Jen’s Gem: Your worth and value are rooted on the inside, not the outside.
When I was younger, I wanted to be tall. I would ask Santa each Christmas to grant me this one wish. I have no idea why I wasn’t happy with my short stature but for whatever reason I thought taller people were happier, stronger and more powerful.
I grew a whole inch in my freshman year of college – settling in at 5’3 and three-eighths. I was adamant about the three-eighths because then I could say I was almost 5’4. Of course now that smidgen of an inch is gone as a recent trip to the doctor revealed.
In addition to being taller, I wanted to be blonde. It appeared to me that those with flowing golden locks really did have more fun. I was always way too serious for my own good and a good dose of fun is likely what I needed.
Along with being taller and blonde, I also wished to be thinner. As a chunky middle-schooler with braces and glasses, life was not exactly a joy ride. Those “awkward” years did much damage to my pitiful self-esteem and when I look back at old photos, I clearly see why.
During this time, it seemed my focus was on my physical looks – or lack thereof, rather than the other qualities I possessed. I was smart, funny, well-liked by my fellow students and teachers and had good friends. But somehow being taller and blonde and thinner were much more appealing to me.
Fast forward a decade or so and my world would be flipped upside down. Gone were the braces and glasses and extra pounds. Even though I still had brown hair, it was the perfect 80’s hair – big hair as they call it on Long Island – the envy of my friends and stylists.
Not Like Mother…
This ‘physical appearance’ concept has weighed heavily on my mind this week for a number of reasons. Summer allergies are wreaking havoc on my eyes. Humidity is having a field day with my hair. And the few pounds that made their way off my 5’3 frame have found their way back. In short, my middle age years are feeling like my middle school years. What is it about middles?
Ugly Ducklings Can Still Swim
How easy it is to focus on our physical appearance and forget about our innate worth and value. Do we somehow become less intelligent if the scale registers a weight gain? Do we become less funny if our hair resembles a steel wool pad? Do we become less lovable if the lines on our faces become more pronounced?
The answer is an obvious no but with the world’s preoccupation with looks, sadly too many people believe the opposite. Guarding against this thinking is tough especially if you were never told about your worth and value or only praised for your looks.
It has taken me way too long to learn that no matter what I look like on the outside, I’m the same on the inside. If my hair is a hot frizzy mess, I’m still funny. If the scale wiggles its way up, I’m still smart. If the lines around my face become more evident, I’m still an innately good person.
Whether or not anyone else can see this, I know that God does. He loves me no matter what. Bad hair, extra pounds, wrinkles – He looks way past all of that superficiality and sees what He created in His mind’s eye some five decades ago.
You Don’t Need L’Oreal to Tell You You’re Worth It
I encourage you this week to look past the physical, to look deeper inside. What are the unique qualities you possess that draw people to you? What are the talents you were given that no one else has? How are you using these to serve others – to make a difference in the world?
I’ll bet you’ll discover what I did. You don’t have to be a supermodel to be valuable. You’re valued beyond measure just the way you are.