Many years back, I was excited to attend a certain event with my husband. It was sure to be a fun evening with only adults. No matter how much I loved my children, I desperately needed to be in the company of people who didn’t need assistance when they went to the bathroom.
I had just the right outfit picked out for the evening. I knew the color of my blouse would enhance my baby blues. My shoes were rockin’. My hair was looking awesome, quite frankly. My recent trip to the salon made that possible. My husband even commented on how great I looked. To know I caught his eye all these years later was a good feeling.
We made our way to the event and then I saw her. Her and her perfection. She was thinner than me, had better highlights than me and held the attention of others better than me. Her wardrobe put mine to shame. She. Was. Stunning. Her man was on her arm and he adored every move she made. And I allowed my evening to be tainted because I didn’t feel as pretty as her or as desired as her.
Comparison is the death of contentment.
I thought about that evening for several days. I prayed and asked God to help me with this whole insecurity thing I had going on. And within minutes of praying that prayer, God spoke directly to my spirit. He said, “Cindy, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. I know this because I made you. I love you. I delight in you.”
The truth of the matter is that in any given situation at any given time, I will always be skinnier than someone and I’ll always be fatter than someone…I will always have better hair than someone and will always look like a mop compared to someone…I will always have more friends than someone and always have less friends than another. You get the picture.
It is absolutely important to take care of ourselves both physically and spiritually. If we call ourselves Christ Followers, our bodies are the “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19). So, we should care for our bodies. But the way my body looks when I care for it and the way yours looks when you care for it, will be different. We won’t be content in our lives if we are always looking to the right and left. But, we must realize that God adores us…just the way we are. The truth is that we are the apple of His eye.
Rest in that truth today.