But so is your body.

I think in the midst of emphasizing inward beauty in an outward beauty culture, we’ve unintentionally started believing a lie:

Our outward beauty doesn’t matter.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a full supporter of acknowledging a person’s character and strengths before their looks. I’m really glad the focus on those things have increased, and I don’t think we should stop. However, I think we may be getting slightly carried away in the process, to the point of believing our physical bodies aren’t worth acknowledging.

I understand the purpose of saying “it’s what’s on the inside that counts”, but I think we need to be careful that that’s not the only thing we’re counting as valid. Yes, character is more important. Stopping to help someone has a larger effect on the world than what you decided to wear this morning, and standing up for yourself says a lot more about you than the lipstick color that’s on those lips of yours. But we can’t focus on this so much to the point of forgetting a key point.

God didn’t mess up the outside of you. Not one bit.

God didn’t put delicate thought into your soul then decide to just throw scraps together to create something to hold it. He put delicate thought into your soul, as well as your body. He didn’t forget about that part of you. He knew exactly what He was making.

Your intelligence is remarkable, but so is your shape.

Your bravery is striking, but so is your hair.

Your compassion is breathtaking, but so are your eyes.

Your strengths are beautiful, but so is your body. So is your body.

God knew His artwork wouldn’t become the standard of beauty in this world. He also knew that your hair would frizz and that you would break out. It’s part of life. It’s part of living on Earth. It’s part of having a body. But all those things don’t mean He screwed you up.

The God who created you is a perfect artist, and He never creates anything not worth presenting with a blue ribbon. And don’t think that God went all Picasso on you- like you’re a confusing piece of art that only “special people” see the real beauty in. God didn’t stop molding you until you were exactly how He wanted you. You were not forgotten in the workshop. You were not rushed to the show before you were finished. You were not a clearance item. Unlike we often believe, God didn’t waste His time on you. Your body didn’t just come to be without God knowing. If you believe that God is perfect, then you believe He does perfect work, and that counts for your body too. He knew full well what you would look like, and He called you beautiful.

Now, I don’t say these things so that we go back to only praising our bodies instead of our character and our strengths. I just think we need to be careful to not forget that our bodies weren’t a mistake.

So the next time you feel physically insecure and you or someone else immediately responds with reminding yourself of your lovely soul, I want you to take in what they said and dwell on it. But then I want you to look at yourself in a mirror. And I want you to look at your physical body, the parts you hate and the parts you don’t, and I want you to repeat to yourself:

My body is beautiful. My body is beautiful. My body is beautiful.

Because it is. And you deserve to believe it.