Learning to love ourselves

Editor:

The Catholic Miscellany is an excellent publication. I’m 31 years old and just joined the Catholic Church officially a year-and-a-half ago thanks to my Catholic-raised husband. Reading your publication weekly helps keep me grounded in my faith.

A huge thank you to Christina Capecchi for her recent article, “Heeding Heidi and the empty gains of plastic surgery.” It really hit home for me as someone who works on a college campus and sees so many young women seeking happiness through a slew of physical alterations, partying, promiscuity, and other empty promises. So many women get caught up in an endless, hopeless cycle, trying to obtain the perfect body, skin, or face.

The truth is, according to society’s standards, we’ll never be perfect enough because perfect doesn’t exist in this life. The only perfection we’ll find is in God’s unconditional love for each of us. As women, it’s time for us to stop feeding the beast of physical insecurities. Instead, learn to love yourself as God made you. Learn to love the few extra pounds that come from bringing life into the world. Learn to love the grey hairs as proof that although we’re growing older, we’re growing wiser and stronger. Most importantly, learn to look past what society would label as imperfections in other women, and yourself, and just attempt to see what God sees, the beauty of being His perfect creation.

Jennifer Conner
Aiken