Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord
R. The Lord is king, the Most High over all the earth.
Written by Julianna Nett
Ever since I was a child, I, like most kids growing up in the early 2000's, was conditioned to harsh beauty and personality standards. Either you’re too thin or not thin enough or you’re too loud or too quiet. I was a competitive gymnast for about 10 years and then went on to cheer for St. Norbert College which came with the privilege of cheering for the Green Bay Packers. I was pretty tiny, so they would throw me as high as they could in cheerleading, and I loved it. From as long as I can remember, people would tell me to “eat a cheeseburger”, little did they know I was a bottomless pit but did not gain a pound. I never really took it too personally but these people only saw what was on the outside. I also didn’t really wear a ton of makeup in high school but started to much more in college. I got to a point where I didn’t feel pretty unless I was wearing makeup. As I connected more deeply with Jesus and started investing my time in relationships that made me feel inherently beautiful through Him, I didn’t feel the need to wear makeup as much. Now, I’ve gotten to a point where I wear it because I like it, not because I “need it”.
The same goes with my personality. I have a quite loud and bubbly, outgoing personality. There is nothing I love more than to laugh or talk about how great the Green Bay Packers are. I didn’t notice it for a while, but I came to a point where people thought I was either “too loud” or “not loud enough”. However, my brothers would probably argue that they have said the latter. I am the littlest sister, I know my role, and I play it well. There was a point a few years ago, I broke down during a card game with my family because I realized I can’t be what everyone wants me to be. Even if I had a perfectly flat stomach, even if I had “perfect” complexion, even if I had a smaller forehead, even if I had an all around likable personality, even if I had a smaller birthmark, and so on, it wouldn’t matter. I would just always feel as if I wasn’t enough. How lame and miserable is that? I was placing my value in other people’s hands, instead of the Lords. I refocused myself and my life. I realized I need to surround myself with people who think and know I am beautiful the way that I am. Ya know who does truly believe that? The Lord. I asked Him for guidance, and I knew what I needed to do. I unfollowed every girl and person on Instagram that I caught myself comparing myself to or I didn’t really have a personal relationship with. I ended up unfollowing close to 500 people. Now, my social media doesn’t make me feel like I’m not enough. Sometimes, I’ll be brought back into that torcher of comparison for a day or two, but I am always brought back. All of these earthly things do not even matter because this is not my home. My home is in Heaven, which is why sometimes I can feel as if I do not belong. At the end of the day, none of these things even matter because the Lord is truly my King. He is what matters, not how nice your car is or if you have the newest iPhone. It all comes back to Him.
What ways can you recenter yourself back to your King?
Julianna Nett loves iced coffee, tacos, and Jesus. She has been working in the Catholic non-profit world for the past 5 years & has most recently had the pleasure of working in the events field for a Catholic non-profit. She is proud of her Wisconsin heritage and will never miss an opportunity to cheer for the Green Bay Packers. You can catch her on Instagram!
Pray with today’s psalm.