Broken Beauty

So yesterday we began our day at the beach. It was beautiful and we literally had the beach to ourselves - yeah, it was amazing!!! We spent about an hour enjoying splashing in the waves, hunting for shark teeth, (which I failed miserably at today), and then gathering shells. My favorite part was the joy in my children's eyes as they delighted in their new found treasures and we left with what felt like half the beach in our pails!!

As you know, I try to find inspiration from just daily life and yesterday was no different. Watching them as they picked up broken pieces of shell, squealing at the treasures that they'd found, reminded me of how God looks at each of us. You see, we may feel we're broken or that we're not doing anything right, yet God just sees us as beautiful inside and out - after all, we are made in His image.

What is it that stops us from looking in the mirror through the same lens? Why is it that we can see the beauty in so much around us and yet struggle to look at ourselves with that same unfiltered lens? Being real and authentic means that we are willing to share who we are, warts and all - and yes, that means admitting when we're struggling or feeling overwhelmed and not trying to camouflage behind a fake smile. Wherever we are in our journey, we are still filled with beauty and no pain or sadness changes that.

So today I challenge you to head outside and find a stone or a seashell and admire the beauty you hold in your hands. As you look at it and place it in your pocket, I DARE you to remember that you are beautiful too and in God's eyes are perfectly imperfect just the way you are. He believes it and so the challenge is for YOU to do the same.

As for me, off to wash the sand off our beautiful shell collection and find a place to put them! Life is good .... I DARE you to live it!!