If any of you have been on a weight loss journey in the past or present, you can probably relate to a time when you discovered the perfect “goal weight” outfit… the one you were going to wear when you reached your long awaited achievement. You may have hung this outfit within view to motivate you through the tough times and inspire you when you felt like your efforts were not yielding results.
Maybe you discovered this special outfit on the sale rack when you were out shopping with a friend, or maybe you spent more than usual to buy it just knowing that “one day” you would feel like a million bucks! You could envision exactly how you would wear your hair and the perfect makeup colors to accentuate your features. Essentially, you had an image of the perfect looking beautiful you.
We build up this moment in our head that eventually, after all of our hard work, sacrifice, sweat (at the gym!), and discipline, that then, and ONLY then, are we worthy of such beauty. That only then, will the world, our friends, our spouse, label us beautiful and mean it. That only then do we possess true value. We have come to believe that our beauty is wrapped up in our weight and appearance, but not just that, even deeper. That our beauty and value result from a victorious fight and coming out on top. In other words, we become more beautiful when we have fought the demons and won.
If you have been struggling with weight loss for years, we can convince ourselves that since we have yet to reach “the goal” and can’t boast of a victory, that beauty cannot be fully claimed yet. This can also lead to a cycle of negative self talk, shrugging off healthy practices, and downplaying progress- progress that may have required a lot of perseverance.
What I would like to propose is that your beauty is not found in the goal attained, but in the fight, the dance, the trek. That maybe, just maybe, your courage to get up, frustrated, hot, exhausted and even a little bit angry, just to try again is beautiful.
Growing up I remember hearing and learning all about inner beauty and how “it is what is on the inside that counts.” Honestly, that phrase makes me cringe. No woman I know wants to be told that they are ‘beautiful just because of who they are.’
We want to feel beautiful, embrace beauty, experience it with all our senses. We want to see our reflection in the mirror and be delighted with what we see. We want a spouse or friend or family member to tell us that we are worth looking at and admiring. But, when I start to think about whom I admire and consider to be a beautiful person, it is not the physical appearance that draws me in. It’s not her elegance or physical allure that makes me take a second glance or day dream. Instead, it’s her joy, laughter, confidence, strength, courageous nature, warmth, sincerity and authenticity- that’s beauty!
Essentially, those that are living life well and loving it- they exude true beauty. So, am I really seeking a specific weight, physique or fitness level in order to feel the fulfillment of beauty? Or, is what I really seek the courage to fight again, laughter when I feel awkward, and confidence when my knees are knocking? Maybe beauty is in a gleam of excitement taking the risk, authentic connection in my relationships and vulnerability that allows me to love big?
From this point of view, beauty far exceeds physicality. Maybe the physical is a means of expressing beauty, but not the underlying source.
As you continue on your health journey, it doesn’t matter where you are on trek, you can be beautiful. Your beauty is not wrapped up in a number or size. Your beauty does not come from achieving a “healthy” BMI or reducing your body fat. Your health may result from your food, exercise and lifestyle decisions but your beauty beams out of how you live.
Be beautiful today!
TRUTH: “Many women have done wonderful things, but you’ve outclassed them all!” Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God. Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!
Proverbs 31:29-31 (Message)