At first glance, the woman getting ready to speak to us at a mandatory nursing conference was, by far, one of the ugliest women I had ever seen. Her face was twisted and scarred, it didn't seem to fit the rest of her appearance. She was a lawyer, dressed in a fashionable suit, meticulously groomed. Scheduled to speak on nurses' reporting obligations in abuse situations, I remember thinking, "This woman must have been severely abused herself."
By the end of her program, I thought she was quite beautiful! What was the amazing transformation? Did her appearance dramatically change?: not in the slightest! But my perception of her changed.
Our speaker started in a well-modulated voice, very pleasant to hear. At this point, I don't remember what she said, but I remember that the caring in her shone through her topic. And her smile was very joyful. Very confident in herself, this lovely lady knew what was the substance of beauty: her character, her goodness.
Most of us American women spend a small fortune on cosmetics, hair styles and coloring, and, of course, on clothes. I am always amazed that the poorest women seem to be using the most expensive cosmetics. One thing I learned years ago in my Homemakers' Classes: research proves that most of the ingredients in all cosmetics are virtually the same. The only differences are in the various colors. In other words, good skin with minimal wrinkles comes from GOOD HEALTH, not from any product applied on the outside.
Another essential component of beauty is SELF-CONFIDENCE. We must know and believe that we are doing the very best we can do in whatever life circumstances in which we find ourselves. That will give us the unmistakable air of liking ourselves. How can we expect any others to like us or love us, if we don't like ourselves? Self-confidence will be displayed in how we walk, if we are using good posture in standing up straight, and how we talk. This cannot be overstated!
Supreme self-confidence comes from our beliefs, our knowledge that God is supporting us all, in charge of all, and, most importantly, that God loves us all, one by one, very personally. WE ARE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF A KING!! Please don't forget this! God, this King, will see to it that we have every single thing we NEED, all during our lives.
Looking at ourselves in the mirror is a "still" snapshot. We resemble that face in the mirror, but in 'real time,' we move, we speak, we have facial expressions and body language. Our image is much more than what we see in the mirror.
Bottom line: love God, love yourself, love ALL of humanity! You are God's most beautiful creature!!
No comments:
Post a Comment