As I watched my six year old daughter walk out the door headed to the YMCA this morning I wondered, when does it happen? When does it happen that a once carefree, uninhibited girl turns into an insecure, overly cautious woman?
At some point someone will say to my little girl, "that outfit is dumb." And she will believe it and begin to fall in line with the normalized behavior that surrounds her.
One day some mean girl will look at Margaret, roll her eyes, and tell her she's not cool. We all know those mean girls, unfortunately at times we've possibly been that mean girl.
At the moment of the hurtful remark the girl who was once full of confidence, character, and drive is squashed.
In an effort to preserve her confidence, character, and drive I tell her every day that what is on the inside matters most. I remind her the importance of kindness and generosity. And I tell her she is beautiful.
Don't be defined by the opinions of others! Be defined by the example of Jesus Christ!
Don't be different just for the sake of being different, just be yourself.
That goes for adults too because those mean girls oftentimes turn into mean women. Don't listen to them. The only person that should make you question your self image is Jesus, if you don't look like Him something needs to change.
