Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
I was reading a book recently called Simple Money, Rich Life by Bob Lotich, and he said something that really resonated with me, “Jesus didn’t come to the earth to break us free from the bondage of sin, only for us to be enslaved in debt to another master.”
Wow, that’s powerful. And while money is something that can definitely hold power over many people, I have freed myself from that bondage, which I’ll definitely talk about later on…
But what his statement made me think about, was what else I’m enslaved to – which lately has been my physical appearance. I’ve always felt self-conscious about myself – I feel like my forehead is too big, my eyes are too far apart, my gums are receding, my teeth aren’t perfectly white, and my jaw isn’t quite aligned which makes my smile go to one side. And lately I’ve been struggling with acne, big time.
Not sure where I got the idea that acne was just going to be a teenage problem but here we are at 33 breaking out all over my chin. Sigh….
So what have I been doing? Researching why I’m having these issues. Looking up TikToks on how to get rid of this type of acne. Looking at/buying new facial products. Staring in the mirror and picking and squeezing (ew I know..) my face, and then instantly regretting it because I’ve just created new scars, and trying to avoid being around people until I can get this under control – do you see what is holding me captive?
It’s an endless cycle of obsession and for what? It’s mostly out of my control. And should I care if people judge my appearance? We all know the answer to that. We are loved, and God sees as His beautiful creation, and that’s what I have to keep reminding myself.
- 1 Peter 3:3-4:“Your beauty should not come from outward adornments, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight”.
- 1 Samuel 16:7:“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
- Proverbs 31:30:“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
So I’m working on letting go of this worldly master, and focusing on the only worthy & true Master. Spending time with God should be the only thing I’m obsessing over.
So answer this for me…what’s you master currently? What’s holding your thoughts? What’s tormenting you?
I encourage you to work on breaking free from these holds. We can do it together by speaking truth into our mind instead….
You are loved.
You are chosen.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
You are not of this world.
You are here to spread God’s love.
Focus on these things today….
What do you think?