My daughter Rooney isn’t old enough to care if a pair of pants she’s wearing is flattering. She doesn’t stand at the mirror, strategically dabbing concealer over the spots on the sections of her face that are darker than others. She could care less about a sleeveless shirt exposing her upper arms or whether or not people are going to laugh when they see the three random ponytails she asked me to put in her hair that have no real organization or style. They just kind of jet out in all directions, and she really couldn’t be less concerned about it. I love watching her not care about all of these things.

It’s not that caring about our appearance is all bad, but as you well know it’s easy for that caring to turn into an unhealthy obsession. Sometimes, as women we allow our own eyes to deceive us. We look in the mirror and wish God had done something different when He designed our physical form. We don’t consult God’s word for validation or the truth about how He made us. We choose to believe that the world has more to say on the subject of beauty than God does. 

Here are three quick reminders about real beauty.

1. God’s definition of beauty is the only one that matters.

“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’"  

1 Samuel 16:7

2. Just because you don’t feel beautiful doesn’t mean you aren’t beautiful.

“For you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”  

1 Peter 2:9

3. You can be a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time.

“While we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”  

Titus 2:13-14

Let’s teach our girls that real beauty has nothing to do with the mirror and everything to do with our Maker. Pray these truths today: first over you and then over that sweet little girl you’re raising.