We live in an age where appearances make or break. We live on a planet where different cultures dictates what "beauty" is. We live in the age of social media, where appearance is everything. Where the trends change year by year with fashion as sizes get smaller and waistlines thinner (is that the right way of saying it?). Fashion turns up on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter as clothing companies post photographs of super skinny models wearing the latest trends. This causes young people to attempt to be skinny, too, causing a whole host of problems. But I'm not going to look at that in this post. I don't want to start drawing assumptions.
In some countries, being skinny is the most important thing under the sun. On the other hand, I grew up in a country where being called "fat" was the biggest complement you could be given. Okay, that's not the best thing to tell a extremely self-conscious teenager who struggled with her weight for years and hated the word 'fat'; that was me. I've struggled for years with my appearance and my weight as I so desperately wanted to fit into the world around me. I wanted to be accepted by my piers, most (but not all) were were appearance obsessed, yet there are somethings that are impossible to change, like skin, hair and eye colour. Now, I'm ever so grateful with my skin, hair and eye colour. I don't mind being called blonde. I've learned that beauty comes from within. I've met some really beautiful people; people who just radiate beauty from within. Their outer appearance doesn't matter because their inner beauty makes them beautiful on the outside as well. I learned so much from them.
I remember wanted to be skinny to make people like me more. I thought that if I lost weight, and dropped a few sizes, I'd be happy. I'd exercise and I'd loose weight (usually I'd loose a lot of weight). I was happy because I was thinner, but the part of the people liking me didn't always change; I've never had many friends but I'll get to that later. So I'd slip and the weight would go back on. Then the process would start all over again. To be honest, I think I've gone through this process a could of times (at least three) since I was fifteen. Its not nice. Especially when I end up owning a wardrobe that spans a number of sizes. I'm being super honest here, because the only way to make the following statement is by using an example of how things shouldn't be. Happiness and beauty are NOT linked to how you look! YOU are BEAUTIFUL!!! Happiness is a decision that you choose to make. Beauty is believing that you are beautiful, with or without a lay or five of makeup. Yes, its extremely difficult not to look to others for approval, but at the end of the day, the only one to judge you is God. And he loves you no matter what the scales say or what jean size you are.
Today marks the beginning of a new season for me. A season of fitness. I've started running again. Not to get skinny or to make anyone else happy. I'm doing it for me. It's also why I'm writing this post. I'm happy with me, I know I'm beautiful whatever the scales say, because my Heavenly Father says I'm beautiful and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that He loves me. I know He loves you too!