Today’s post is of a more serious nature. It’s about something that hits very close to home. I’ve been thinking a lot about self-image and self-esteem lately, especially for ladies, and especially with regards to body image. If you know my story, you know exactly why this is so near to me.
This past weekend, I heard some amazing speakers at LTD Summit 2012, and many were amazing women of strength and love and beauty. Not just the outer beauty that is so often focused on, but an inner peace and beauty that comes from a full and purposeful life.
When I returned, I read a news article in the Tennessean that opened with a statement that shocked me. “Today, 5-year-old girls are being treated for eating disorders.” It was a beautiful article about how Mercy Ministries in Nashville (one of my favourite charities) is helping young women who have been through all sorts of struggles and trauma. But I couldn’t help being shocked at that statement – at an age where young children should be playing with friends and innocent and carefree, young girls are already hurting themselves to be pretty enough, whatever that means.
There are forces trying to break us down, and we can hear their voices. The voices saying “you’re not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough… not perfect enough.” But these voices are not coming from God, and we need to face them head on, fight them, and shut them up. Women and young girls especially need to hear that they are enough, and that their worth is far greater than what a dress size or a number on a scale can ever say or measure. I strongly believe that sharing with these ladies God’s view of them is the best way to accomplish this. Of course, being healthy and fit is always good, but God loves us all as his children just as we are. And just as we are, we are exactly what we need to be in order to fulfill our calling. No mirror, no magazine, no other voice should trump that.
Above I’ve included a picture of me with the amazing Jennifer Beckham (photo credit to my awesome friend Tori), who is changing lives with Jennifer Beckham Ministries, and has been an inspiration to me and so many. I know this message is not really light and “lifestyle blog” material, but it’s been on my heart for a while, and I had to share it, hoping that maybe someone can relate. You are beautiful, and you are more than enough. You are more than enough.
Dash of Pink 