Look at this beauty.
She’s such a gorgeous girl inside and out. I pray she’ll always know that, and I pray she’ll always let it shine through. I wish I could keep her from ever doubting it. I wish I could shield her from the messages the world will throw at her – the lies – that she has to look or act a certain way to be beautiful. All parents have hopes and dreams for their kids, but one of the deepest desires I have for my daughter is that she knows she is valuable and worthy and beautiful. I want to do everything in my power to instill in her the truth that G is the most beautiful when she is G. She only needs to be herself. I want her to always be bubbling little G even when she’s no longer little.
I know it starts with me. I have to believe I am beautiful. If I believe I am somehow of less value than those around me, my daughter will absolutely pick up on it. Children are sponges. Their brains can take in a lot more information than we think they can. The more information you give a child at an early age, the greater capacity the brain has to store information later on in life. Their brains are built to absorb massive amounts of information while they are young. I am constantly sending messages to my children with everything I do and every word I speak. What do I say about my appearance? Or how do I accept a compliment? What do I say about others? If I am confident in my value and self worth, I believe it sets up my daughter to value herself as well.
I am leading a small group this summer and we are reading the book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. This book is near and dear to my heart, because I read it in the season of my life when I learned to be Lisa. I learned to be comfortable being myself and confident in my beauty. I am reading the book for a second time now with a stellar group of ladies, and we were discussing the section where Stasi writes that the women at this ball she was attending were all exclaiming over each other’s beauty. I absolutely LOVE that we as women can delight in each other’s beauty. Instead of comparing ourselves, we should be celebrating each other! I think it’s such a beautiful concept, because it seems so rare that we truly delight in the beauty of others. One of the ladies in our group shared this, “Admire other’s beauty. Embrace your own.”
So as I raise my beautiful little girl I hope I will exemplify a woman who delights in the beauty of others. I pray that she learns from me to admire other’s beauty and to embrace her own.
Because I think she is lovely.
