Lily Girls Magazine

By Jenny Davell

A full-length mirror stood in the corner. A pair of feet in the most sassy red high heels took a few steps toward it. The owner of those heels stared at herself, twisting her right foot back and forth to see if the shoes made any difference at all. No, they were not ruby slippers, but they seemed to magically make her feel better.

She would do anything to disguise her least favorite trait. She was short and these heels, well any pair of heels, did the trick every time.  Or at least they usually did. But today, they weren’t helping. She didn’t feel more confident. She didn’t feel prettier.

So, as she stood and looked at her reflection, tears ran down her face. What was it going to take for her to think she was beautiful? How was she ever going to learn to love herself and be content with the way she had been made?

This is the story of my friend Caroline. She is the owner of the red heels. And she would be the first to tell you that her struggle in learning be content has changed her life.  So let’s learn from what she’s discovered.

Caroline has determined that everyone has a pair of “heels,” that something that they use to try to give themselves confidence in order to mask discontentment. Think about it.

What is your pair of “heels?”

How wonderful would it be to be able to say, “I’m content to be me!” So, be encouraged because it is a choice whether or not to put on those “heels.” We’re going to walk through the acronym H.E.E.L.S to help us make our choice and remember how to fight against discontentment.

H – How do you see yourself?

When you stand in front of the mirror in the mornings in what or whom do you find your confidence and contentment? Know that you are not alone in your struggle. Every girl faces this. You have to realize that none of us can do this without the Lord. We were all made in His image. Tell yourself every time you look in the mirror that you are cherished, loved, beautiful, and made with a purpose by the Creator of the universe.

E – Embrace what the Creator made

God does not make mistakes. He made you perfectly. Psalm 139 powerfully agrees with these statements. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well.” His works are wonderful. But do you know it “full well?” Sweet daughter of the King, believe Him. Embrace what He has made. Go get your Bible and read Psalm 139 (and if you don’t have a bible just Google it)

E – Enjoy other’s talents and personality

Wait, what does this have to do with contentment?  It has everything to do with commitment for two reasons. One, discontentment seems to fade when it isn’t thought about. When your focus is on encouraging another person and choosing to enjoy their gifts and personality, your own discontentment starts to disappear. Challenge yourself to go out of your way to encourage someone else. See what happens. And two, once you choose to embrace what the Creator made, you have the freedom to enjoy someone else’s talents and personality even if they possess the very attributes you lack.

L – Live for Christ most effectively

Just like you become free by seeing yourself in God’s eyes and embracing what He has made, you can also live for Christ most effectively by doing these things.   Your insecurities will no longer get in the way of allowing the Lord to use you in the lives of others. Daily bring your insecurities before the Lord. Ask Him to take them away and replace them with contentment. Maybe even write in dry erase marker on your mirror a reminder to pray about this.

S – Security in God’s Word

We’ve talked a lot about being content because of who we are as God’s creation.  Did you know that He has a ton to say about contentment in the Bible? He has infused it all the way through. So read what He has to say. He wrote His story for you. Let it sink into your minds. Let His truth transform the way you see yourself.

And suddenly, Caroline knew the answer. Her heels weren’t making her happy because they were just shoes. They could never fix her heart or her mind. Only God can do that.  She had to trust Him and she couldn’t do that while wearing these shoes. It wasn’t that wearing heels was bad. It was why she wore them. So, she stepped out of them.

“There,” she said while standing flat the floor, “I am beautiful.”

**Caroline is a friend of the mine and a fellow student at the Kanakuk Institute in Branson, Missouri. This devotion was inspired by Caroline’s student talk on contentment. Her life really has been changed by learning to be content in the Lord.  Please feel free to email her at carolinecmoon@gmail.com if you’d like to ask her any questions.