Sometimes The Only Way to Win the Race is to Get Out

I have been thinking a lot lately about the pressure that women live with daily in a society that decides what ‘beautiful’ is. 

I don’t read women’s magazines. I don’t watch television. I don’t listen to radio. Even so, I still find myself bombarded with unrealistic images and ideas about who I am supposed to be.

A couple of months ago, I was speaking with another woman. Granted, English is her second language, however she made a comment about me which began with, ‘people who are a little bit fat, like you...’ It’s funny now, but at the time, even though I understood her language difficulties, it stung.

I was talking to one of my students at the end of last year about body size. She is struggling because she is larger than all her friends. I could feel her pain.

When she had finished her sharing, I realised something important.

We as women, are never going to be ‘enough’. We will never reach perfection. Because just as soon as we can get one thing in line, then there will be something else to ‘work on’.

The only way to ‘win’ in this race, is to get out all together. We must stop trying to meet other people’s, or even our own, unrealistic expectations.

I believe that it is only when we, when I, go back to God and get his perspective on who I am supposed to be, that I will ever come to a place of loving who I am and being completely content with the body and image that I have.

I’m not saying to not take care of our bodies, to dress like a slob, to never have a facial. 

I am not talking about actions, so much as attitude. When I can look at myself in the mirror and say, like David:

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:14

God doesn’t make mistakes. And he made you. 

Imagine if all women jumped out of the ‘more beautiful than...’ race and truly celebrated and loved being themselves, regardless of colour, size and shape. I dream of women building each other up and being able to fully compliment and encourage one another, with no jealousy, because comparison is so last year. 

Then I think we’d start to have a glimpse of what true beauty really is...