A False Copy

I was thinking today about a Secret Keeper Girl conference my daughter and I attended several months ago.  We are such big fans and I love their message to young women in today's world.  Teaching Hanna to pursue purity, embrace her unique qualities, and enjoy the gifts of a modest heart plays a huge role in my day to day parenting. 

I have such a passion for Hanna to love herself in the unique way God created her to be.  Something I focused little on as I grew into a young lady myself.  My favorite part of the conference was learning to ignore "labels"....things that lead us to feel horrible about our own character, our outward appearance or anything about ourselves for that matter. 

At the conference, they demonstrated the best example of a label...with labels attached to her garment, she slowly tore the world's view to reveal God's view.  It was one of the most beautiful portrayals of God's love for me because it hit the inner, most haunted part of my life.

I've heard the word ugly spoke more times than I've heard I love you by a spouse.  My image in a mirror reflected unaccepted features and caused years of secret depression.  Name calling and daily criticism added to little confidence and misdirected beauty.  It seemed that physical beauty was the key to happiness in my life, but I received a false copy.

As private as I can get, I went from insecurities as a teenager to insecurities as a wife.  The one reflection I thought would lift me up, tore me down.  Stepping away from labels today is a tremendous breakthrough.  I refuse to let a label tear me apart for one more second of my life! 

I pray that my daughter will never feel anything less than God, her loving Father thinks of her.  I could spend a lifetime of wishes and regrets of my past, but I look to them as a tool to prepare my daughter for what's ahead.  Leading by example, speaking truth of my past, and sharing the word's of her Heavenly Father are some of the best parenting tools I can provide.

There is nothing ugly, disgusting or too damaged for God.  There is nothing or no one on this earth that can take away the very best God has to offer.  There is nothing or no one that can label me anything less than the most of what God thinks of me!  The days that I am able to cultivate the very best of God to my daughter, is the fire that blazes inside my heart before she sets out to extinguish a cruel and hateful world.

There is nothing in a label than what we choose to make of it.  The world sees the label, but underneath is the truth, so choose nothing less that what God thinks of you! 
 

Secret Keeper Girl (click)