What You Don’t See Is What I See…

I was standing behind the counter when she walked in the door. I said “Hello, how are ya?” and when she turned to respond that’s when I noticed… how absolutely beautiful, clear, and glowing her skin was. It appeared to be the finest porcelain. How an angel would look I imagined! Jealousy stabbed at my heart, twisting it’s blade as it sliced down deep into my hidden insecurity… How could anyone have skin such as that? Not a blemish, not a scar, just smooth… smooth as silk…

Her search for the perfect pair of britches had led her to where I worked. I loved the art of helping girls find clothing that fit their figure and gave them that boost of confidence. But the more I looked at her skin the more I felt self conscious. For many years I had struggled with my complexion. Break out after break out… re-doing my makeup every lunch time in an effort to COVER UP WHAT I REALLY LOOKED LIKE! My face hurt to the touch, scarred under the thick foundation, purple whenever I got cold… “you’re so ugly” my mind told my heart in that fleeting moment when I allowed envy to take hold.

Nevertheless, I pasted a smile on my wounded face and placed a heaping stack of jeans in the dressing room for her. Pair after pair she tried on with no avail. Dissatisfied with how she looked, she tossed each one in the “not for me” pile. As she stepped out with the last one and we stood there looking in the mirror together she turned and said to me, “Ya know, if you weren’t so skinny I wouldn’t look so fat!” Shocked down to my roots, I stared at her for at least a year, I swear, before my senses came back to me. Closing my mouth to prevent stuttering, I shifted my gaze from her perfect face to my shuffling boots, swallowed hard and blinked back a few tears. When my eyes again met hers I felt overwhelming compassion, understanding and a smile steal across my face. I knew she needed to see what I saw when she first walked in. I knew she needed someone to open her eyes to the beauty God had created in her!

So I said, “It’s strange how each of us regard in another the very thing we want for ourselves. You see me, my skinny form, and to you that would give all the confidence you could ever ask for! Your struggle is weight, and I have landed it lucky you suppose. But I want you to look in this mirror and catch a glimpse of what I see. Do you see it? No, you are blind to your own beauty, as most of us are! You have the most beautiful complexion I’ve ever seen! Your tone is gorgeous, your skin is flawless! If I had your skin I think I would be the most confident girl in the world! To walk around knowing I had no blemishes, would be paradise for me! Marvelous far beyond anything I can imagine would be to look like you! Please, look at yourself through another’s eyes and maybe you too will recognize the true beauty you are!”

I hope she remembers our brief conversation forever! I hope she draws from it when she feels inadequate, insecure or unlovely. I hope she recalls that when she looks at herself and sees things that she doesn’t like, others look at her and catch site of what they’ve always wanted.

I know I’ll never forget. I’ll never forget how often we look at other’s strengths and disregard our own. We see another’s beauty and completely discount what we’ve been blessed with. Overlooking the delicate artistry with which God has so graciously painted us, we grasp for something that we envision will bestow on us perfection.

So go… look in your mirror. See what I see! Take special note of your strengths, your gifts, your talents. The voice of our weakness too often speaks the loudest, but I’m certain we can silence it when we take time to recognize and be thankful for our strengths!

Every woman wants to be beautiful, and every woman is!

Take a walk down the path of your heart to behold where true beauty lies

Make gentleness, kindness and hope the gleam that lights up your eyes

With her price far above rubies, a virtuous woman is a most precious gem

With God in her heart and Christ by her side there’s no battle she cannot win!

Be the woman in Proverbs, be kindhearted, honest and true

Be the light in this world full of darkness SHINE LOUD, beautiful YOU!

Proverbs 31:10 KJV

[10] Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.