It’s been many years since I’ve watched the Miss America pageant, but I watched it last night. My father wouldn’t allow me to watch it as a young girl because he knew I’d be comparing myself to all those beautiful women and would probably find everything wrong with my body. When I joined the military, I remember the first time I had the liberty to watch a Miss America pageant. Daddy was right. I remember putting on my one piece bathing suit, a pair of heels, and prancing around my apartment like I was in the pageant. Funny, huh?
Yes, I remember comparing myself to the contestants. I didn’t do any comparing last night, but I thought about how difficult it must be for our young girls to feel good about themselves with all the competition from makeup, weave, air-brushing, and filtering for photographs, and peer pressure. Even Facebook has tools to allow you to look almost any way you desire. We can tell a young girl that she is beautifully and wonderfully made all day, but until she believes it herself, she will always deal with body issues. Grown women have issues!
Also while watching, I remembered when I had the body of those young girls. No more perky breasts! Hmmm…is that comparing? All women are graced with a season of perky breasts, but that season will pass. And just because we age doesn’t mean we have to let our body go. We are still beautifully and wonderfully made - regardless of our age. We are daughters of a King! We are perfect in his sight and to mumble and complain about our body grieves the Spirit of God. All we can do is our part to maintain our temple and stay in shape. Everything else…well, we have to learn to live in the skin we’re in and be our own Miss America!
