Ok, so if you are use instagram you know how easy it is to find yourself browsing random users photo streams right? There’s no way that I’m the only one. It’s so easy to see who likes what pictures on that little social network and you can so easily go from one user to another. (If you have instagram you know what I’m talking about…) Anyways, the other day I came across some girl’s instagram feed and I quickly glanced through her pictures. She seemed to have it all together, and definitely looked like a model. Perfect hair, perfect body, perfect makeup….she had it all together.  In no time, I was thinking to myself “Ooh, I want her hair.” “I want…” And started comparing. Yikes. It is amazing how quickly we as women can start comparing. Maybe it is all just vanity. Maybe even covetousness. Whatever it is, it isn’t good.

As I kept looking through a few of her pictures, I was reminded once again that I needed to totally re-focus myself and my thoughts back to what true beauty is. It is so easy to lose sight of this sometimes! I needed to be reminded to stop those little thoughts before they evolved into coveting. To not compare. To not even look at things that would make me discontent with what the good Lord gave me. If I know that true beauty is reflected from within- If I know that I should not be comparing then that’s that. But what am I going to do about it? Maybe limit my time on social network type things, not look at certain magazines, or even Pinterest. (Even though I don’t use Pinterest but…still. You get what I’m saying!) The fact of the matter is that my time can be spent either comparing or I can be investing in the word of God or simply reading things that will help me grow. I can be looking at pointless pictures that are really, really unattainable or I can be thanking God for what He has blessed me with. Either way- once again I need to remember that true beauty is defined inwardly, definitely not outwardly.

 “Therefore, the models of beauty that I seek to emulate must be women of worship whose lives are governed by the Spirit of God and exhibit the fruit of Christ. As I walk past my reflection in mirrors and store windows [or social networks, blogs, pinterest, etc. :) ], I must choose to view myself through either the mirror of God’s Word or the mirror of this world. The choice I make is the difference between life and death. It is the difference between creating an idol
and being the temple.” -r. franklin