I don’t know how many gals you have in your house. But I have four: my wife and three daughters! Can you just hear the fussing over the blow dryer, hair straightened, make up, that’s my shirt, get my shoes off, etc.? It was the same when I grew up with my mom and three sisters. And my mom always owned a beauty shop.
From a young man’s view and now as full-grown man, husband, and father, I have an inside view of how much time and energy goes into a woman getting ready to present herself to the world. So much is driven by the superficial. What a trap! The devil is the god of this world and since he hates the fact that all mankind are created in the image of God. That fact alone should bring us great value and satisfaction. Satan doesn’t want people to live in that truth, he wants people to live in constant fear and unbelief and with the lie that they are never good enough. Oh what freedom for those who know and believe all that they truly are in Christ!
I do thank the Lord for my wife, who was a former Miss Fitness USA and fitness model. She has appeared on numerous magazine covers and TV shows before she was a Christian. Eileen really experienced what the world had to offer in the way of fame, status and hanging out with celebrities. She has talked about the superficial people that didn’t care about others only themselves. The truth is that most of these people were so insecure that they would do anything to make themselves feel better. The amazing thing is that she never bought into the lie that beautiful people (so they appear) are more valuable. Why? She was raised with a solid sense of who she was as a person and was taught to respect all people, regardless of looks–great wisdom she is now passing on to our children. In Christianity there are not supposed to be “super stars” but rather “super servants.”
God sees all of His creation as valuable and precious. He is not a respecter of anyone because of looks, financial status, or power. His desire is for all to come to know the true beauty and power within. And that happens when a soul says yes to Jesus and invites Him into his heart and life!
The video below is from Dove’s campaign. I don’t normally advertise for a secular company on my blog, but I really feel this the message of this video is important to share.
Let me know your thoughts. Please feel free to share any stories of any women in your life, who is struggling with this perception of beauty. I would be honored to pray for them.
Victor,
As a woman (now 40) who has struggled with my perception of beauty, particularly my own, since I was a young girl, I found this particularly moving and so true. Even though I now perceive myself as having gone from ugly duckling to beautiful woman due to God’s grace and healing in my life which transformed the inside, thereby transforming the outside, I was still moved and a little teary-eyed while watching this spot. And as a former victim of childhood sexual abuse who came from a drug-addicted, alcoholic home, I can testify that this struggle against our culture’s view of beauty is only compounded by loveless, abusive environments that so many of the kids you minister to come from. Thank you for posting this on your blog. It is very powerful.
How can we live up to that? Even if we had a cast of makeup and hair artists, it was the computer that made her look so good! No wonder our girls are going crazy trying to live up to a standard they can NEVER reach. And all the while, their self-value and self-worth plummets to the mud. It makes me angry, but I don’t know what to do about it except raise my girls with the true value that only comes from knowing God and love all the other women God puts in my life with all my heart for who they are on the inside. What a lie of Satan this is!
Thanks for the post, Victor
Victor,
Thank for your insight and for this video spot. I am a 53yr old woman who also experienced childhood sexual abuse and grew up with an unhealthy perspective of my body and it’s relevance to my value as a person. Until I was born again at age 40 I was embattled and embittered by the lies of Satan regarding my worth.
True worth comes in the knowledge of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
God continue to bless you and Eileen as you follow Jesus into the hearts of these young ones.
Dear Victor,
I was so excited to hear your thoughts on the pressures that young and old women have to be thrown at every day. It is something that I believe the Lord has put on my heart to share with young women. Psalm 139:14″ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” I believe unfortunately, that the church is slowly buying into the lies of the world, and into what they are telling us is “beautiful.” Many of the girls I grew up in the church with are selling out to the lie, and are getting plastic surgery. It breaks my heart, and I know it breaks the heart of the Father who created them! Thank you for speaking in truth, and for addressing this as a problem. God bless you, and your ministry!!
Dear Victor and Eileen,
Amen and Amen! As a thirty nine year old mother of two precious daughters and a lifetime growing up with the pressures of this world’s lies. (Living in So Cal in the South Bay) I was one of those many who bought into the lie of this world and the author of lies…Satan. Before Christ, my only goal in life was to look good in a two piece bathing suit. My worth and where I received my identity was in my self, my looks, you name it….I was never satisfied of course…falling into the trap of the fear of man which proved to be a snare, just as our Lord says, but those who put their trust in Him will be kept safe. Oh how I still cling to this promise! And oh how ridiculous those lies seem now in light of His glory and grace…but oh how true it can play out in our lives unbeknownst and without any provocation other than our own sinful flesh…the things I allowed into my mind and heart through television, magazines, books I read and the like. My dear daughters don’t know that yet about their Mama, but they will as they grow old enough, and hear all of my testimony of our sweet Savior who redeemed this lost soul. In the meantime I am passionate about their purity and them being grounded in His Word and His truth about what our Lord looks at “their heart”, not at what man looks at….their “outward appearance”! That is a message we have instilled in them from the first time they saw someone beautiful and made a comment, or any comments of that nature. Each comment or conversation, has led into a gentle and natural family discussions as to how charm is deceptive and beauty is fading, but a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised! Oh how I long to be that woman for their sake…and oh how we pray that our daughters will be beacons of salt and light shining brightly forth their purity to a hurting world full of young ladies, wherever the good Lord sees fit to take them on their journey away from home . By God’s grace alone we have their hearts at this time, and they both have professed their faith in our Jesus and are growing daily in their walks. They are so beautiful on the outside and the inside, and my hubby and I are always blown away at their spiritual maturity in contrast to ourselves at that age. So humbling, yet so incredible that we get to partake and watch these beautiful gems become more and more precious each day. It is definitely a refining process, but a good one, albeit painful at times! We love the book “The Princess and the Kiss” and the sweet story it lays of the biblical foundation for purity and the inspiration it gives to young ladies to save themselves alone for their husband, or their Lord if they do not marry. Thus far they are both desiring to save their kiss for their wedding day, they are 8 and 12. Although, the 8 year old does want to marry Daddy, or not get married and live with us! (Too sweet).
May our Lord bless you and keep your family in the shelter of His wings this day! You can of course pray for our precious daughters that they would remain pure and untainted, fearing the Lord all the days of their lives. Loving God and loving others starting right in our own family with honoring Daddy and Mommy and loving each other. That Dad and Mom would prepare and equip them, growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ until he returns and that they are ready to serve Him wholeheartedly for all that He has in store for them as young maidens of God’s grace!
Thank you for being obedient to His calling on your life. We have been praying for you and yours and all that the Lord is doing through you with ATP ministry.
Lovingly your sister in Christ,
Denise
the scriptures that come to mind on this subject are:
Isaiah 40:8-The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
2 Corinthians 5:17-Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
And lots more scriptures this subject brings to mind.
How we view ourselves is in direct relation to what we put our trust in. Is our foundation in the word? Do read indulge in the word?
As a teenager I wanted nothing more than to be a bodybuilder. I would travel to Venice Beach at 17 ,and just be immersed in the bodybuilding”mecca’ Venice beach.
When you walk in the flesh,its amazing how pragmatic we are at achieving results in the flesh. We.I would do anything/almost to get to what I wanted to become,a bodybuilder. As Solomon would say in his wisdom,’its all vanity”
At 18 I saw my ticket to be a bodybuilder,by joining the military. And soon enough iwas in Gold’s gym stacked with steroids and whatever I could get to be huge.
I was not walking with Jesus,and certainly not living in the spirit….
Our physical looks mean nothing to God,and that all that matters….Jesus Christ himself our loving savior,and our everything.as Isaiah 53 verse 2 states..2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
to bring this to a close….if you have given your heart to Jesus Christ. You are a new creation.sure healing needs to take place. And thats starts in the Word of God, and a love for Jesus Christ. As our first love.We love God,because He first loved us.
Outside a relationship with Jesus Christ there is no understanding of beauty.
Beauty is: grace,mercy,forgiveness.and Agape love.
Ladies if you love Jesus Christ. You are very beautiful!! you are King’s Child.Because Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords…believe dat! lol.
Victor,
Just wanted to thank the women who shared their testimony. It makes me wonder how many women who were abused when they were young keep their feelings ( unfortunetely
a lot of times quilty feelings even though they are the victim) bottled up inside for the rest of their lives. God can work miracles of healing when you turn it over to him as evidenced by the women who left a reply on your blog.
It isn’t only women that buy into the “outward beauty” lie. Many advertisements convince men to get that hairpiece, or buy the product that will ‘cure’ baldness. Lots of guys have just as much hair dye as anyone, and many get those facelifts as well.
God tells us in in 2 Cor. 4:16; “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” Just the opposite of what the world tries to drill into our minds.
The truth is, this world is so temporary. Our treasure is to be in Heaven, “where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” Matt 6:20
As God’s children we ALL need to keep an eternal perspective. Who wants to keep these crumbling bodies here, when we get our perfect and eternal bodies in Heaven?? I am very much looking forward to my trade-in.
All I can say is…WOW! Great message!
1 Peter 3:3-4 Let youre beauty be in the hidden person of the heart.
1 Samuel 16-7 God look’s at our Heart , not our appearance!!
Thank you for giving us truth ATP Ministries!!!
Steve Hernandez
Hi, I recently found this blog – thank you for writing. As an FYI that it’s not showing up properly on the BlackBerry Browser (I have a Storm). Either way, I’m now on the RSS feed on my home PC, so thank you!