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How to be satisfied without being the prettiest or skinniest girl in the room

Ladies, there can never be a more beautiful you BUT there are always going to be a lot of girls more beautiful than you.

Before you punch me through the computer please understand that I’m not trying to be insensitive. I’m a dad to a 13 year old and it terrifies me that some day some guy, girl, or commercial is gonna make her hate what she sees in the mirror.

What’s just as aggravating is the solution that mainstream Christianity offers to the problem of self image...

“There can never be a more beautiful you... You are perfect just the way you are”

First of all, does anyone out there really believe that? Seriously, I’m not a girl so I don’t know how things work in the female universe but does anyone really believe that they are perfect just the way they are? And even if you do, how’s it working for you? Did thinking ‘that’ about yourself transform your self-esteem?

My guess is, and I admit, it’s only guess, it made you feel better about yourself for about 4 minutes and 32 seconds until the song ended. Or you stepped on a scale.

I’m not denying the encouraging power of the ‘you’re better than you think you are’ message. I just think there’s one big reason why it can’t ultimately save us from insecurity or self hatred...

We were not made to make much of ourselves or to find significance in how valuable we are.

Yes we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

But when David penned that, his goal wasn’t for you to see how valuable you are, his goal was for you to see how valuable God is and to make much of him. Big difference.

I praise YOU for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. YOUR works are wonderful. [Psalm 139:14]

Psalm 139 is NOT a tribute to your greatness. Its the response of a heart who just saw a God so incredibly great, its unfathomable to think we have no value because he made us.

Louie Giglio calls it significant insignificance. We are really insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but we have significance as creations of a great creator. Its how it’s supposed to work. Our eyes are on a great God and what we see moves us to live lives of value.

But apparently that doesn’t sell so we flipped the message. Rather than amp up God, we tell people to amp themselves up.

Come on, can’t you see how great you are?
You’re so pretty. You’re so great. Come on. Believe it. Say it over and over again until it sticks.
Look in the mirror and don’t look away until you see your worth.

And the whole time God is saying, no, look at me. LOOK AT ME. See how great I am. You were made by ME. And when you really get that, it won’t matter that you aren’t the prettiest or sexiest person in the room because you were made by the God who spoke the entire cosmos into existence.

My goal as a dad is not to send Bebe into the world pumped up with self esteem steroids. My goal is for her to be so blown away by how much God weighs [his greatness] that no guy or commercial can drown out her desire to play a part in his story.

Thoughts?