The theme of my month in Cambodia thus far has been the word beautiful. It’s a word to describe the rolling rice fields of the country. It’s a word to describe the enormity of Angkor Wat, and all the other Buddhist temples. You can use it to illustrate the sound of children’s laughter and the sight of gigantic smiles on the faces of the kindest people. It’s also a word to describe the women who live and are from here in Cambodia.
But “beautiful” is not a word they would use to describe themselves. No matter where you go in Cambodia, be it Siem Reap or Kampong Thom, every woman you encounter will tell you that she is not beautiful. No matter how much you insist that she is, how hard you fight the lies of ugliness, she will not believe you.
Let me tell you why.
You see, on my last night in Siem Reap my team and I met a woman named Srey Mom. We encountered her on, again, “ATL” (ask the Lord) ministry. As we were just talking to her and getting to know her, the subject of beauty comes up (as it always seems to have the nasty habit of doing so.) As she was telling us how beautiful we (Americans) were, my whole team jumped to insist that she was beautiful as well. And she, of course, replied that she was not. So my team and I all asked her why she didn’t think she was beautiful. So she told us a whole slew of things that was “wrong” with her: her not pointed nose, her skin tone, her height, etc.
Basically, what she told us is that American women are considered more beautiful than Cambodian woman are in Cambodia.
Srey Mom is just one of the many other women I have encountered who believe that American women are much more beautiful than they are. The women will rave about how beautiful all the girls on my team are, but clam up and shake their heads whenever we try to reciprocate.
And we all get a little (a lot) frustrated.
Because each one of those women (and all the women here) is gorgeous. Their smiles light up the room, and their laughs are infectious. Their souls are stunning and their hearts are kind. They work hard and laugh harder. Each one was handcrafted by our Creator with specific skill sets and abilities in mind.
And it pains us all so much that none of them can see that.
What pains me most of all is that this is not just a Cambodian woman’s problem. This is an every woman problem. Most of us try not to think about it; push aside our thoughts of how we are not beautiful. All the while, our Father is crying out for us to listen to him speaking the words “beautiful, worthy, adored, gorgeous, stunning, mine, handcrafted,” over us. He wants us to know that we were created by a God who does not make mistakes and who makes everything glorious. So how can we not be glorious? How can we not be beautiful?
So, women of the world, here’s my challenge to you. Believe that you are beautiful. Do not compare yourself to other women. Do not think of what you would change about yourself. Because if the Creator of the Universe doesn’t want to change anything about you, then you shouldn’t either. Instead, think of the amazing things about you. Like your smile, and your generosity, and the warmth you bring to the room. If you focus on all the good things about yourself, there will be no room for the bad. Let’s be the generation of women who don’t let comparison get in our way. Let’s be the generation of women who change the world’s views on beauty into what’s on the inside.
It starts with us.
