A young woman from our inner-city ministry recently passed away. But, while she was still with us, she was part of a discussion with some other ladies about body image.
When it came her turn to speak up, she explained her morning ritual. Every day, this young woman got up, went over to the mirror, and looked at herself. She looked at a body that had been ravaged by years of addiction, brutal sexual assault, physical abuse, and living with AIDS.
She looked at her reflection in that mirror every day and said: “God made me, and I am beautiful.” She would stand there and repeat it until she believed it. And then she was ready to start her day.
She wasn’t embracing her looks so much as getting rid of a concern about them. Sure, she loved to wear fun clothes and try new “looks.” She loved wearing a cute pair of earrings. She loved expressing herself in those ways, and many more besides. But those things weren’t taking her to a place of seeing herself in an acceptable way. That stuff was all just for fun, because she had already fully accepted herself.
As she often said, “You need to grab ahold of some acceptance.”
-From the August Bridge Box devotional.
Support inner city ministry and get tons of cool stuff to fuel your own walk, all for only $8/month. Sign up at missionusa.com/bridgebox.
