Confidence. Beauty. Self-esteem.

These may come naturally for some, or not so much for others.

We live in a country obsessed with how we look and how we feel about ourselves. 

We rate people’s level of attractiveness in our minds, or worse, aloud.

We compare our beauty to theirs, making ourselves feel better or worse.

We expect ourselves and others to be carbon copies of Hollywood’s “beauty.” 

We must put our best face and body forward to fit in with the flawless pictures on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.

In the past, only celebrities faced the critical eye of the judging public. But now, we all live in the public eye. 

So, we strive for unrealistic levels of beauty.

Women master the latest contouring techniques. Men hit the gym for gains. We fix our hair just right—not too frizzy, not too flat. We wear the trendy clothes and shoes.

The ugly truth is we’re obsessed with beauty.

Stop it. Stop comparing yourself to others. Stop trying to be something you’re not. Stop basing your happiness on appearance. 

Confidence and self-esteem are found when we stop chasing superficial beauty.

Sure, we feel nice in a new outfit on a good hair day. But, that happiness washes off in the shower at the end of the day. 

Genuine self-esteem is found in Christ.

Most of us have heard this before. It’s not a new concept in Christian circles. But that’s because it’s true. 

Don’t misinterpret that to mean you can never own fashionable clothes, work out or wear makeup.

It simply means that we shouldn’t base our happiness and worth on those things. 

We should work on making our hearts beautiful—beautiful in God’s eyes.

It’s a challenge to spend as much time reading about our worth and God’s expectations as we spend getting ready, judging others and measuring ourselves by the world’s standards.

God told Samuel, “The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

Craft a beautiful heart—not just a beautiful face. See yourself as God created you—an image-bearer of God. And lift others up in love.