and i am completely okay with that.
my daughter received the cutest bathing suit for her birthday a couple of weeks ago.
but it was too big.
so we went this morning to return it.
and when i tell you that we fought about which suit she would get in exchange, i mean we fought.
there was crying and gnashing of teeth.
right there in the walmart dressing room.
the problem is you.
you are everywhere.
on my social media feeds with your provocative poses and pouty lips.
on the covers of magazines at the check out of dollar general and target.
heck, you are even on the disney channel.
and it is nauseating and infuriating and exhausting.
especially for a mama who is trying her best to teacher her little girl about modesty.
and will soon teach a baby boy about the beauty of seeing girls as image-bearers of Christ instead of swimsuit models.
perhaps no one has dared to tell you these things.
or perhaps they have and you just don't care.
but allow me to share something with you.
one day, you will regret all those pictures you have posted for all the world to see.
sure, today, all the likes and the comments and little fire emoticons that tell you that you hot, hot, hot are just the affirmation you are fishing for when you post that picture.
but one day, you will get a peek at all those poses and wish you could erase them all.
because one day, you will have a husband.
prayerfully, a Godly man who leads your family in the way of Christ.
but when he stumbles upon those photos.
he will wonder who you were trying to entice with those kissy faces and suggestive stances.
you will promise him that it was all in fun and the pictures were completely innocent.
you will have a daughter.
and as hard as it is to imagine now, you will want her to understand that beauty is not found in bearing her skin. but rather it is found in a heart that pursues Jesus.
you will want to shelter her from a world of 'sex sells' and showing more skin.
you will pray that her self-esteem is not shattered because of the crap the world is shoving down her throat about her body and her worth.
you will have a son.
and you will want to spare him from having sinful thoughts about the girls at his school.
you will want him to learn the difference between lust and love.
and you will pray that he will grow to respect a woman for her heart and her brain.
not her bathing suit and her body.
please hear me say this.
you are beautiful. gorgeous, in fact.
but gracious knows, not because of the amount of skin in your picture.
and certainly not because of ridiculous fish lips.
you are extravagantly stunning because you were created in the very image of your Creator.
and He declares that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
with no makeup.
in a beat-up t-shirt and comfy pajama pants.
on a terribly humid day when no one has a good hair.
with that mountain of a blemish pops up out of no where.
when you don't know that you have lettuce stuck in your teeth.
all those moments and every other one in between.
you are His masterpiece.
a beautiful girl created to do amazing things.
so from the heart of this mama, i implore you.
please think about the girls behind you.
the ones who so desperately want to follow in your footsteps.
show them that true beauty is not in the skimpiest of skimpy bathing suits.
rather, let them watch you and learn that beauty is found in the gentle, quiet spirit of a woman who loves Jesus.
think about the boys who are watching you.
your future husbands. or the husbands of your friends and sisters.
show them the beauty in the mystery of woman.
a mystery that should only be unfolded on a sacred and holy wedding night.
never before.
but most importantly, think about yourself.
remember how beautiful you are.
and how we are called to treat our bodies as living sacrifices to God.
ones that are pleasing to Him.
may all that you do be a reflection His goodness and faithfulness.
and may the pictures you post be a real reflection of the beauty you are.
Thank you for being willing to step out and post this important message.
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