Friday, March 2, 2012

Beautiful

As I sit here drinking my first afternoon cup of decaf, I am thinking on a topic that has been holding my interest for the last two months or so.  Once I had Natalie, my life changed in so many ways.  My schedule, my outlook, and, yes, my body, among other things.  During times when I have been tempted to be discouraged because I feel like the first thing people must be noticing about me are the dark circles under my eyes or because none of my clothes fit the way that they used to because everything about my body is different than before, God has brought people around to share encouragement with me and to open my eyes to true beauty.

After Christmas, Patrick, Natalie, and I (seven weeks pregnant at the time) had the pleasure of getting together with our dear friends Peter and Naomi and their two, soon to be three children.  I was worn out from being pregnant, from being up with Natalie, and from being the one who did most of the shopping, wrapped most of the gifts, and cooked all of the desserts.    Over coffee, Peter shared something like, "You know, Erin, there is something just so beautiful about a woman who obeys God and who is devoting her life to raising her children in the fear and admonition of Him.  You're doing a good job."

Coming from Peter, whose wife Naomi is like super-mom in my eyes (two kids, cool recipes, awesome pictures, neat-as-in-fab-decor house . . .), this really encouraged me.  It also opened my eyes.  There is something about women who obey God.

I don't mean that you need to have a houseful of children or a husband to be obeying God, just this: if you are finding joy in what God has given you to do, then that joy radiates from you and makes you beautiful inside and out.  You don't have to be perfect--I'm not . . . trust me, cleaning my house is NOT fun, and I often grumble when I have to wake up at 2 AM to change a poopy diaper and nurse a screaming child.  However, I am fulfilled in role in which God has placed me, and I find joy in the tasks (um, most of them) that he has put in my hands.

You may just see mounds of laundry, piles of dirty diapers, and stacks of dishes (or maybe it's home work, your bedroom, and dealing with siblings), but if you find your joy in the Lord, rest assured that everyone else is seeing a beautiful woman who is striving to obey God.

I look at women like my mother who endlessly cares for her children (home schooling, helping with scholarship applications, tax forms, and studying for exams), her mother, and her home, my sister who diligently teaches a classroom full of 10 year olds and works long hours to make learning a fun and fulfilling experience, and Naomi who nurtures her children and strives to bring beauty to others, and I see beauty.  Beauty doesn't have a size or a skin type, beauty comes from obedience.  Beauty comes from being redeemed.




1 comment:

a.friend said...

Hi Erin,
My first year of college was spent at a place called Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. The girls there were very beautiful. I didn't realize how beautiful they were untill my second year of college which was done at the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. The girls there were less beautiful...in fact compared to the BJU girls there were down right "un-beautiful". I have often wondered it the Christian faith of those BJU girls is what made the differance. They seemed to have had an inner beauty that literally shown through them. Not a very scientific experment. Just my personal observation.