Today at church I had a breakthrough moment. Ellie kept pulling on her headband and instead of trying to distract her or constantly pulling her hands away from her head I took it off and put it in the diaper bag. That's right--my baby girl went through church without a headband or bow or any other adorable accessory. And she didn't seem to mind a bit. Crazy, right? :)
Here's the thing: I was SO excited to have a baby girl so I could dress her up in all the ruffles, bows, headbands, moccasins, and other stylish baby trends. And that's perfectly okay. However, it got to the point where I couldn't leave the house or take a picture of her without an adorable outfit and coordinating headband on. I felt like people were judging me if she didn't look like a model baby at all times and I think social media is the culprit. The only pictures I see of other people's babies are typically when they're dolled up and looking like something straight off of Pinterest. How do they do it?! Where do they find all of the perfect bows and baby-size but very grown up looking outfits?? And how am I supposed to keep up?! I don't want Ellie to be left behind! Everyone needs to know I have the perfect baby, too! Right??
Wrong! Completely wrong and so silly and I'm glad that I had this realization before I raised Ellie thinking that her appearance is all that matters. Because it's not! I know that I definitely get caught up in wanting to have the perfect appearance and judging myself too harshly (I think all women do at some point or another) and I really don't want to raise my daughters that way. I want them to know that they are first and foremost daughters of God. They have a DIVINE nature. They are not from here and they don't have to live like they are. I want them to feel beautiful in their own skin and know that true beauty comes from WITHIN. The most beautiful people I know are those who radiate light--the light of Christ. I want to be one of those people and I want my daughter's to see and recognize that.
Does this mean that I will never buy them new clothes or get excited about getting all dolled up for a special occasion? Of course not! There's nothing inherently wrong with caring about your appearance but when your appearance becomes an obsession or something that decreases your happiness there is cause for concern. God loves us just the way we are and we should love one another (and ourselves) the same!
So Ellie if you ever read this one day please know that when your headbands were bugging you or hurting your head--I took them off. When you didn't want to wear the tiny shoes I thought were adorable-- I didn't make you. Some days you even wore onesies that were gender neutral and people thought you were a boy. But guess what? You were still the happiest baby that I have ever known! And absolutely beautiful. Please don't ever base your worth on your outward appearance. When you have heaven in your heart you RADIATE beauty! I'm so grateful for your daddy who loves me this way and I hope someday you find a wonderful man who treats you the same. We all deserve to be seen as the divine beings that we are.
To you reading this-- yes YOU-- you are absolutely beautiful. You are perfect EXACTLY the way you are. Because that is the way God made you! There is no one else just like you. Please remember your divine potential and treat other's the same. Think of how much more beautiful the world would be if we all lived this way! This is what I want to teach my children and I think I will be a much more successful mama if I do. ♡
"A Christlike countenance that radiates truth, charity, and hope constitutes true beauty—beauty in the eyes of the ultimate beholder, God. True beauty comes from who and what an individual is. Such divine beauty is felt more than it is seen and is not bound by culture, age, or other worldly criteria." -Diane Spangler
{read the rest of this AMAZING talk here}
Belly out, messy shirt from drooling and eating rice cereal, tired eyes, no headband or bow-- and absolutely adorable!
xoxoxox
No comments:
Post a Comment