The "Thigh Gap"

Every now and then, Josh will get up and make breakfast and bring me coffee in bed. These are the mornings I can catch a little bit of Good Morning America since half the time I have no idea what is going on in the world. I can tell you why Curious George is riding an Elephant or how to create a Constellation Planetarium but everyday news slips by me. This morning was a breakfast and coffee in bed kind of morning. As I got in a little news from Good Morning America, I was stunned by something going on in teenage girl world. It is something called " The Thigh Gap." I had no clue this existed and just how widespread and well known it is among teenage girls. Popularity actually depends on it and it is something very highly sought after by thousands of sweet teenage girls. "Thigh Gap" is when there is space between your thighs and the bigger that gap, the better. This means the skinnier and more skeleton like your thighs look, the better! I was in awe of the pictures they were showing of girls taking pictures of their thighs and posting them to twitter, facebook, and tumblr. Some of the pictures had captions like, " I'm almost there, my gap is getting bigger," and " I will never have the awesome gap so and so does." ARE YOU SERIOUS??? Is that really what our teenage girls are striving for? What happened to confidence in how God made them or being healthy so that you can carry children one day? I was stunned by the young girls being interviewed and how they felt about the "craze" among their peers. They said this "thigh gap" is what makes you popular in many circles, just like long hair and perfect skin. I was floored that teenage girls are out there posting these pictures and working so hard to have this "gap" and there is no mention of excellence in intelligence or beauty in the heart that God gave them. I am also saddened that our society, as a whole, has created this need in young girls to look like they haven't eaten in a year. They make this "thigh gap" seem like it is the way to be beautiful and feel confident. Good Morning America showed picture after picture off of teenage girls accounts that were just of their thighs. One right after the other. Parents, we have to teach our girls the beauty that really lies within. Every beautiful woman in The Bible was described as having a fear of the Lord (Proverbs 31:30) and if they did have outward beauty, it was not what made them who they were. They had hearts that followed God (Esther and Ruth). They fell at Jesus's feet (Mary) and clung to his every word (The Woman at the Well). As I raise a nine year old little girl, soon to be teenager, I pray constantly that she will never see the outside beauty she has and desire to let it make her who she is but that her heart would be seen first. I pray that she sees her beauty as a reflection of Jesus in her and that what she does with Christ is what makes her who she is. I pray that I will ALWAYS speak to the heart of all she does and not what her outside reveals. My heart breaks that girls are buying into the lie from Satan that they have to look a certain way to be worth something. Girls: Jesus died for our hearts not our thighs. He created you exactly the way you are and you are a reflection of Him. Let Him have your heart and your body and see where He leads you. Beauty is when you fear the Lord and follow Him closely. Jesus, help us as parents to teach our girls what Your Word says beauty is. Help us to model that beauty as moms, day in and day out. Help us to create an environment in our homes that is Jesus uplifted instead of self. Help ME to see myself as beautiful so that my daughter will see it in her.