Beauty... in sixth grade!

Hey there BEAUTIFUL friends,


Last week was my spring break and I spent the weekend with some awesome people from the Delaware area and some youngsters (3rd-5th graders) at Winter Camp. I enjoyed the kids (they made me feel kinda old :)) and seeing them grow and begin to understand who they are, and who Jesus is!

Then, on Sunday I caught an early flight to Florida with my grandma. It was a good week. We did lots of shopping, and walking around Delray Beach. I got to know my grandma a little better which was nice. We had not been around each other for a week straight (for a long time). Anyway, it was a nice break, and then I returned Saturday night. I got to spend time with my family and friends Saturday night through Sunday. I loved break so much that I didn't drive back to BG until Monday morning. But, before I left I went with my mom to school for her first class period. I had to get some shots for my photography course, and who better to shoot than my crazy, awesome mom! ;)

While I was there, I sat at her desk while she did her thing. I noticed this girl who sat at the back of the room. She was wearing a BRIGHT pink dress with sparkles all over, heels, and her shoulder length hair nicely straightened, and the front pulled back with a clip. She was such a cutie! It was her day to present her national disaster project. My mom has them dress up for this. Anyway, this girl looked like a rock star! That was a dress I would have worn to a homecoming in high school! It was great.

Then, being the creeper that I am I was listening to a conversation she was having with the girl next to her. She was irate that her mother would not let her wear makeup. (She was grounded... from makeup.) She proceeded to get up and march to the bathroom covering her face. A few minutes later she returned in big sunglasses (you know the big lensed glasses that women wear these days) so you couldn't see her eyes and half of her cheeks. She kept talking about how horrible she looked and she just couldn't show herself without makeup.

I was shocked. completely shocked. 6th grade. I wanted to stop my mom in mid sentence and talk about beauty to these 6th grade girls. I am sure the boys would have thought I was insane. But, I couldn't help thinking-- They are so YOUNG and BEAUTIFUL!! I just wanted to tell them that so bad! When we put on makeup and all of these things that supposedly make us "beautiful" we forget that we are beautiful just the way we are, the way we were CREATED!! Then I realized, I am guilty as well. I go out without make sometimes, but I am tough on myself about how I look. How can these young girls believe they are beautiful just the way they were made if the older women around them don't believe it(and live it out)? That morning I had a new outlook on what it meant to be a women of Christ. It does mean being encouraging, loving, and all the things we can find in the scriptures. BUT, it also means being a role model for these young girls. THEY need us to know (and truly believe) that we are beautiful...not because of the products we use, but because we were created in the image of Christ... The MOST BEAUTIFUL image!
So, man or woman, young or old... YOU are beautiful. Let us start believing it!

In Love,
Maddy