Oh, What a Head-Turner!

Do I love you because you’re beautiful,
Or are you beautiful because I love you?
~Rodgers and Hammerstein 

Cinderella

Oh, how I wanted to be pretty when I was growing up! I’d stand at the mirror and primp and fuss, but no matter how hard I worked at my appearance, I never felt satisfied. And from early on, I knew why: I couldn’t really be beautiful, because I couldn’t measure up to my ideal of beauty: my mother. To me, she was (and is) the most beautiful woman in the world, and I was the exact opposite of her in every way.

She was dark, I was fair. She was small, I was large. She was courageous, I was fearful, she was a bundle of energy, I needed to take naps (I was only a child after all).

During those early years, I’d slather on my mom’s ruby-red lipstick, look in the mirror and, with a sinking heart, realize that my ideal of beauty was unattainable. No matter what I did or how hard I tried, I just didn’t look like her.

I wonder… can you relate? What’s your ideal of beauty, and who represents it? A stunning movie star? Someone you know?

If you have trouble articulating it and are reduced to naming names, (like Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, or your mom) I’m not surprised. Beauty is difficult to define. The perception of beauty is subtle, intuitive and unique to each individual. It varies dramatically within generations, families and cultures.

So… just what is beauty? What is beautiful to you? If you happen to think your mom’s the most beautiful woman in the world, even though I think my mom is, I can’t argue. Why? Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Don’t try measuring up to impossible standards; you’re only guaranteeing personal failure. Recognizing beauty and appreciating it is one thing, but don’t make the mistake of getting hung up on (and intimidated by) unreasonable comparisons like I did as a little girl. You are not who you’ve compared yourself with, and I am not my mother.

God made you a one-of-a-kind original. You are uniquely beautiful, just as you are… a real head-turner. How do I know? Because God said so. Read Psalm 139:14-17 and see for yourself.

He does not love you because you are beautiful. You are beautiful because He loves you.

© CRL 2009 All rights reserved

Image: Stock