Sun, sand, salt water... and swim suit season?

Hey friends,
I bought a new swim suit the other day in preparation of my two beach trips coming up this summer... I know, I know. The dreaded swim suit season.

I cannot speak for men, but for women this is a time that awaits as soon as the previous season ends. It lurks in the darkness, ready to attack-- especially at the beginning of January after all of the holiday food goodness.

We chastise ourselves for eating that second piece of pumpkin pie, that cookie after 8:00pm, or that third glass of wine. And then it is March. And then April. And finally it is May and we really have to start thinking about vacations, and so we dig out the old faithful. That swim suit that you have had since... well forever because you don't want to shop for a new one. But to your dismay it is over stretched and there are a few holes in it, so you are forced to look for a new one.

Who made up swim suit sizes anyway? They're not like jeans or dresses, and why do they show so much skin? That one looks like half of your undergarments! You need a medium in bottoms and a large on the top-- so whole pieces are tricky; you fill out the bottom just fine, but why is there all of this extra space on top? You've never been so aware of how small (or large) your breasts are until this very moment standing in that dressing room. You're either popping out, or you can't fill the extra space. So you try on another suit. This one makes you feel just as insecure as the last one.

As I went through this process the other day, with nine different swim suits, I found one I liked, but then I wondered if other people would think it looked okay, or if they would judge me or make fun of me while I was reading on the beach. And then it hit me-- I cannot remember what one person was wearing when I was at the beach last year.

Let me tell you something my sweet friends, when you are laying in that sand,  people couldn't care less what you look like. Why would they? There is an entire ocean in front of them!

I don't even remember the color of someone's suit let alone what they looked like in it. But what I do remember is the sun warming my bare shoulders, the waves kissing my toes, and the sand sticking to every single thing I had with me!

So my dear ones, buy that new suit! Find one that you like and wear it proud! If you want a bikini, tankini, or whole piece, get one! If you feel comfortable in it, go for it.

Society tells us rhat we have to look like a  Victoria's Secret model that has been airbrushed and photo shopped so much that she can't even recognize herself on the bilboard in front of her. Society tells us that a "plus sized," ahem, average woman cannot wear a bikini. But she can. YOU can.

How you look in a swim suit, or a dress, or a pair of skinny jeans is NOT a prerequisite for your beauty or worth.

There are not prerequisites for your beauty or worth-- you were created by a divine Creator who gives you worth just because He made you, and sees you as more beautiful than you could ever imagine. So much more than what you look like in some stupid piece of polyester and spandex.

So when you start to feel insecure in the dressing room trying on swim suit number 15, try to remember what the stranger next to you on the beach last year looked like, and when you can't, go ahead and buy that suit! Find your worth in Christ and your beautiful spirit will radiate from within you!