I left the house at 6:30 this morning, went to work (with about 15 minutes for lunch), stopped off to look at a mattress, and ended up at my parents house so I could send my taxes. I made it home a bit after 6:00 p.m. Thankfully, my loving husband had the kids fed and bathed. We exchanged hellos and goodbyes at the door, and then I was left with reality of home. After a bit of talking and hugging, the kids sat down with a snack to watch their nightly "program" before bed. I folded 2 loads of laundry and put the dishwasher on. Shortly after, we got situated for bed...read our books, prayed, talked & slumber.... A bit more multitasking, and finally, at 8:39 I headed to the kitchen to start a bath and heat up some supper.....
That's when it happened.
The toll of the day takes hold.... half undressed, I looked in the mirror, and thought "man, you're getting fat..."
WHY??? WHAT??? Obviously, I'm a bit bigger than normal...(considering the 22 weeks of baby growing inside me..) but even still..I'm far from fat.
As are any of you girls...
So why do we judge ourselves like this???
Immediately, I took it back. I got my robe and headed downstairs for a minute. God lead me to this picture of me and a lady I met in Guatemala. I don't know that she had ever seen herself...in a mirror, camera, reflection.(most of the women did not know it was them who was staring back at them from our little cameras!!!)
She was so not beautiful in our standards... the teeth, the sagging (she was still nursing somebodys' child!!), the embedded dirt, the long messy hair...none of it was what we would proclaim as beauty.
But you can't look at this woman without feeling something...she was genuinely gorgeous. The love of Jesus that filled her was far more than any earthly beauty we acquire for...
I know that as we all reform towards the image we want (through healthy eating and needed excercise) we are getting much more INNER beauty from whom God is forming us to be. It can't help but be portrayed on the outside.. And we are blessed to be reminded, when we slip up, that in God's eyes we are beautiful.
What a wonderful way to begin spring.... blooming beauties.
6 comments:
Oh Amy, how true is that. If we stop and here what we are saying sometimes about ourselves, we are saying God you didn't do a good job. I also think we have to treat our body with kindness and treasure it since it's the only one we have. We are the dwelling for the Holy Spirit. So we should be thankful and take care of it as well. I know the older I get the more I want to take care of my body. There seems to be more aches then there use to. YIKES and I'm not even forty!!!!
You are truly an inspiration!!!!
"Keep bloomin"!!!
Luv Tammy
Way to write and believe Amy!!
You are not , nor have you ever been, or will be fat. And you are right beauty is from the inside out.
PS-- I love your hair!! I just a new cut, and if I could get my photos to upload, I'd show you!! Grrrr..........
Love you, hope you send me a least one photo of you and your cute belly.
You ARE beautiful inside AND out!
And I think that the more we BELIEVE God's truth (and not the worlds lies), we will become more beautiful because it does come from the inside and shines out!
Happy Spring! ;o)
Amy
This is great! You did an awesome job....I find it hard to believe that at your (tiny...even prego) stature, the enemy still uses that kind of attack. He truly is the Father of all lies.
Good for you catching him in the act though, and turning it all around...you're awesome.
Keep writing,
Jen
This teared me up. Sometimes I wonder if life would be less complicated for us girls if mirrors didn't exsist?!?!
The best mirror is to see our reflection in our Father's eyes....we are all beautiful and the "apple of His eye".
Take care you gorgeous prego woman!!! You are truly beautiful inside and out!
Hey chicky...thanks for your transparency. I had a bit of a battle today myself...but ended up worshiping my way thru it:o) He's SO good to us:o)
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