More Than Beautiful

This has been on my heart for the past month, but I have struggled to put it into words. Please bear with me while I try to communicate this.

These three words keep rattling around in my head: MORE THAN BEAUTIFUL.

Women want to not only feel beautiful, but be considered beautiful by others. It used to be magazines that set the standard, but now it's how many likes we get on Instagram. And I'm not talking about just 15 year olds here. This mindset has spread to the older millennials, the 30-something moms--my generation.

I guess this hits home for me because in my lifetime, I have been considered both beautiful and the dreaded...NOT beautiful. I clearly remember the look of disgust on a 6th grade classmate's face when she said, "You think you are so pretty, but everyone thinks you are ugly." The context of the situation is that I was a girly girl who liked to curl my hair and wear dresses because I enjoyed it, not because I was looking for approval. I don't know the motivation behind her statement, but I know it has followed me into adulthood.

Here's the deal: whether you are a knockout or not, you are MORE THAN BEAUTIFUL. You are a beloved daughter of the Father. You are a soft shoulder where your child lays their head. You are a word of encouragement to your husband. You are a brilliant mind who makes her visions come to life.

You do not have to take seductive pictures and post them all over the Internet to know that you are MORE THAN BEAUTIFUL. Your outward appearance is a part of who you are, but not the whole. Do not cheapen your beauty by making it seem that it is all you have to offer.

Yes, you are beautiful, but you are SO MUCH MORE. Remember that.