My daughter is fascinated with mirrors. At 10 weeks old there is nothing more exciting than studying her own reflection. She inspires me. Her innocence wrenches my heart. The other day as I watched her practice crying in her toy mirror, (fake crying I assure you) tears rolled down my face as I wondered how long she would enjoy this simple act. I realized that within a few short years she will likely look into a mirror with not contentment but disgust.
We live in a society that trains us as women to pick apart every nuance of ourselves that does not fit into the mold of the current standard of beauty. For as long as I can remember the mirror has been a foe of mine. My earliest memories are tainted by the devastation that anorexia and bulimia can wreak upon a family, my family. To this day I spend a ridiculous amount of time fretting over what to eat, truly whether or not to even eat. I worry over what size I am and what I will wear. I obsess over if I'm thin or fat, ugly or pretty, trendy or plain. I worry about whether or not my husband will love me or be attracted to me if I gain 5 pounds of have a pimple! It's a travesty to have my life saturated with the obsession of beauty.
I want more for Abigail. I want my daughter to grow up knowing that she is a princess of the King of Kings. I want her to know that beauty, the true kind, comes from within. I want her to be filled with peace when she looks into the mirror. I want Abigail to treasure herself enough to dress modestly. I want my daughter to know that she is beautiful...truly gorgeous, and I want her to have an accurate standard against which to measure this. I want to be an example to her, to change my way of thinking. I want to make a conscious effort to train Abigail up with this mindset. Hold me accountable.
Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised
1 Peter 3:3-4 It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful.4 No, your beauty should come from within you—the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit that will never be destroyed and is very precious to God.
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oh how i identify with this post... if i had all the time back from the time i've spent worrying about how i look if i'm too fat on a certain day or how many calories i just stuffed into my body i would have a lot of time...
ReplyDeleteI love that you posted this because so many girls/women spend so much time obsessing over looks. I too hope that our little girls grow up to know how beautiful they are in our heavenly Fathers eyes.
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