Beauty

 We all get wrapped up in the word beauty.  What makes us beautiful?  We see those models and actresses.  We want those perfect bodies.  We often hate on our own bodies.  I truly believe both men and women do this but women do it far more often.  This morning I had a wonderful reminder of my own obsession with wanting to be seen as beautiful.  Gabrielle, "I like your freckles.  They make you interesting."  Me, "Thanks.  Sometimes I feel like I have too many."  Gabrielle"No.  God made you that way.  That's how many you are suppose to have. I love them."  

 This is a close up picture of my daughter's beautiful black, curly hair.  This is right after a bath and a combing.  She tells me often that she wants straight, red hair like mine.  I tell her that people pay big bucks to get curly hair like hers.  I tell her how I always wanted curly hair.  I tell her that people with straight hair want curly hair and people with curly hair want straight.  

What I don't tell her is that women are too commonly not happy with themselves.  That a lot of us, I dare say the majority, have body image issues.  I don't tell her that I want to lose weight so bad, but due to my back/shoulder/arm/hand pain can't work out yet.  That I tried last year and was on a great track and got knocked off that track with health issues.  I don't tell her that most people can find something wrong with themselves.

I do tell her that God made her with black curly hair because God wanted her to have it.  That she is beautiful just the way she is.  Today she threw those words back at me.  I needed that.  We all need that reminder.  We are all made in God's image.  And we are all beautiful.