To the girl who struggles with acne: you are oh, so beautiful.

"But you're beautiful." My mom told me when I cried in her arms the night before my junior prom.

"But I just want clear skin, that's it." I cried out in between sobs.

Let's back up a bit; acne ruled my life. My happiness depended on whether my skin was clear enough to leave the house. My life turned into a never ending game of "how many different acne products can I fit under the sink?" I'm sure you know the struggle.

Instead of it getting better like the doctors said, it only got worse.

The cabinet in my bathroom overflowed with acne medications, cleansers, and scrubs. I heard the endless symphony of "let's try this medicine". My parents easily spent hundreds of dollars (if not more) on my skin. I spend hours doing research on acne remedies and cures. My awful skin ruled my life.

People simply did not (and still do not) understand the struggle. Everyone has a weak spot, and I soon realized mine was my acne. Any comment made about my skin was just a knife in my heart. Any jokes made about girls looking like a Nestle Crunch bar when they put on makeup stung even though I hid it with laughter. My after school routine consisted of sprinting to the bathroom to wash my face, shedding a few tears as I studied the mirror, then canceling any plans I had for the rest of the evening.

I never wanted anything more than for my skin to clear up.

I blamed my parent's genes, I blamed myself, and I even blamed God. I ignored the words I needed to hear most,

"But you're beautiful".

It's time to get real, y'all. I struggled with this endless cycle for 5 years straight, until I hit rock bottom. My mother and I sat in a dermatologist's office listening to her name off our options. My ma' and I answered in synchrony, "tried that" to every one of the options. I've never seen my mom cry over my acne until that day. Her eyes welled up in tears when the dermatologist's last option was the much dreaded "Accutane" option; the medicine I agreed would never enter my body no matter how bad my acne got due to a friend's awful side effects. My eyes welled up in tears and my mom and I participated in the world's worst cry fest right then and there in that dermatology office. I walked out feeling so empty.

I put all of my hope in the future when my acne would clear up.

I focused on the day my skin would clear up instead of focusing on God and His definition of true beauty.

"But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Our God does not CARE about outward appearance. It is so temporary, friends.

Dear girl who is struggling or has struggled with acne, do NOT let your acne define you. I'm not saying to stop taking care of yourself. It's OK to be a girl and seek outward beauty, but this beauty should not become an idol. Continuously beautifying our hearts, however, is what we should invest in as the Lord looks at the heart.

You are beautiful for you are fearfully and wonderfully made." - Psalm 139:14

Friends, you were meticulously created by God Himself. You were perfectly crafted. Believe me, I've heard this a million times in the midst of my struggle with acne. I was knee deep in darkness but I truly was blind to the light as I turned my back to it. I did not realize that eliminating darkness began with letting God's light in.

My senior year of high school, I found out I was allergic to a lot of foods. A simple allergy test revealed why certain foods made me so sick. As I began to cut these foods out of my diet, my acne began to clear up. Happy tears were shed, for sure. There are definitely seasons where my acne will flare up again, and surely it brings back awful memories and fears. However, my perspective has changed. I realize now how true my friends were as they stuck by my side through this struggle in my life. I also realize how blessed I am to help others who struggle with this.

"It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. No, your beauty should come from inside you –the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. That beauty will never disappear and it is worth very much to God.” -1 Peter 3:3-4

Do not dwell in darkness friends. Sometimes the darkness seems comforting, but life in the light is so much more joy-filled. God's light endures, darkness does not. Stay strong, and remember - you're beautiful and acne is temporary.