Am I beautiful?

My girls asked me recently if I think I am beautiful. It was a random question that came up while spending our weekly time reading a chapter of "The Christian Girl's Guide to Your Mom." In the back of my mind, I was afraid to answer honestly because I didn't know if the truth would be best for them to hear. I was worried, "If I say this...then they'll think this...about themselves." I am so sensitive toward my girls own maturing sense of self, that I do my best to avoid letting my baggage spill over on them!

I remembered, however, that "the truth shall set you free," so I decided honesty was the best approach. I shared my unprocessed through thoughts with my girls: "I think that for a time during my childhood, I thought I was pretty. But ever since high school, I've believed I was ugly. Even though your daddy and my friends have told me that I am pretty, it has been very hard to believe that it is true. I look in the mirror and see all my faults, outward and inward. I've spent too many years comparing myself to others, and ultimately insulting God's workmanship." I went on to explain that the whole reason I have Psalm 45:11,

The king is enthralled by your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord.

hanging above my mirror in the bedroom is so that I can remind myself daily of what the Lord says about my beauty, and the more important part -- that I ought to honor Him with everything I am, and everything He made me to be, because He is my Lord.

Of course, the girls did their best to convince me that I am the most beautiful woman they know, which gave me the opportunity to remind them that our outward beauty will fade away, but the inward beauty of our souls will last eternally. I tossed the question back their way, giving us a good time of talking about what they think about themselves.

I'm awed by how easily influenced we our by our peers as we mature, especially seeing my older daughter feel the affects of that at the age of 9. Thankfully, the Lord has provided time to talk about such things with them, reminding me that listening to their hearts and praying for the Lord to establish their beliefs is a tremendous responsibility as they face the culture and their own insecurities.

The girl's question, "Do I think I am beautiful?" has been another "wave" of lessons the Lord is imparting on me. I've had to face my definition of beauty and recognize the way it has dominated my life. I've held up a beauty standard for skin, hair, body shape, fashion style, and have never measured up to any of it! My belief that I was not naturally beautiful, led me to strive for perfection in other ways -- my appearance, my home, my job, my kids, my relationships. What a mess of stress, simply because I believed a lie that my Creator didn't do a good enough job!

God is certainly making me see that He did a great job -- from the very hairs on top of my precious head to the tips of my very bumpy toes -- and that I am indeed a beautiful woman in His eyes. As He continues the work on my heart -- transforming the outer and inner all at once -- I see a different gal in the mirror. What I see in the mirror these days, is a woman that loves Jesus sincerely -- and that is a beauty that radiates through my reflection.

God's lesson is slowly changing my definition of beauty, femininity, and even purpose -- for myself and for others. We don't need to be all in order to be all woman inside and out. We don't need to be delicate or breakable in order to be feminine. We are feminine simply because we are female, with all the longings and desires God intended for women to experience. We have purpose, simply because we are made in the image of our Creator, reflecting His glory to others. That is enough purpose for a lifetime!

Am I beautiful, girls? Yes! I am wonderfully and beautifully made, from the point of conception to this very day. Now, what do you say? Are you beautiful? Do you see what God sees when He made you? I hope so. Dwell with Him and let His love fill up your heart and wrap you in complete, radiant beauty!

Listen to this song and let it minister to your heart!