Redefining "Beautiful"

(by Terri Urban; Kimberly Jordan; Jeanette Campbell; Lynn Shaw; Calista Baker)

Through my missions work with hungry, uneducated children in developing countries, I've learned that worrying about a skin blemish or my oversized nose is a superficial waste of energy. I need my passion for more important things!
(Terri Urban, Colorado)

My daughter, Hannah, was 5 months old and I was still pudgy, jiggly, and lumpy from what I call "the 4th trimester," when I discovered I was pregnant again. As I hung up the maternity clothes I'd put in storage only days earlier, my size-6 jeans taunted me in my closet.

Hannah is now 18 months, and sweet baby Sarah is 4-1/2 months old. Yesterday, Hannah touched my cheek and said, "Mama pretty!" Her sincerity made me feel like a queen. Last night, Sarah's entire face lit up with a radiant smile as I walked into the room. This morning, my husband looked at me with love in his eyes, silently telling me I'm a beautiful wife and mother. I'm blessed with a family that reflects the God-given beauty within me.

And those before-baby jeans? I gave them away. Last time I checked, God's beauty didn't come packaged in size 6!
(Kimberly Jordan, Arizona)

A few months ago, I joined a weight-loss program and started going to the gym every day so I could look beautiful. Soon after, I realized I was trying to live up to the world's impossible standard of beauty, not God's. Proverbs 31:30 says, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Now when I exercise, my focus isn't fitting into a certain clothing size, it's staying healthy so I can live long enough to watch my children grow up and have children of their own.
(Jeanette Campbell, Ohio)

Every year our town selects a woman to reign over its 4th of July festivities. Last year my professional women's group asked me to represent them in this competition. Though I thought it would be a great way to highlight our group, I almost didn't participate, because I have what author Liz Curtis Higgs calls an "abundantly blessed body."

When my name was announced as the winner, I was stunned. I'd prayed I'd represent women of all sizes who struggle with the idea that beauty is only external, but I had no idea I'd actually win! Receiving so many well wishes since that night has helped me be able to look at the pictures of my crowning and see the glow of my spirit instead of the size of my body.

When I rode in the 4th of July parade with my husband and our boys, I didn't dwell on whether or not I looked good. I simply had fun waving and celebrating the first Independence Day of the new millennium. We had a blast!
(Lynn Shaw, Indiana)

My mom taught me a lot about beauty as she cared for her own ailing mother a few years ago. Real beauty was the way Mom unselfishly spent day after day at the nursing home. Real beauty was my mom stroking her mom's hair and singing "Family of God" in her ear. Real beauty was evident in this woman who never complained about putting her life on hold for several months. As I watched Mom nurturing her mom during the days before Grandma's death, I knew this was true beauty in action.
(Calista Baker, Kansas)

Source: christianwomentoday