Hello Leah’s !
Today’s Lesson: You are perfect!
Today’s Scripture Inspired and References: Genesis 29:17
Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful.
How much insecurity do we bring ourselves when we reflect in the mirror of other people's opinion? It’s incredible the damage we cause ourselves when we pay too much attention to other people's opinions about our own image. We tend to keep our focus on society's image of what beauty is, often forgetting how truly beautiful we already are.
In Genesis 29 we are introduced to Rachel's older sister, Leah. Interestingly enough, the first thing we read is a physical description of Leah, her eyes. The bible verse states that Leah's eyes were delicate. To be quite honest, in just this part alone, I really started to identify with Leah. I thought to myself, What might be my physical trait that other people notice first? If the author was writing about me, which of my qualities will he use to describe me first? Was that really the most noticeable feature of Leah? Was this the author's perception of her? Unfortunately, it's impossible to find out the answer because the bible does not provide details about these particular questions. On the contrary, what I can deduct from the text, is that Leah had certain physical disadvantages in comparison to Rachel. A short time later in the bible chapter, Rachel is described as a woman with a beautiful form and appearance. This, in my personal opinion, makes me think that Rachel’s beauty stands out, while Leah was not as fortunate in that area, at least not to society’s eye.
It is a very difficult life to live when we consistently compare ourselves to others. The society we live in supports and glorifies the unnatural beauty standards that only a small percentage of the population owns and can afford. Social media is designed in a way that we often spend our time competing with each other, without even noticing it. We spend hours editing pictures to post and impress others, To then receive a few likes that will boost our self esteem temporarily, often camouflaging our emptiness inside. We create an illusion of perfection and we only feel beautiful and attractive when we receive a thumb ups or heart eyes in our feed. Now, have you ever stopped for a second to ask yourself these questions? Are they as beautiful in person? Can they keep and add anything to an intellectual conversation with their peers? Do they feel empathy for those in need? Do they feel as I do sometimes?
What happens when you receive ten likes instead of a thousand? In that very moment our self esteem receives a low blow and we feel less attractive. We often feel like we have less opportunities and without the slightest realization, we allow depression to creep into our lives.
When I had my first encounter with God, the self esteem aspect of my life was a very difficult one for me to touch on. When surrounded by beautiful people, I would feel out of place and all I wanted to do was to leave immediately and lock myself in my comfort zone that we all know as home. I would go home, throw myself into bed and not leave the house until those emotions were stored away deep into my self being. But, God and the wonderful ways that he likes to speak to us, decided to keep me up all night, to teach me a lesson. God spoke to me in a bible verse that he consistently repeated to the point in which I memorized it, Jeremiah 31:3: “I have loved you with an everlasting love”. Chills went through my body and I couldn’t hold the tears! You have no idea how much that night changed me! Now this being said, this doesn't mean that my self esteem is not shaken at times, it simply means that I understood that God loves me and that I am much more than my physical appearance. I am built up of a whole lot of traits that make me UNIQUE. Little by little, I learned to love myself and embrace the unique way God created me to be. When you love yourself, those around you will begin to notice that within you. People around will start loving you for who you are, and admire this trait of you. When your self love blindingly shines onto other people, there is a chance that they may start finding ways to love themselves the same way you found it.
For that reason, it is very important to be an inspiration and motivation to others. If your friend looks beautiful today, let her know! Let's make it a trend to boost each others self esteem. Let’s empower ourselves as the woman of God we are. You don't know if that compliment is going to make their day a little brighter. We never know if it will make them feel beautiful and most importantly, you never know if it plants a seed of healing in the middle of their depression.
To all my Leahs reading this today, I want you to know that you are beautiful. I want you to know that you are worthy. I want you to know that your smile is going to brighten someone's day. Most Importantly, I want you to know that God created YOU and because of that reason YOU are already perfect the way you are! Love yourself and don't allow anybody to make you feel less than the amazing Woman you were intended to be. I leave you with these words.
Welcome to I am Leah.
