PROVERBS 31:30
I remember searching desperately for beauty when I was just a young girl. Those were probably the worst years of my life. I was the chubby, long-haired, freckled, buck-toothed little girl that no one wanted to befriend. I cried and prayed myself to sleep every night. I wanted so much for people to look past my outward appearance. I was forever on a diet, sometimes even skipping meals. All I wanted was to fit in and belong. Although I knew Jesus at the time, I did not realize what beauty means to Him. I finally discovered the truth in Proverbs 31:30. After reading this verse, I saw that physical beauty truly does not matter in God’s eyes. I know that is an easier concept to say than to believe, but it is so true. I finally made peace with myself and my body as I realized that what makes someone beautiful is God shining through them. I look at people so differently now. I do not say that a girl is beautiful unless I see her inward beauty. Now, I can honestly say that I am beautiful, because God has opened my eyes to what that means. I hope and pray that every girl learns to see herself through God’s mirror, because it is impossible to love others if we cannot love the way God made us.
Jessica Gordon, 16, New Covenant Christian School, Pageland, SC
I don’t want insecurities to keep me from
loving others. I want to really like myself, so that
I can be free to love others and let them love me back.