SELF-ABUSE BY TIGHT SHOES

"How old do I have to be to wear comfortable shoes?" I asked a professor during my internship.

"You’re not nearly old enough yet," she laughed.

When I was a teenager, I used to go shopping in downtown Dayton, Ohio in three-inch spike heals. I believed I looked very grown up and sophisticated. I really was able to convince myself that my feet didn’t hurt. However, today, I have no metatarsal arch. I must have done a fantastic job of convincing myself to accept self-abuse-by-shoes as a necessity for beauty.

We are so gullible. We see a glamorous new TV anchor sitting in a leather chair with their spike-healed shoes just gracing the floor. They look so beautiful. But, did you notice I said, "sitting in a leather chair" not standing. If you see them on the political convention floor and can scan to their feet, they are in very comfortable lace-up walking sneakers.

Don’t starve yourself into being someone else’s idea of beauty. The garment industry has identified the beauty figure of a woman as an adolescent boy–with no hips and flat chests. Why have we believed the lie?

I’d like for you to consider the possibility of becoming the new standard for grace a beauty—for you. You don’t need anyone’s approval, validation, or distorted style. You have a style of your own. Stop abusing yourself with tight shoes, belts that pinch, or surgery that can leave you marred beyond repair. You are the very beauty God intended for you to be—just as you are.

Exercise, eat right, sleep well, and seek God’s peace and you will be beautiful beyond words to express. Use Prayer Therapy to help you accept your body by praying specifically so God can answer specifically. In our prayer for a return to the love-of-self we had as a small child, remember the prayer therapy process, or refer back to previous posts: pray the prayer printed below 3X a day, wait on the Lord and feel his presence, and know he heard your prayer. Let us pray:



"Holy Father, creator of us all, your Spirit of Life lives within us. Holy is your name and the name of the Spirit within. Forgive us when we dislike the body you have given us to anchor our soul to Earth for this short stay of ours. Sometimes we want to run away from our body and the emotions experienced by it. Some of us have strong bodies, some are weak, and some are damaged by many events of this world. It is still the shelter for our soul, and for that we thank you, than you, thank you. Help us make peace with our body, our intellect, our emotions, our personality, and our soul this very day, that we may serve you with renewed energy and purpose. Forgive us when we have disliked that gift of life you have given us. Touch us with your warm and loving hand. In the name of Jesus, your son, our redeemer, we pray, Amen"

Doris

Copyright 2012 Doris Gaines Rapp

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine."

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