Saturday, July 3, 2010

Another Look at Self Acceptance

Several weeks ago, I went to Golden Corral with some of my extended family. As I was going through the buffet line, picking out the food I wanted to eat, a very pretty young lady - probably about 20 give or take a couple of years walked up next to me. She was eyeing the macaroni. While we stood there she said-"I better not get any - I am already fat." I thought to myself - Oh my goodness - you are so far from being fat. I hesitated for a minute and then I said to her - "You are not fat at all. You are a pretty young lady."


Here she was young, blond, tanned, and may have weighed 100 - maybe 120. It just broke my heart. First for her, she was so pretty and it was so sad that she did not think much of herself. But what I really think bothered me is that as a child - I was not fat at all and for some reason I thought I was - and even up into my teens. It is so sad that some how we are given unrealistic ideas of what we should be like. We're not pretty enough, skinny enough, tanned enough, whatever it is - we just don't seem to measure up.

God created each of us to be special and unique. We should not be comparing ourselves with other people - we are ALL unique. And I think the sooner that we accept ourselves just as we are - the happier we will be.


We put so much emphasis on what we look like and I think that many times we over look the most important part of ourselves - the inner person.



Instead of asking ourselves if we are skinny enough or pretty enough - or what ever -I think the real question needs to be - Do I reflect the character of God? Which of these questions have the most eternal value?


*The above photo is a photo of me(striped shirt) probably the same year that I learned that my parents were going to get a divorce. And I don't look fat to me - why couldn't I have just accepted myself and seen my value - that God created me just like I was and loved and accepted me just the way I was. I did not know that then - but I have the choice to make now - do I believe God's Word - or not. I choose to believe.

1 comment:

  1. This is SO true! You were not overweight in the least--yet you felt that you were. I had the same experience, but when I look at pictures, like you found, I do not look overweight. All these images come into our brains, but they are false. I love how you are retraining yourself to look at you and others--like the girl in the resturant--through God's eyes instead of through Hollywoods!

    ReplyDelete

Hello~ I love getting your comments. I have made a few changes to make things a little easier for you and hoping a more enjoyable experience for both you and I. Have a blessed day! :o)

20: Joseph Vision