Today I’m linking up with Lisa Jo’s Five Minute Friday fun on the topic of beauty. The purpose is to just write for five minutes and not worry if it’s just right. So, here we go:
Start
The reality of a birth defect means my body and I have gone round and round and usually I’m knocked out first. I accepted the lie that ugly was a fact of my life, end of story.
Thankfully, our God specializes in turning perceived ugly endings into beautiful beginnings.
My birth defect is known as pectus excavatum, and it was just about the only undesirable thing passed down from my Grandpa to my Daddy to me. It means my chest concaves inward, so therefore my breasts do, too. It’s a hard place to have a defect, a place where womanhood grows.
I married a good, good man who calls me beautiful {even when my actions testify to more deformity than my appearance} every. single. day! But this, *this* is what makes me believe it:
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Psalm 139: 14, 15 (the Message)
The Lord made me like this on purpose for a purpose. He wanted me to see past the physical, and to drive the point home He allowed for more stretchmarks than you can shake a stick at {yes…you can end a sentence with a preposition here}. They say a house well lived in looks messy and imperfect, not like a museum. I say a body well lived in looks messy and imperfect, not like a plastic Barbie.
The beauty is in the messy imperfect, and this helps me feel like a knockout. May it help you, too!
Stop
{Confession: Since I wasn’t using a timer, I didn’t look up at the clock until 6 minutes later. I hope that doesn’t get this wild and crazy rule breaker into trouble! 🙂 }
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I love reading these 5 minute posts (6 minutes for yours 🙂 … Psalm 139:14,15 is one of my favorites … makes me thankful for my imperfections too.
You made me tear up! How GOOD GOD IS to give us the husband that we need to make us feel secure and beautiful… and above all else, our Heavenly Father does… for HIS PURPOSE. I love how He says He gave it to you ON PURPOSE! Beautiful testimony!
So glad to meet you!
I wrote about beautiful feet here: BEAUTIFUL FEET BLOG POST:
http://ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com/2011/08/beautiful-feet.html
Oh, my man is such a gift! So glad to meet you, too, Traci!
Kristen,
You are a truly beautiful lady inside and out. What a treasure you have in a sweet husband who will love you as you are. I love this ” The Lord made me like this on purpose for a purpose.”. To be walking in God’s purpose for you is beyond amazing. Thanks for sharing your heart.
You bless my socks off!
Right backatcha, Denise!!
Oh, Kristen! How much I love you. You have been an incredible blessing in my life because you always overlook my “bumps and warts” and help me grow into the woman that God sees me as, not as I see myself.
Inside and out, *YOU* are one of the most beautiful women on God’s green earth. I love you forever and ever!
Hi Kristen! Thank you so much for this! As a teenage girl, I always appreciate when someone takes the time to write and share their heart about beauty because it is something that is a struggle for a lot of teen girls!
Much love to you girlie!
I love you, girl.
“They say a house well lived in looks messy and imperfect, not like a museum. I say a body well lived in looks messy and imperfect, not like a plastic Barbie.” Amen! Those Psalm 139 verses always powerfully remind me of God’s beauty, too.
Thanks for sharing this… and praise God for a sweet, affirming husband!
Lovely post–and a great example of what true beauty is!
kateri @ Dandelion Haven
Amazing, before I even read the post I kept staring at your photo thinking HOW BEAUTIFUL you are.
Loved this. <3
As always, such a lovely post 🙂 love you girl!
love this piece. loved this exercise. i spend an inordinate amount of time focusing on the outside. comparing. competing. but it leads to defeat. every.single.time…..my husband calls me beautiful every day too. these men. they are precious.
Awesome!! Love this beautiful testimony. I’ve been so convicted lately about the inward things, and there true beauty resides, and boy do I need a makeover inside there! 😉 Thanks for sharing this.
I am crying as I write this. How can I thank you for your transparency that has inspired me, all 5’3″ and 103 lbs, and 58 years of age, that I am only as ugly as I allow myself to believe.
As a labor and delivery R.N., i have seen many tummy’s, none have rivaled mine.Unfortunately, my career slams my nemesis into my soul everyday. everyday. I am embarrassed by the stretch marks and feel incredibly and hideously ugly. I know it is vain, I know others have far worse deformities or conditions, but this area of my body has been a constant, daily and relentless reminder of my flaw. Everytime I place a mom on the monitor and see her beautiful skin, I go to a bathroom and weep. Even now, 40 years after my first born, I am tormented and grieved by my body. I have been told I am lucky to be slender and look 10 years younger than my age, but it doesn’t matter. to me, I’m ugly.
Thank you for sharing. I am going to yet again, try and take my ugly beginning and turn it into a beautiful beginning. For my body is indeed one well lived in. Thank you sweet sister for sharing something difficult and being selfless enough to be so open.