Teenagers, especially girls, have this habit of constantly comparing themselves to others. I don’t think I know a single person who hasn’t felt that longing at some point, wishing they had someone else’s life or appearance. It’s just part of living in a world of flesh.
But here’s the thing: Today at church, the pastor asked us a question that really made me think: “What do you need to give up in order to focus on God?”
Immediately, one word came to my mind: insecurity.
When I wish I was different from the way God made me, I’m basically saying telling God he made me wrong. But He didn’t. He made me, and you, exactly the way we’re meant to be. We are not accidents. We are p made in the image of God. And yet, it’s so easy to look in the mirror and want to fix the outside, instead of yearning for change on the inside.
Often, insecurity is rooted in vanity or envy—and those are sins. And they don’t just make you feel bad. They build tiny idols in your heart. Idols that distract you from Jesus and pull you into a loop of feeling insufficient or depressed.
I, along with thousands of other girls, have struggled with my personal image, constantly wanting affirmation or love from other people, any sort of validation to make me feel better about myself. I have worried about my skin, or legs, or face, searching for the answer of why I don’t blend in or look “right.”
I have found that is so much better to have a healthy relationship with food and movement. I set a lot of unnecessary boundaries for myself which cause stress and anxiety.
Today I am choosing to surrender my insecurities to God, and I invite you to do the same, or at least pray about it. Don’t let your insecurity or flaws keep you from a relationship for Jesus, because life is so much more.