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by Laura Krauss, with Stefanie CoutinhoFlip through almost any women's magazine, surf channels on the TV, glance at any advertisement, and you get the message: "Being beautiful is everything. The beautiful people in this world have it all - love, success, money, prestige, self-assurance."
Our world worships the idol of beauty.
Laura Krauss, a successful model whose legs you may have seen on packaging of Hanes pantyhose, recently shared her story with Christian Women Today and her message that ultimate beauty is WAY more than what's on the "package".
All I ever wanted was to be in magazines, earn lots of money and travel all over the world.
My dream started coming true when I appeared on the cover of one of the top fashion magazines in Europe, Marie Claire. From there I had several opportunities to travel the globe with magazines like Elle, Fursie, German and Italian Vogue, Lei, Linea Italiana and several others. Dior, Chanel, Armani, Ungaro, Jean Paul Gaultier and François Girbaud were only a few of the names I modeled for on the runways of Paris, Milan and Tokyo. The struggle to make ends meet was finally over. Now I could wine and dine in Paris, my new home, and toast fame and fortune.
But after acquiring all I thought I wanted, I realized something was still missing. All the success and attention I received didn't fill the emptiness I felt deep inside.
The "right" look proves elusive
Wearing the right thing, having the right look and trying to fit in was all part of the lifestyle. I constantly got different answers on what look was in, and there was constant competition to have the "latest" in the industry. Rejection was also a big part of it. A picture that was really contemporary and accepted one month was completely shunned three or six months later. I soon learned that you're only as hot as your latest pictures. There was no longevity in any of it.
In the fashion industry you're always striving to keep up because there's always someone else trying to take your place. I began living a very self-centered life. "Me", "myself" and "I" were my three favorite words. I was consumed with my career and getting ahead. I wasn't on the lookout to help anyone and I didn't want anyone to distract me. It was during this time in Paris that I began questioning what had happened and how I reached this point. I thought back to a crucial time in my life.
A classmate from high school had invited me to a concert at her church. I accepted because half of the teen group were boys, and the church was very large, so I knew it could be fun. At the close of the concert, the musician said he had some good news to tell us. I thought he was going to tell us about his first record deal or something. Instead, I learned that day that God loves me, and it's because of that great love that He sent His Son Jesus to take the punishment for all the sin in my life. That night I thanked God for forgiving me and asked Him to come into my life and change me so that I could live for him.
But now, only a few years later, life had lost its true meaning. I had neglected my relationship with God and began to choose my own direction. I felt so empty because I was living for myself and the approval of others. I asked God to forgive me and invited Him to once again take the driver's seat in my life. I started getting to know Him better by reading the Bible and praying, and I can honestly say that having a relationship with Christ has given me more happiness and self-esteem than living a life for myself.
I realized that everything I have is what God has given me, including my looks. In my struggle with pride and confidence, I discovered that I can't take any credit for my looks or the length of my legs, because God created me.
Seeing your beauty with the eyes of eternity
One of the myths of being beautiful is that with it, you can have it all. Perhaps even more insidious are the thoughts that many women - including Christian women - so often entertain: "I wish I were more beautiful. I wish I had ... " This attitude steals from an intimate relationship with Christ. He alone can fill up all the voids in our life.
In my mind, Christ defines ultimate beauty, and yet the Bible says, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him" (Isaiah 53:2b). But He radiated a beauty because of His deep love for us and His desire to bring glory to His Father. It's important for the Christian woman to realize that she truly is rich in comparison to the world. Continue to focus on the fact that God has a call on your life. Making your inner beauty shine through is the greatest thing you can do to bring glory to God. The world is looking for it and you will stand out for His glory.
It's important to guard your heart and mind. Don't read those beauty magazines if you struggle with your body image. Stay away from TV shows that flaunt everything. There are a lot of women who spend hours watching things that promote ideals that they will never come close to measuring up to. They fill their mind with the world. Instead, we need to really train our minds and our eyes to watch and read things that are going to spur us on in our faith, not weigh us down with unattainable ideals.
What you see in beauty magazines and most media is airbrushed. There are also stunningly gorgeous people in the world. If God didn't make you a certain height or weight, you need to do the best with what He's given you. Find out what you look good in and work with that.
As I continue to model, God's Holy Spirit reminds me to think about the eternal and not just the temporary. I find my comfort in knowing that He is in control of my life.
What about you? Is God in control of your life today? You can make your inner beauty shine through as the Holy Spirit brings about God's own character within you. The first step is to make sure that Christ is really on the driver's seat in your life and that you are allowing His Spirit to fill you and empower you.
Pray this simple prayer and by faith invite Him to fill you with His Spirit:
Dear Father, I need You. I acknowledge that I have sinned against You by directing my own life. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ's death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled, and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus. As an expression of my faith, I thank You for directing my life and for filling me with the Holy Spirit. Amen.
