On Monday I encountered a woman who had several negative things to say about herself.  When she stated “I am ugly” for the first time another friend of mine was nearby and stated “no you are beautiful”.  My reply was the infamous “God don’t make no junk”  statement to her.  (I did a search trying to find who originally said “God don’t make no junk” and came up with 3,200,000 search results.  The saying has been used in a lot of sermons.) Anyhoo as our encounter continued she continued to sneak in very negative comments about herself and her appearance.  As I found out more about her family I asked her “Does your family love you?” she replied, “Yes”.  I then proceeded to tell her “Well then you HAVE done something right! The media and Hollywood give us women a fake image of what beauty is.”  “Us women don’t get enough credit for what we do and who we are.”  “The fact that your family loves you shows that you are truly a beautiful woman.”  We both started to grow teary eyed at this point because I too fight those negative feelings from time to time.  As I am sure every female on the planet, if being honest, would say they fight them from time to time as well.  Giving her a smile, a hand pat, the fact that I had no further time to go into a biblical sermon I simply finished with “No more negative comments about yourself…you ARE beautiful!”

I am far from being a counselor.  How helpful those few words were I don’t know.  I do feel her struggle.  Outward beauty has been a struggle previously in my life.  At this point it is more of feeling the pressure to be “Superwoman”.  The pressure to work full-time and totally rock as a nurse, to have a perfectly clean house, a perfectly manicured yard, to serve in all capacities at church, to do fun and creative things with my children, to attend every game and performance, plus the burden of wanting to help so many, but not having the resources of time and finances to do everything…the list goes on and on…  Monday I started feeling ill and by Monday night I spiked a fever.  The last two days I was stopped dead in my tracks with no energy to eat or shower. Beauty was far from my thoughts as my hair had a great start in forming dreadlocks if that were a style I chose to pursue. The illness has required me to call off of work and back out of any responsibilities for two and a half days now.  My house is a wreck needless to say.  My family has had to fend for themselves for food.  The only positive that I can muster from feeling crummy is that it does show what all I do accomplish through the day.  When a person is unable to fulfill their normal activities of life it does leave a hole.  My father would often get so doubtful of his ministry as a pastor of a small church.  He would wonder if he was making any sort of difference.  The hole he left when he died is so evident of the difference he made in this world.

We are all beautiful and have a specific purpose that God has planned for us.  Our human nature brings in the negative and doubtful thoughts of our worth.  God reveals our worth if we take the time to listen and to walk with Him.  I love reading Proverbs 31 and pray that God will allow my life to somehow come close to the beauty of “the Proverbs 31 woman”.   “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”