Defining Beauty

Over the past few days, since getting updated pictures of our sweet daughter in China, I have been pondering and reflecting on how our society defines beauty.  Beauty is fleeting...what is viewed as beautiful one day is not beautiful the next...fashion trends come in and go out so quickly...one culture defines beauty in a particular way while other cultures define beauty very differently. 

So why is this so heavy on my heart right now?  Because I have a daughter in China that by many societal standards may not be viewed as "beautiful."  Some would say that her outer appearance is "flawed" because her skin is dry, leathery, cracked, and peeling due to the genetic condition she was born with over two years ago.  Some would say that she is not beautiful because her appearance is not appealing or attractive to the human eye.

But I am SO VERY THANKFUL that the eyes God has given me are able to see beyond the dry, leathery, cracked, and peeling skin of our daughter.  When I look at my daughter--still only a picture on my computer screen--I feel like I can see straight through her beautiful dark brown eyes into her soul, and she is crying out to be loved.  She is a beautiful creation of our Heavenly Father, and I cannot wait to see her in person, hold her in my arms, and hopefully bring a smile to her face...her beautiful face! 

I believe that true beauty is found on the inside.  I have been teaching this to my three biological children and will certainly be teaching it to Jenna.  My concern is that this truth will be harder for her to believe since she has a visible medical condition that goes against the worldly definition of beauty and that will require lifelong care.  However, my prayer is that the love of Christ and the love of her family will provide Jenna with deep-rooted confidence in who she is as a child of the Most High God!

The saying, "Beauty is only skin deep" now takes on a whole new meaning for me.  Jenna's skin may not be "beautiful" in the worldly sense (hopefully with good medical care, it will become much healthier), but the Lord and I both think she is beautiful no matter what her skin looks like.  And oh how I long to discover all the BEAUTY that is on the inside, behind those amazing eyes and in my sweet girl's heart!  She has gone through more heartache in the first 28 months of her life than I can ever imagine, but God's word promises beauty from ashes.  And this is no worldly beauty!  Our awesome God promises beauty that the world cannot define...and my prayer is that Jenna will find her strength, identity, confidence, and joy in the Lord who created her with an eternal purpose that is beautiful!