“YOU ARE..” | Stop the Photoshop Madness
So much of me has been silenced since Honduras. Part of my brain is still processing. Part of my brain is still there. Part of my brain wishes I was. And part of my brain is right with me walking every day.
I came across a quote the other day that I fell in love with
“Don’t settle for the American Dream when God is offering you The Great Commission.” – Eric Simmons
I sat back as my girls edited their photos and whitened their teeth. Truthfully, I’m not going to lie- I’ve blurred some imperfections, thrown a little white on my teeth. But this summer, I watched my girls photoshop abs, slim their wastes, perfect their figure, airbrush their faces and skin all with their fingers through editing apps. Now I’m watching as they define their eyes to the extreme. Their beautiful, light filled eyes are now painted over and screaming out loudly. I WANT TO SCREAM, “OUR LOVING FATHER MADE US LOVES YOU SO MUCH JUST THE WAY HE MADE YOU. HE MADE YOU PERFECT.”
I watched the comments roll in,
“you look good”
“your eyes (heart eyes)”
“can i be you?”
“share the pretty!”
I texted my heart friend in ministry and said “How do we make it stop!” We are raising up a generation full of narcissism as it becomes an selfie epidemic to edit yourself to the extreme where you don’t even look like yourself to get the most likes and most comments of “goals” “can i be you” “jealous” etc.
Why do we insist on making everything beautiful besides just being ourselves.
These days it isn’t enough to just be you!
How do we stop this in our teenagers? In our middle schoolers? In our Instagram saturated world full of likes, followers, comments and constant comparison to everyone else..
Our girls have to know GOD’S PROMISES. They have to know what God thinks of them. Who they are in Christ. Until they know this, until they BELIEVE this, until they LIVE this.. we will continue spiraling down in this constant need of acceptance, worth and beauty in the world. Do you want that for our girls? I don’t.
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! .. you are precious in My sight,.. you are honored and I love you,” Isaiah 43:1-4
YOU ARE HIS!
Do you know what that means?
1. YOU ARE LOVED
“The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” Zephaniah 3:17
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:4-7
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7
2. YOU ARE EXPENSIVE
(John Piper’s sermon You Were Bought with a Price)
“For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:20
“God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world.” 1 Corinthians 7:23 NLT
3. YOU ARE ACCEPTED
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.” John 6:37
“Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.” Romans 14:16-18
4. YOU ARE CHOSEN
“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.” Isaiah 43:10
“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10
“Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.” 2 Peter 1:10-11
5. YOU ARE ENOUGH
“Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;” Isaiah 49:16
“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:16-17
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and ]the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20
“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
Beloved, rest in who you are.
You are not the likes on your Instagram.
You are not the followers, or the unfollowers.
You are not the comments.
You are not the fake abs. The fake teeth. The fake eyes.
You are HIS!
You are LOVED
You are EXPENSIVE
You are ACCEPTED
You are CHOSEN
You are ENOUGH.
YOU. Be you. Because YOU is ENOUGH!
Redeemed. Wanted. Confident. Beautiful. Forgiven. Secure. Able. New. Free. Triumphant. Blessed. Holy. Blameless. Sealed. Alive. Bold. Righteous. Light. Guarded. Complete.