I look at myself in the mirror and think, “I wish I could see what others see”. When I look I see every flaw that my body has, and I definitely don’t see BEAUTY.
The dictionary defines beauty as “the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind” it can be in the form of “sensory manifestations”, “a meaningful design or pattern” or anything else that is considered aesthetically appealing.
So why is it that we are constantly looking for BEAUTY in the mirror? Do we forget that so much of our beauty is WITHIN?
“Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to God.” 1Peter 3:4
When preparing for my daughter’s first pageant I found myself overwhelmed with the “perfect” look. What if I get the wrong dress or the curls, that I spent ALL morning perfecting, fall? In the end, none of that mattered. She had an amazing dress, the walk and the hair, and she didn’t “win”.
It was the first, of many, lessons that I have learned about the true meaning of beauty. Anyone can put on a beautiful dress; the real beauty comes from YOU. The reality for my little girl that day was that she had gotten a fever in the midst of competing and just wasn’t feeling well.
BEAUTY isn’t about the color of the dress or the designer; it’s what YOU bring to the dress. What’s WITHIN will shine outward.
Goodness and humility will outshine the bold and thoughtlessness. When you are positive, kind, and giving we see a CONFIDENT, POISED, and BEAUTIFUL woman standing before us.
If you were to stand in front of an audience what would they SEE? Would they see a beautifully confident woman and if not are you willing to look WITHIN and CHANGE what you don’t like?
“SINCE LOVE GROWS WITHIN YOU, SO BEAUTY GROWS. FOR LOVE IS THE BEAUTY OF THE SOUL” ~ Saint Augustine
This is so true for many, if not all women. Beauty does come from within and many tend to struggle with the exterior pressures to be just right. We are not meant to fit in the same mold. That’s the beauty of life, diversity!
Boy, this really brings us to think about the younger generation and how they think about themselves. The social media focuses on the look and can.be harsh. Its up to us to teach them that the inner beauty is the most important and to embrace our differences. Thank you so much for your teaching words.