beauty

One of my favorite books is a book written by Margaret Becker called “Coming up for Air”. Margaret Becker is an awesome Christian contemporary music artist, but, in my opinion, she is an even better writer.

One section of this book that spoke to me was when she observed several older women sitting out by a pool in their bathing suits. They were having a wonderful time. The thought ran through her head to go get her suit and join them but then she remembered that she was ten pounds overweight so she dismissed the idea.

In the middle of this thought she came to the realization that there was a voice inside her that said things like

“When I ____________, then I will_________.”

Or

“If I ________________, then____________ will happen.”


As she thought about this she began to ask herself some questions:

When did I start stuffing myself into a tiny definition of beauty?
Why can’t I wear that bathing suit?
What’s the matter with me?
Whose standard of beauty have I been embracing?
Whose standard of confidence am I assuming?
Whose life’s rules am I following as I decide whether or not to live passionately, free from conformity?

Is this something you struggle with? I know I do. Reading this on the page made it come to life for me. How many times have I missed out on doing something I wanted to do because of fear, inferiority, lack of confidence, etc.? Are these questions you have ever asked yourself or have you taken time to notice that you censor yourself in this way?

Consider spending some time with these questions and noticing if you are restricting the freedom that God wants you to have…if you have unconsciously decided not to live the passionate life He desires for you. Give some thought to this and tomorrow we will explore this further.

Grace and Peace,
Deb