Spring break is coming to an end and that means no more tanning at the beach, chillin’ at home, or wherever you relax the best. No school means you can pretty much be anywhere and have a good time, right? Anyway, I had a long, 12-hour drive back home so I pretty much scrolled through my Instagram 5,000 times. I found it so easy to compare myself to all of the different people I saw. I envied women who were prettier than me, that had better bodies than me, and people that looked like they had a better time than I did. While I felt pretty great before I scrolled through, afterwards I felt anxious and was determined to post a picture to prove that I had a good time, that I had a good body, and that I could be pretty too. I hated that this thought crept into my mind, because it’s not me and it’s not who I want to be.

Who did I even need to prove these things to?

Myself?

I stopped where my mind was going and asked myself what would change in my life if I posted that ‘perfect’ picture of me on the beach. The answer was nothing. I reminded myself that there is always going to be someone prettier than me, someone who has a better body than me, and someone that’s going to have a better time than me.

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The reality is that there is always something to compare your self to; the trick is to leave the competition. Don’t be a competitor in a game that sets you up to lose. Rather than trying to be prettier or smarter, be you. Try harder and post that picture because you desire to, rather than to prove yourself. Being purely you is where true beauty is found (as cliche as it sounds). In a world that is constantly telling us to change who we are, being yourself is a huge challenge and a great blessing.

So as you see all these pictures, stop and remind yourself of reasons why you are beautiful. What makes you purely you? What is one thing that sets you apart from others? You are beautiful. You are extravagant. You are enough. Love your flaws because they make you who you are, which is uniquely wonderful. I have met so many absolutely stunning people in my life that fail to acknowledge how beautiful they really are. Don’t be one of them!

“You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” – Song of Solomon 4:7 …I mean shoot, if God thinks you’re that beautiful can you really fight against it? God made you exactly how He wanted you. He made you exactly who you are supposed to be at this very moment, and He loves you from head to toe.