What's in a smile?
Why do we women waste a good chunk of our lives complaining about our bodies?
We bemoan the loss of smooth youthful legs which have now been generously endowed with cellulite that is neatly decorated with the strong beginnings of varicose veins. And then there are those pockets of fat that gently fold in silent ripples tucked away neatly behind our knees. So cute when you are still in diapers, not so cute when you are on your way to Depends.
Our hair is either too long, too short, too fine, too coarse, too gray, too dull or too thin. We protest our inability to keep up with the endless plucking of chin hairs and the constant monitoring of any and all moles. We fight valiantly to control adult acne, hot flashes and mood swings...unsuccessfully.
We begin to walk with slightly stooped shoulders, a carbon copy of our elders and we hold our newspapers at arm's length so that our aging eyes can focus on the large print of a full colored one page ad.
When someone wants to take our picture we silently remind ourselves to tuck our arms neatly by our sides so a sudden gust of wind can't accidentally scoop up the 'wings' of extra skin and fly us to the moon. We always remember to pose with one hand across our tummies so that no one can see the muffin top that has blossomed to a healthy robust size. And for those few seconds we convince ourselves that if we suck in enough air we will look like a statuesque super model.
We dye and diet, we trim and primp, we pluck and poke, we dress and disguise. We will do whatever it takes to fool ourselves into thinking that we will not change as we age.
But, what if we would spend as much time worrying about the inside of who we are instead of fussing about the outside? Oh sure, taking care of yourself is important, but what if we would look with a more critical eye at our hearts and our lives? Are we primping and prepping the inside like we do the outside?
On our holiday we went to a Bear enclosure in West Yellowstone. It is a great way to see a Grizzly close up and personal with a steel and concrete fence between you. After watching the bears for awhile we walked into the display area where they had displays set up about the various types of bears.
As we were walking around a young woman caught my eye. I watched her for a while, she was standing beside a display, her back to me with her parents. After we had seen and read everything in the small museum we turned the corner and began walking outside. As we were walking to the exit a small boy, about 3 yrs old, came running between Wes and myself. The four of us stood and smiled at him as he chattered his little 3 yr old chatter and then he ran off straight to his mom who had been waiting for him by the door.
We then heard voices behind us and we realized that the rest of their family was coming through as well. We stepped aside and I turned to see the young woman that had caught my eye earlier. She was walking with her parents toward the small boy, but I could not see her face because she was looking down as she walked and her hair was falling down around her face.
The little boy who obviously belonged to all of them turned in circles and continued chattering, so excited to go see the bears. We all laughed at his antics. As I laughed the young woman looked up and her hair fell away and for the first time I could see her face. I would have a hard time describing her face to you other than to say that she was severely deformed. And I say that with all due respect. The left side of her face was more than double the size of the right and was puffed and puckered, but it was her eyes...her eyes that caught my attention. She looked right at me and you could tell by habit, she dropped her head immediately so that her hair would fall forward and hide her face.
I could not look away, I so wanted her to look at me again. I wanted her to know that I 'saw' her, that I was looking beyond the physical her and seeing the warmth and love in her eyes as she watched the little boy dancing around the room. She suddenly lifted her head again and looked directly at me. When she saw that I was still smiling, not at the little boy, but directly at her, her eyes lit up and a glimmer of a smile came shining through. Her mouth did not move easily, but you could tell she had the tiniest of smiles, yet it was her eyes that were engaging and filled with such a sparkle. They glowed with life and love, if anyone took the time to truly see.
She walked away from view, but not from my heart.
So, I wondered as we drove back to the hotel, why do I complain so much about my body, especially when so much of it is self-inflicted as much as it is aging. I pray that when people look at me, they look past what I see in the mirror as a bother or ugly or distorted and I pray that they will rather focus on Christ's love flowing through my eyes.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light." Matthew 6:21-23
We bemoan the loss of smooth youthful legs which have now been generously endowed with cellulite that is neatly decorated with the strong beginnings of varicose veins. And then there are those pockets of fat that gently fold in silent ripples tucked away neatly behind our knees. So cute when you are still in diapers, not so cute when you are on your way to Depends.
Our hair is either too long, too short, too fine, too coarse, too gray, too dull or too thin. We protest our inability to keep up with the endless plucking of chin hairs and the constant monitoring of any and all moles. We fight valiantly to control adult acne, hot flashes and mood swings...unsuccessfully.
We begin to walk with slightly stooped shoulders, a carbon copy of our elders and we hold our newspapers at arm's length so that our aging eyes can focus on the large print of a full colored one page ad.
When someone wants to take our picture we silently remind ourselves to tuck our arms neatly by our sides so a sudden gust of wind can't accidentally scoop up the 'wings' of extra skin and fly us to the moon. We always remember to pose with one hand across our tummies so that no one can see the muffin top that has blossomed to a healthy robust size. And for those few seconds we convince ourselves that if we suck in enough air we will look like a statuesque super model.
We dye and diet, we trim and primp, we pluck and poke, we dress and disguise. We will do whatever it takes to fool ourselves into thinking that we will not change as we age.
But, what if we would spend as much time worrying about the inside of who we are instead of fussing about the outside? Oh sure, taking care of yourself is important, but what if we would look with a more critical eye at our hearts and our lives? Are we primping and prepping the inside like we do the outside?
On our holiday we went to a Bear enclosure in West Yellowstone. It is a great way to see a Grizzly close up and personal with a steel and concrete fence between you. After watching the bears for awhile we walked into the display area where they had displays set up about the various types of bears.
As we were walking around a young woman caught my eye. I watched her for a while, she was standing beside a display, her back to me with her parents. After we had seen and read everything in the small museum we turned the corner and began walking outside. As we were walking to the exit a small boy, about 3 yrs old, came running between Wes and myself. The four of us stood and smiled at him as he chattered his little 3 yr old chatter and then he ran off straight to his mom who had been waiting for him by the door.
We then heard voices behind us and we realized that the rest of their family was coming through as well. We stepped aside and I turned to see the young woman that had caught my eye earlier. She was walking with her parents toward the small boy, but I could not see her face because she was looking down as she walked and her hair was falling down around her face.
The little boy who obviously belonged to all of them turned in circles and continued chattering, so excited to go see the bears. We all laughed at his antics. As I laughed the young woman looked up and her hair fell away and for the first time I could see her face. I would have a hard time describing her face to you other than to say that she was severely deformed. And I say that with all due respect. The left side of her face was more than double the size of the right and was puffed and puckered, but it was her eyes...her eyes that caught my attention. She looked right at me and you could tell by habit, she dropped her head immediately so that her hair would fall forward and hide her face.
I could not look away, I so wanted her to look at me again. I wanted her to know that I 'saw' her, that I was looking beyond the physical her and seeing the warmth and love in her eyes as she watched the little boy dancing around the room. She suddenly lifted her head again and looked directly at me. When she saw that I was still smiling, not at the little boy, but directly at her, her eyes lit up and a glimmer of a smile came shining through. Her mouth did not move easily, but you could tell she had the tiniest of smiles, yet it was her eyes that were engaging and filled with such a sparkle. They glowed with life and love, if anyone took the time to truly see.
She walked away from view, but not from my heart.
So, I wondered as we drove back to the hotel, why do I complain so much about my body, especially when so much of it is self-inflicted as much as it is aging. I pray that when people look at me, they look past what I see in the mirror as a bother or ugly or distorted and I pray that they will rather focus on Christ's love flowing through my eyes.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light." Matthew 6:21-23
Comments
Hope all goes well for you guys.
Have a wonderful day!
Dinah