Real Beauty

Sarah and I were sitting on the couch last night watching the end of the first couple of SYTYCD finish when the commercials began to roll. When you are sitting with your 7 year old little girl you have to be careful what is thrown on the screen for advertisement sake. It can get a bit dicey.

The first commercial was a plug for Maybeline eye mascara. After the commercial was done, I took this teachable moment to ask a serious and important question.

Me: Sarah, why do you think girls pay a lot of money on makeup and stuff to make themselves seem even more pretty than they already are?

Sarah: I don't know, Daddy. People have so much beauty on their own.

Quick grab the tape recorder! Dang it...none to be found.

She is so right. We have so much beauty on our own. God has been so good to the crown jewel of his creation. I hope she remembers and lives this out in a few years when teenage perceptions and reality begin to take hold.

Though our soul is marred by sin, we still have so much beauty bestowed on us by our Creator. He is constantly at work reminding us, showing us, leading us, and restoring us to the original beauty that we displayed in the garden before the fall. And this restoration project is not primarily physical, but mainly relational and spiritual in nature. It's not about externals, but it's about the heart.

I pray God's grace will keep that nugget of truth that Sarah spoke last night close to her heart. May this daddy foster a sense of strength and security in his daughter that comes from unconditional love and a knowledge of understanding who her daddy/Daddy is and how much I/He loves her.