Thursday, July 7, 2011

beware of perfection.

"It's inside beauty that counts."
" Pretty isn't everything."
"Stop trying to be perfect."

You've heard this same old story before--dozens of times, no doubt. The three sentences that ring true yet quietly within a world like our's. "Pretty" is everything in this Kingdom...and if we're really honest with ourselves, it's a large part of our own lives, as well. I mean, come on. We're girls. We want to be gorgeous. We want to be slender, blonde beauty queens with large eyes and perfect hair.

 We want to be perfect.

I was playing around on Picnik today, using the upgraded features in a sneaky way {hint: snipping tool}. :) Hehe. I experimented with the airbrush, the wrinkle remover, the highlighter, the mascasra, the eye bright, the blemish fix, the teeth whitener...

The result? 

A perfect me.


..Or, at least, as "perfect" as I could get. I mean, compare to this, the ordinary me:


...Uh-huh.

::sigh::

Okay, I'll admit it: I wish that first photo were me, and not the second. The more I stare at it, the more my desire grows for a face without under-eye-shadows and bags, no moles, darker and thicker eyelashes, lighter hair, smooth skin, a perfect complexion, brilliantly white teeth, and sparkling eyes. Okay..maybe not *as* fake-looking as the dolled-up picture...but..somewhat similar. I mean, what more could a girl want?

Perfection is dangerous. Know why? Because there never will be true perfection. Even if I really looked like the fake girl in my touched-up picture, I would still want more: longer hair, slimmer waist, bigger eyes.

Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
(Proverbs 27:20)

I need to stop dwelling on "I wish..", and embrace how God has made me: totally unique and owning a face of beautiful imperfection. Will I still want what that other girl has? Yes. Will I still feel that twinge of jealously every time I see some prettier than me? Yes. But prayer changes things, and I know that if I bring my trials to the Lord, He is ready and willing to open my eyes and change my heart.

If you take anything away from this post, let it be this:
Pretty is everything to the World, and always will be. But you don't have to let the quest for perfection overcome you. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and everything else will soon become hazy and distant.

On a minor note, take my Picnik-ed photo into account the next time you see a celebrity photo. Isn't it crazy what they can do with editing, nowadays? :)

Beware of perfection.

P.S. To my commenters: aww, thank you, y'all. You shore do know how to make a gal feel good. ;) And you know what? Now that I think about it..I like the second picture better, too. :]

24 comments:

  1. I like the second picture of you better then the first

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  2. Amen, Lucia! I fight these thoughts all the time, "My complexion is hideous", "I wish I were thinner", "I'm not pretty enough", etc, etc, etc. It is something I have been struggling with, and I have been praying about it for quite a while now. And though I do not have confidence in myself quite yet, I have confidence in God, and I know He will eventually reveal to me what is right.

    Your posts are always so lovely and encouraging. =)

    Oh, and I won't be online for a few weeks, so I'll say goodbye to you now! *hugs* You are such a dear!

    Blessings,
    Taylor
    http://examineallthings.blogspot.com

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  3. We are indeed made beautiful by our Creator. To think that the Lord of all creation made me... it is so amazing! How true is the thought that you shared that even if we had what we wanted we wouldn't be satisfied... we would always want more. It is when we embrace what the the Lord has given us and thank Him for it that we can be truly content. What a wonderful reminder your post was!

    In Christ,
    ~Shannon~

    {And to also note, I like the second picture better as well... :) }

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  4. I honestly think that the second picture the *ahem* unedited picture of you is much prettier than the first. The first looks too fake. :P

    Thanks for the post, though. It's a good reminder, for I strive too much to be perfect. ;)

    *hugs*
    Grace

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  5. Quite honestly, Lu-Dear, I love the second picture. :) The first one literally makes you look like a doll - read: not real. At all. Like a plastic toy. The second one...beautiful you. :)

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  6. Wonderful post Miss Lucia! You are so right :)

    Blessings!

    ~Miss ALK

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  7. I struggle with that too at times,
    but I try to remember that true beauty comes from within, not from the outside.

    "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised." ~ Proverbs 31:30

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  8. Agreed whole-heartedly!
    The second picture is more beautiful than the first!
    The first just looks totally fake. xD

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  9. Great post, Lucia! You have such a way of writing honest, thought-provoking posts that really speak to people (i.e. me!)

    I too agree with some of the other comments here- the second picture is so much more real and beautiful-really!

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  10. I agree with all the other girls who said they liked the second picture best. I don't think anyone would want to read your blog if you were "perfect" anyways! Great post! One thing that helps too, is something I read about in a Christian magazine. When we become dicontented with our appearance, it's like slapping God in the face, because He made us just the way He wanted us to be! So next time you look in the mirror, try focusing on the things you LIKE about yourself. Don't have a perfect complexion? Be thankful that you have the color skin you have. Don't like your eye size? What about the color? And so on! It really does help to realize that God thinks we're beautiful. Even if the world says we aren't.
    Natasha
    PS: Follow my blog to enter a giveaway for a Leslie Ludy book! All the details on latest post!
    www.natashaatkerson.blogspot.com

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  11. Okay, the first picture is like WAY TOO fake. I mean, you look like a made-up doll...the original is BY FAR better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't ever change, Lu!

    <3

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  12. I'm sure everyone agrees to this: you look better in the second photo. Because it's the real, beautiful you! And thank you for encouraging us readers with this great post! I'll keep it as a reminder to love the "naturalness" that God has created. :)

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  13. I totally know what you mean! I always want to be perfect. I often think, "well if only i had smaller hips. If only I had straight hair. If only I had lighter hair." Basically "If only I was Barbie." But that kind of thinking is wrong. Thanks for sharing! Btw I love love love the pretty girl you are!!! :)

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  14. I think you do look too fake in the first. ;) And I agree. We just need to be ourselves. You're so right about the models these days! They're loaded with makeup (which I don't even wear) and they have photoshop, ect, ect.

    Oh yes, and you should change your design --- but copy//paste all the HTML and store it in a document, just so you can put it back in awhile. ;)

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  15. Lovely Lucia~

    That second picture is way cuter and way more realistic. There is a video that shows some of the things that advertisers "adjust"; I found it again for you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2gD80jv5ZQ

    I have always, always always struggled with how I look. If only this and if only that are what I almost always think looking into the mirror. But I'm trying to love myself and to make comments such as "I like my hair today" and "This shirt makes my blue eyes look nice." to myself. I'm not trying to be vain... just boosting my confidence.

    I also once heard my best friend's big brother say "I hate it when girls are so negative about themselves. Whenever someone gives them a compliment they have to be like "Oh I just threw it (my hair) up today" or "Yeah right!" Why can't they just accept the fact that they look nice and that God made them gorgeous!?!?!" God has used that comment to really touch my heart and I think of it often when I'm feeling down. God did make us beautiful and we should truly believe that. (Yeah, my bestie has a really great brother. :))

    Sorry for my really long, run-on comment. :p

    Lots of Love,
    LindseyMarie

    P.S. I'm going to email you back this afternoon. :)

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  16. I fight these thoughts too. Even though I have had people tell me I could be a model. I actually struggle with this every single day.

    You are beautiful. I like the second picture a whole lot better then the first! ;)

    Wonderful post m'dear! Thanks for the reminder!

    Love,
    RJ

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  17. Lucia (and her friends!),

    I love your blog and read it all the time! I'm inviting you to follow my new blog (as of today!)because I know that you're not only musical, but you're also my sister-in-Christ.

    In Him,
    AnneKatherine <3

    la-violoniste.blogspot.com

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  18. Everyone feels like you do sometimes, even me. ;)

    To be honest, I don't really like it when I know that people are wearing a lot of makeup. I don't plan on wearing makeup for a while unless I must, and I think lookig natural is the best. :)

    In my opinion, the second photo is the best. You are still very beautiful!

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  19. Very good points, Lucia! Inner beauty is what the Lord values, and so should we. It's tempting to want to look like models from magazines {been there}, but we'd probably be surprised if we saw those models in person because of all the air-brushing that takes place.

    I try my best to make my photos look as natural as possible, though sometimes it's tempting to enhance too much when Photoshop is at my fingertips! There's a balance I try to strike when I edit so that people don't end up looking different in the picture than they do in person. :)

    Thanks for sharing!

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  20. Lucia,
    I like the second picture of you better! You look so much more real! :)
    ~Shiloh

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  21. You are beautiful Lucia! Inside and out! I happen to really love the second picture of you, much, much more than the first one! And I'm not just being nice! :)

    God Bless you!!!!
    Johanna
    http://kidsonthefarm.blogspot.com

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  22. You look adorable without the editing!! Really!

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  23. You are beautiful Lucia!!! I like the second picture better because it looks real.

    Love you!
    Ireland

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  24. I know you wrote this post like two years ago, but it really spoke to me. I also have those days of wishing that I looked different or was different, etc etc. You really are encouraging though :) P.S The second pic is better because it isn't superficial and it's you :)

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Aw! Thanks so much for leaving a comment! They make me smile. :)

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