He Called Me Beautiful

I was mesmerized when he called me beautiful. He looked into my eyes and said "you're beautiful..." At the sound of those words I can feel all the walls I built around my heart crumble down. 

(Oh, the power of words, how they can easily build up as much as destroy).

To hear such pleasant words was like honey to the soul. To be called beautiful, it felt as though he looked pass my imperfections, appreciated my humanness, and accepted me for who I am and who I am not. Wow, he must have an amazing mother, to know and see such beauty ;-)

It makes me wonder, if beauty is subjective to the beholder of the eye, where does his perception of beauty come from? At what age do you recognize what is beautiful or develop the understanding and meaning of beauty? Am I responsible as a mother to teach my child this or is it something my child will just learn as he assimilates into society? Does the definition of beauty begin with me? 

... Oh man,  I think its true, so much of me defines, shapes, and builds the man my son is going to be. Of course, as he grows, his ideas and philosophy will be influenced by his life experiences and other things. But for now his concept of beauty and of life, starts with me ... his mother.

Rediscovering myself, I am learning as a mother and a daughter, the impact of being a parent. As a parent, we teach our children who they are, where they come from, their self-worth, we help form the core of their identity. Our words hold so much power over their lives. 

For my 3 year-old son to call me "beautiful," it was the most invigorating feeling. "You're beautiful Momma," in his sweet little man voice, those words flushed the hurt in my heart, sunked it like the Titanic, and pierced a light of life into me...that fresh morning air. I felt as though I finally did something right in a very long time. And in a very long time I finally felt loved and appreciated, I felt like a woman and above all else, I felt complete. 

My prayer and hope is that my son will grow up to be a man who appreciates true beauty and cultivate beauty in others. I pray that his identity is rooted and built on solid ground and solid truth. I pray that as his mother I will be an exemplary role model of beauty, love, and truth. I pray that God will give me the wisdom and strength to choose to live a life that sets the standard high, to rise above any labels that society and institutions have placed on me, to become the woman that is worthy of such words, "you're beautiful" inside out.

To all the mothers raising a young man, I commend you. The world needs more good men, so don't give up doing your best, making wise choices, have faith, be strong and courageous. And mothers, the world needs more good women too, so lets build our daughters with strength, integrity, and beauty through our words and actions.

To all the good men out there, continue to love on us and appreciate us, it motivates us to be our best.

1 Peter 3:3-4 (NKJV) "Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel--rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."