I WILL NEVER FORGET the time during my early 20's, when I became acquainted with a woman who would often greet me with the salutation, "Hello Beauteous One!" At first I thought she just picked that phrase out of the wind as a cute way to say hi, yet every time we'd meet, she would address me the same way. It was always done with such grace and sincerity that I began to look forward to bumping into her, so I could hear her say those words again. And she would!
I've sometimes wondered if she recognized that I needed such a message at that time in my life. As I was growing up, in my heart of hearts, I never felt beautiful. But, as this woman kept 'watering' my heart, reinforcing this positive message time after time, I began to blossom under those affirming words.
There is something deep within the feminine heart of each woman that needs to know she's lovely in someone's eyes. Could it be that's why we can obsess about how we look... we want to know, Am I beautiful?
Not that long ago, when I asked my husband of some years something about being beautiful. He has always affirmed since we first met that in his eyes, I am beautiful, with or without my makeup on.
But this particular day, I deliberately made a choice to believe him. The amazing thing was that my heart settled into that knowledge and I haven't obsessed about how I look since. Now that doesn't mean I dress like a slob, I don't, but if the hair-do isn't perfect, or the nose is red from a cold windy day, I rest in the knowledge that his eyes still behold me beautifully.
It's made my life more beautiful. I hope you find that to be true for yourself as well!
But this particular day, I deliberately made a choice to believe him. The amazing thing was that my heart settled into that knowledge and I haven't obsessed about how I look since. Now that doesn't mean I dress like a slob, I don't, but if the hair-do isn't perfect, or the nose is red from a cold windy day, I rest in the knowledge that his eyes still behold me beautifully.
It's made my life more beautiful. I hope you find that to be true for yourself as well!
Grace Note
For the rest of the week, why not look for ways you can lavishly hand out compliments to the women around you... compliments that you mean, of course....and then remember to deliberately believe any you receive from others.
