today i heard something that girls should never ever hear: “you gained weight” which actually sounds worse in tagalog “ang taba mo”, said in such a way that totally makes you feel like you’re the reason for the country’s problems.

i used to be extremely mad whenever this comment was directed my way, however today, i smiled and walked away although my insides were screaming to grab the nearest chair and hurl it somewhere (to the person, maybe).

suddenly, in the middle of a coffee shop, i wanted to break down and cry, it was also probably because of my monthly visitor, but alas, as a girl i have experienced the pressure of not being good enough and i have probably written about countless times in the five years that i have written here and yet the pressure of not being good enough hits a little close to home.

in reality, God sees us as beautiful and His idea of beautiful is quite different from the way the world looks at it:

“And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions, but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it.” (1 Timothy 2:9-10 MSG)

now i’m not saying that it’s wrong to take care of yourself because it is important to feel good about yourself by eating healthy and releasing those endorphins, but what’s wrong is being extremely obessesed with it that you don’t get to enjoy other things in life because all you want to do is be stick thin because you think this is the only way to be loved.

truth is, being in love with Jesus makes everything around us, including us, beautiful and those who judge us based on our waistline shouldn’t really be a part of our lives. we should love them– yes, since breeding hate is unhealthy in so many ways, but that doesn’t mean we allow them to constantly dump their garbage on us until we feel so little about ourselves by believing their lies.

instead, we should learn to love and value ourselves. Jesus Christ came to save you and that means saving you from your insecurities. that although you are not perfect– you are loved and you are good enough. this is the truth about you– whatever it is that you have done, whatever it is that you look like– you are beautiful and your looks will not determine where you will go in life, instead God made you look the way you do for a purpose and one day God will let you see the purpose behind it.

so relish in who you are and watch things change for the better.

you are beautiful girl!