We Need More Than An Affirmation

You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Psalm 139:15 MSG

Trying to pretend that I believe that I am sculpted well or wonderfully made when my jeans are too tight or as the wrinkles and dimples in my skin keep increasing is ridiculous. I realize now that it should be. Positively affirming my outward appearance requires more than a mantra with the wrong motivation. It requires a full-on worldview shift.

Let me explain. I believe in retraining your brain with new narratives. In fact, I think it is fascinating that science has proven Apostle Paul's words about renewing your mind, penned long before we knew anything about the brain, true (see Romans 12:2). But if we are simply affirming our outward appearance as wonderful without seeing the underlying motivation, we could be agreeing with the world that our worth comes from our outward appearance. And that is not what God says about where worth comes from.

Our outsides were never meant to be the measure of our worth, and in God's Kingdom, they are not.

Let's review what God's words say about where a woman's worth comes from.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting.
A woman who fears the Lord—she makes herself praiseworthy. Probers 31:30 NET

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 1 Peter 3:3-4 NIV

A woman's worth according to God is in her faith and trust in Him.

Read this commentary about 1 Peter 3:3-4
Such a gentle and quiet spirit will be beautiful to other human beings, even unbelieving husbands, but even more importantly it is something which in God's sight is very precious. Why? No doubt because such a spirit is the result of quiet and continual trust in God to supply one's needs, and God delights being trusted in (1 Peter: Am Introduction and Commentary, Grudem, Wayne, Tyndale Commentaries.)

Fellow daughters of God, we don't need another affirmation statement. We need a worldview shift. We need to shift to a kingdom worldview, where the King defines worth and calls those who call on Him more precious than gold (1 Peter 1:17).

When we get the worldview right, we can then join our King who sculpted us from nothing to something, both inside and out, saying we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Then we can rightly praise Him for wonderful works, rather than trying to earn worth for ourselves.

Live out the Truth:

This week let's stop trying to affirm our bodies with the wrong worldly idea that our appearance gives us worth. Instead, let's remind ourselves over and over again (renew our minds) that our worth does not come from our outward appearance but rather in our faith in the God who called us worthy at our creation.

Remember, the man who penned this Psalm likely got to hear what God told the prophet Samuel: But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7