The Ladies’ Room

It had been an exciting day in the Texas Hill Country which we decided to conclude with dinner on Austin’s Congress Street and coffee at Mozart’s.  The pie was highly recommended. It was crowded but the opportunity to sit a moment was welcomed. 

Before ordering my coffee, I decided to take advantage of the nearby ladies’ room.  It was a busy Saturday night and there was a long line. Without even thinking about it I decided to people watch. 

I watched a lady with thick, beautiful, lustrous, wavy hair run her hands under the running water from the sink and then through her hair, gathering it into a tight knot attempting to flatten it and tame any fly aways that she could see better than I.  She worked on this for several minutes. However, she did not appear satisfied as she frowned into the mirror, then shrugged, giving her hair another smoothing with her hands as she headed out the door.

At the same time another young woman with perfectly straight hair so many desire today, flipped her head over and began to push at her roots to create volume.  She flipped herself upright and repeated the process. After several attempts she too shrugged, grimaced a bit, and headed out the door, combing the strands of her hair with her fingers as she went.

Each woman wanted what the other possessed, neither satisfied with themselves.  Although both were absolutely gorgeous.  

I often find myself behaving just as these two women and believing the lie I am defective in some way, comparing myself to others, and finding myself wanting. This is a thinking error-an outright lie.  The challenge comes in learning to believe the truth rather than the lie.

It takes practice to capture these wrong thoughts and replace them with right Biblical thinking. Practice requires repetition and continual application. After a time the truth takes root in our hearts and destroys the lie of the enemy.

What about you?  Have you struggled in being dissatisfied with the you God created?  The error of comparison can destroy us from the inside out and damage our relationships if we allow it.  Comparison stirs within us the sin of jealousy and envy. It destroys our self-esteem and rips apart our self-image.

The truth is you and I, no matter how different, were created in the image of God.

He is beautiful!

Therefore, my friend, so are are you and I.

You formed my innermost being, 
shaping my delicate inside
and my intricate outside,
and wove them all together in my mother’s womb.
I thank you, God, 
for making me so mysteriously complex!
Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking.
It simply amazes me to think about it!
How thoroughly you know me, Lord!
You even formed every bone in my body
when you created me in the secret place,
carefully, skillfully shaping me
from nothing to something.
You saw who you created me to be 
before I became me! 
Psalm 139:14-19