The Tragedy of Almond Eyes
I keep telling myself that I love my almond shaped eyes, but there are days I think otherwise.
The world we live in glorifies western standards of beauty. I see a vast problem in the acceptance of this narrowed mindset in this age of rapid globalization. Today, the population of Asia exceeds the population of Europe and North America by 40 percent.
So when we push the standards of 1.2 billion to 4 billion, what can we say about the distortion and perversion of beauty today?
I was born and raised in South Korea until 2001 when I immigrated to the States. The messages of Korean media absorbed through my nine-year old brain - and infiltrated through my teen years as I also assimilated to American culture.
I recall a specific diary entry (from fifth grade) where I drew out my face and body now, next to my desire face and body - including double eyelids, taller nose, and skinnier legs.
I knew Jesus as my Savior all my life. In 2010, when I encountered him as a healer and friend, he began a miraculous work in me to open the closed eyes of my heart.
I have not realized how veiled my eyes and judgmental my heart has been. While I tried to attain this impossible standard of beauty, I unconsciously categorized others through the same brutal measurements.
Even when I found the Truth, I struggled in breaking my fleshly eyes that valued those who are more "beautiful" over lesser others - and to value my own body and image.
I found it difficult to accept that His Love covers both my heart and my appearance.
What I didn’t know was that powerful prayer and healing sessions was not the end of the story. Guarding my mind with the helmet of salvation was the next step.
Outside of my church and closet doors was a world waiting to bombard me with lies about how ugly, fat, and undesirable I am. I needed to constantly fill myself with the truth to walk out my healing.
Jesus ushered me into a path of faith: "I have healed you, now will you walk with me?"
Three years later, I'm walking through a redemptive journey of healing, deliverance, and transformation: “In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free” (Psalm 118:5).
As I walk deeper into freedom, I see sisters around me still in cycles of bondage and shame. They love the Lord, but are unable to see beyond how they see themselves - or how they have been taught to see themselves.
The truth is when we give ourselves to God, we not only receive change of the old, but a new heart. The old is gone, new has come!
Renewing our mind is not just seeing differently, but completely discarding our old way of thought to receive the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16).
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12).
Our battle is not just a battle against our minds, but against a whole system of standards, images and cultures.
Our battle is against a distorted system that glorifies beauty standards of minority population over the majority.
Join me in exploration of relevance of culture, history, and faith in defining womanhood - and solution to ride the waves against the norm to come out victorious and lead others to freedom.
Tragedy no more, redemption awaits at your feet. Will you say yes?