BODY
There was a period of time when I was little where I was all "skin and bones," as they say. Imagine a newborn baby deer trying to stand for the first time, all elbows and knees. Now you get the picture. There is a picture of me (no idea if this pic still exists) where I'm attempting to roller skate and it's painful to look at for the knobby knees and awkward stance.
Add on top of that shiny pale skin and a "carrot top" to boot! In my eyes, I was a sight, ,and certainly not a pretty one.
Here I am far right, with the besties.
Thanks to the people in my life, I finally started to see my red hair (not so red anymore) as a gift, instead of the curse that the kids at school pronounced. And though my white skin wasn't very popular and certainly didn't bode well for the sunbathing that my friends were in to in high school, I have had moments where I am thankful for that "lily white" skin as well. (As long as there is SPF 1000, I'm good.)
Why share this?
As women I find that the majority of us are uncomfortable in our own skin. What a sadness. Here we are in the world - connecting with our Creator, loving our family and our friends and our communities with a generosity and compassion that is beautiful to behold. Creating books and artwork and business opportunities and nonprofits out of the supercomputer of a mind that we possess. Yet when we look in the mirror, get dressed, find ourselves surrounded by other women we would call beautiful, scroll through the socials...we pause.
What would happen if we embraced who we are in these exceptional bodies? What if we acknowledged how life has sprung from our bodies - both metaphorically and physically? What if we gave thanks for the love and care we are able to give with these bodies? What if we felt strong, stood tall, entered a room with confidence? Not because we looked the best or were the best dressed or felt like a beauty queen entering...no, nothing like that. What if we knew in our core that we were beautiful and strong and amazing?
Let me put it like this - what if we embodied how our young daughters, granddaughters and nieces saw us?
My challenge for us today is to imagine and center on what Paul says, "Don't you know that you yourselves are a temple? And the Spirit of the Living God dwells within you?"
Let's take that pause and reflect on how she (the body) has served us and the world instead of whatever is swirling whirling around our heads that isn't helpful at all.
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