Monday, April 9, 2012

Beauty is Grace

It's been a season of minor injuries.  Bumps, bruises, scrapped knees and stitches.  I've lost count of how many boxes of band-aids we have gone through.

Today we added another to the list.  Our daughter, the little girl who tries to keep up with her 3 older brothers, fell off one of our kitchen stools and landed on her face.

I watched it happen in what seemed like slow motion, then a scream and blood poured from her mouth.  I swooped her up into my lap and tried to calm her tears.  When the bleeding finally stopped I could see that she had bitten her now-swollen lip.  Then I checked her teeth. 

Our baby girl with the most adorable smile, is now missing half her front tooth.

I called the dentist and was told that there was really nothing they could do.  She's not even 2 years old and it's just a baby tooth.

When my heart finally stopped pounding I looked at our little girl and just cried.

She is no less beautiful to me.

I just never wanted my daughters to go through what I did.  Classmates made fun of my teeth (and everything else) and it caused a deep insecurity in me that I still feel today.  I stopped smiling.  I tried to hide.  My insecurities shaped my personality.

My baby girl is so full of joy.  I don't want her to ever stop smiling.

How do we teach our daughters that they are beautiful?  That true beauty comes from the light in their eyes and the joy in their hearts. 

Today I became painfully aware of how insecure I really am.  So many memories and hurtful words resurfaced along with the imperfections of a body that has birthed 6 children.

But the mirror is full of lies.

What is beauty? 

"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment...instead let it be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's sight."  1 Peter 3:3-4

Beauty is not the perfect smile, the perfect skin, the perfect weight.  Beauty is not the airbrushed magazine covers.

Beauty is grace.  Beauty is dignity and gentleness.

How do we train our eyes to see past the surface...how do we let go of the words that have hurt our hearts and cling to God's words? 

"All beautiful you are, my darling, there is no flaw in you."  Song of Solomon 4:7
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