What’s on the Inside? ~ Sunday Devotion
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Matthew 23:27-28 (NIV)
I had a secret. I was a Jesus-loving, church-going girl. I read my Bible and prayed every day. I followed the rules and did well in school. I appeared to be “okay,” but on the inside I was anything but okay. I was in turmoil. I felt nervous and anxious all the time. And I believed that the only thing that would make me feel “okay” was to change the way I looked. I believed that if I was able to “fix” what I thought was wrong on the outside, then I would “feel” better too. This all started when I was still in elementary school, and it lasted well into my adult life.
I believed that peace and confidence would only come when I changed how I looked. I bought into the lie that women must be thin. I believed an outward transformation would transform my thoughts and feelings. Losing weight became my life purpose.
Confidence isn't a size. It's knowing who you are in Christ. And that's an inside job. Share on X
I’ve never been super thin, but I’ve also never been obese. I’ve never had a doctor express any concerns about my health. Yet, I spent many years striving to look a different way thinking that a smaller waist line would cure what was wrong on the inside – my negative self-talk and insecurities. But transforming the outside will never fix what’s wrong on the inside. Even if you have high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar, or other health concerns, simply losing weight will not fix all that troubles you.
Beauty. Confidence. A sense of self-worth. Peace and freedom. Those things must be generated on the inside. They come from knowing who you are in Christ. Even if you lose weight, your body will continue to change. It’s how we were created. It’s the cycle of life. You can’t freeze time, and you can’t will your body to get to a certain size and stay there forever. When it fluctuates, you’re going to struggle unless you have a firm foundation in Christ.
Action Step: Lasting transformations begin on the inside. Is that what you’re focusing on? Does the love and light of Jesus shine through you? That’s what makes you beautiful. Confidence isn’t a size. It’s knowing who you are in Christ.
Happy Sunday!
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