But that wasn't enough, not nearly enough, so she continued to diet. Soon, this was no longer a diet; it was an obsession. She lost more than weight, she lost her perspective.

She thought losing weight would solve her problems. It didn't. She went too far. Her weight dropped to seventy-five pounds. She died at the age of twenty-one…

This lady was like a lot of today's college-age adults. Somewhere along the line, they've picked up the message that they are unacceptable. And that message plays over and over in their heads. "You're too fat," it says, or too thin or too short or too lanky. They just can't seem to get it right. Personal satisfaction is always on the other side of the window. And there they stand-hands cupped around their eyes, nose pressed against the gla.s.s, looking in.

The public relations department of a beauty products company asked its customers to send pictures along with brief letters describing the most beautiful women they knew. Thousands of letters came in. One caught the attention of the employees and was pa.s.sed to the president. It was written by a boy from a broken home who lived in a run-down neighbourhood. With lots of spelling errors, an excerpt from his letter read: 'A beautiful woman lives down the street from me. I visit her every day. She makes me feel like the most important kid in the world. We play checkers and she listens to my problems, she understands me. When I leave, she yells out the door that she's proud of me.' The boy ended his letter saying, 'this picture shows you that she's the most beautiful woman in the world and one day, I'd like to have a wife as pretty as her.' Intrigued, the president asked to see the woman's pic. His secretary handed him a photograph of a smiling, toothless woman, well advanced in years, sitting in a wheelchair. Spa.r.s.e gray hair was pulled back in a bun. The wrinkles that formed deep furrows on her face were kinda diminished by the twinkle in her eyes. 'We can't use this woman,' said the president, smiling. 'She would show the world that our products aren't necessary to be beautiful.'

Between the ages of 9 and 21, our bodies go through more changes than at any other time of our lives. It is a great temptation to keep comparing yourself with everyone else or worse, with models in magazines or t.v and other media personalities. Give yourself a break!

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We also get caught up with a, "I want to be different so I'll dress the same as all my friends" att.i.tude, even if it flares our parents up. We find ourselves being sensitive of our every movement and very sensitive to comments others make about our appearance. As we look into the eyes of others to see what impression, we are making our confidence either grow or crash.

It's lonely on the outside looking in. But that happens when we look to people for approval instead of to the Lord Jesus Christ. Making Him the most important person means we can stop killing ourselves to be accepted. We don't need to be thinner, smarter, more attractive or more talented. We only need to come to Jesus Christ in faith and then live to please Him. "Whoever comes to me I will never drive away," He promises (John 6:37). Now, that's the kind of acceptance we all need. Don't try to earn what G.o.d has already given.

G.o.d doesn't see us as being too small, tall, short or fat. He accepts us just as we are. But he wants us to have an inner beauty that shows on our faces and through our actions. G.o.d's not concerned about our looks_ He wants us to look up before we look around.

Did you know that 99% of young teens don't like the way they look?

A smile increases your face value:

Good looking hearts radiate from the inside _ out!

The true measure of your character is what you'd do if you were sure no one would ever find out.

John .C. Maxwell

When I take care of my character, my reputation will take care of itself!

Dwight .L. Moody

PONDER:

• If you were to change anything on any part of your body at all, what would it be? Why?

• Have you ever felt G.o.d loves some people more than He loves you because you think he created such people without imperfections in any area?

• What does the Bible say about your body and how we should view it? (see Genesis 1:26a and Psalms 139:14)

PROMPT:

When you know your worth, you'd carry yourself like the King's kid that you are. Beauty is in the hearts of people, less of the face. Carry yourself beautifully with poise (you know what I mean, right?)