This past weekend we were in Denver City Friday-Sunday and this time the AIMers were in charge of organizing what would be going on. Usually our assistants tell us who we'll visit, what events are going on, who's house we'll have lunch at on Sunday, or whatever else is going on. We knew we had a lock-in on Friday night and the 8 of us were in charge of it. We had an ACDC meeting to plan it out and it went pretty well. I was really excited about this, especially for the split devo we decided to have. We would have a devo with everyone at the beginning of the night, led by Jacob, and later on split the guys and girls up for a more gender-focused devo. Chris and Van did the boys' devo and Ashton and I did the girls' devo. We were planning on doing these later on in the evening, but most of our plans got shifted around ("be flexible" as they say) and so we ended up doing these right after the main devo. Ashton and I didn't exactly have our materials ready but we quickly got our stuff prepared while Shae led songs.
The devo I led was on beauty. In our culture, girls are constantly pressured to look a certain way. They're shown images of models who are all skinny, with perfect skin, perfect hair, the nicest clothes, the latest trends and accessories. This is what makes a woman "beautiful". I showed the girls pics of these beauties from magazines and they picked out ones they'd want to look like. They were able to point out the qualities of these girls they wished they had...these qualities that just don't reflect reality. I read from part of a book called Wanting to be Her, which emphasized the image of beauty that we're faced with so often but is really a lie that our culture gets girls to believe, and damages their own self-image. We all admitted that there are times when we look in the mirror and just don't like what we see. My nose is too big, my complexion is gross, I lips are too thin, my hair is dull and flat...or frizzy. I'm too big, I'm too small, I'm not beautiful. These are the lies that we are told, and that we tell ourselves.
Then I went to scripture and told them what Real beauty is. I took about 4 different verses that show what beauty according to the word of God is. Girls really need to be reminded how beautiful they were made, and made to be with their lives. We were made in the image of God, each fearfully and wonderfully made. Beautiful are the feet of those who bring GOOD news, and not those who outwardly "do themselves up", but who radiate beauty from the inside out. Some of the girls told me they really liked the lesson and that made me happy because I felt like I was able to bring them some sort of light.
I know what its like to look at yourself and think, meh, I'm not pretty enough. I can't compare with that girl, she's so beautiful. The thing is, I'm not supposed to compare. Everyone is different, yet made to be beautiful. And if I continue in the way of the Lord, I'll have a beauty that can't be bought in a bottle or off a rack. It's the type of beauty I want others to notice because it reflects and points to the one who loves me all the time, whether I'm having a bad hair day, wearing no make up, totally don't match clothing...the One who made me to be exactly who I am.
I really hope the girls remember this in times to come because I know they'll face this issue time and time again. It's something I'll work to remind myself too.
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