to find Christian books that are relevant to you in your journey with Christ!

...to show you that you're beautiful:
Captivating by John and Stasi Eldridge**** This book is life-changing!
Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad: A Style Guide for Every Woman by Shari Braendel
Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild by Mary A. Kassain (I haven't read it yet)
Lies Young Women Believe: And the Truth that sets them Free by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh (I haven't read it yet)
Every Woman's Battle by Shannon Ethridge
Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs by Emmerson Eggriches
Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard
...to replace those romantic novels:
Almost anything by Jodi Piccoult
Anything by Francine Rivers - - but here are some specifics:
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
A Lineage of Grace: Five Stories of Unlikely Women who Changed Eternity by Francine Rivers (I haven't read it yet)
The Lineage of Grace Series by Francine Rivers (Recommended to me by a friend - I haven't read them yet)
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix (and the sequel Palace of Mirrors)
Emma by Jane Austen
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (I haven't read, but have watched the movies)
...to read for fun, without risk of upsetting your identity in Christ
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
The Giver by Lois Lowry (I haven't read it yet)
Anything by Mark Twain
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (I haven't read it yet, but it was recommended to me by a friend)
Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado (and anything else by Max Lucado)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Magazines [this section written with some help from About.com Christianity]
The Knot (for engaged couples) - Not a Christian mag to my knowledge
The Nest (for married couples) - Not a Christian mag to my knowledge
Today's Christian Woman
Just Between Us
Christianity Today
Relevant Magazine (for 20-something's)
Charisma
CMM (Christian music magazine)

Websites
Christian Websites [a compilation of Christian websites]
Crosswalk
The Peaceful Mom
The Dating Divas [ideas for date night!]
The Money Saving Mom [money saving ideas and some Christian inspiration]
Rags and Riches [my blog... of course!]

Go be your beautiful self!  And come back for more tips soon.

 

Like what you read?  Leave me a comment!

See my next post about this topic - - soon to come!
You Are Beautiful: #2 Post verses about your beauty around your house