ABCs of Me: Beauty, Brain, and Brawn

Beauty, brain, & brawn.  Can anyone person have all 3 of those?  I think so!  And if you don't mind me saying so, I think I have all 3!  Now, I am not bragging but I have been on a long journey to come to these 3.  While I am still growing and developing, I have a great start on beauty, a brain, and brawn.

Brawn

Brawn is defined as muscular strength.  When I was a teen and into my 20s, I was skinny, super skinny.  I looked great in clothes and could eat anything I wanted.  But coming into 25-30, I realized that eating like that was no longer possible.  After having kids, the words super skinny would never ever define me again!  I gained a bunch of weight but decided that I could work it off.  I began to run, do squats, lift weights and eat properly.  What happened?  Well defined shoulders and arms and toned calves and butt are what happened!  While I came to grips with the scale and its failure to say what I wanted it to say, I gained muscle and strength.  At 18, I couldn't do a push up or pull up.  At almost 40, I can!  I can run 5 and 10Ks and mud runs.  I am stronger, physically, than I was 20 years ago!  Brawn?  Yes, I have it!

Brain

I hate it when people say, I have brains!  No, you have 1 brain unless you have 2 heads!  Anyway, I digress!  I have a brain!  Yes, I do!  I have always been smart especially where books are concerned.  I, also, have drive and determination.  If I fail at something the 1st time, I will work and work until I get it.  As I am aging, I find that my brain power where people are concerned is growing.  I have never been a good judge of people.  I  was always too trusting and quick to see the best in everyone.  I have learned that what people put forward is not always the truth.  It is the truth that they want you to see.  I have become better at reading people.  I am still good with trivia, puzzles, and I am still a voracious reader.  My brain is constantly in use and that is a good thing!  I don't think that some people ever use theirs, but again, I digress!

Beauty 

I have never been what people consider beautiful.  My mom told me I was beautiful and I believed her because she is my mom and she wouldn't lie to me.  Guys told me I was beautiful but there was usually something that they wanted from me.  I never really thought I was beautiful, inside or out.  I struggled with beauty for the better part of my life.  That struggle stemmed from my belief that beauty was only physical.  As I began to develop my brain, I realize that I wasn't pretty inside.  I was damaged, hurt, and scarred and that wasn't attractive.  As the Lord began to heal me from these scars and all the damage, I began to feel worthy and like I have value.  God began to show me where He called His masterpiece(Eph 2:10).  I am something of value!  So valuable, in fact, that He sacrificed His only Son so that I could live!

As my value and beauty became less distorted, my view in the mirror became less distorted.  I began to see myself through His eyes.  The extra pounds?  Those were gained while having my babies.  The scars on my abdomen?  Those were gained so that my children(and I) could live.  My freckles and wrinkles?  Signs that I have sat in the sun and laughed.  Breasts that aren't as perky as they used to be?  I was able to feed all 4 of my living children with them.  I am so blessed and God didn't make me to be junk.  I am a masterpiece, His workmanship.  Worth more than a Van Gogh, Renoir or Picasso.  Yes, little ol' Southern me!

The last piece fell into place when I had my 2nd daughter.  People tell me that she looks so much like me.  If I say that I am ugly, then what does that say about her?  She is so stunning!  I don't want her to have that distorted, damaged view of herself.  I want her to see her value from the get go.  Finding healing in this area will help my children see their beauty.  I am beautiful!

Beauty, brain, and brawn.  Yes, we all have them.  They just need to be honed and discovered!  We are all creations of the Great Creator.  He doesn't make junk!  We just take His masterpiece and paint over it with our own finger paints and watercolors.  Can you imagine doing that with the Mona Lisa?  No!  Why do we do it with God's work?  What are you doing to allow God to clean up the canvas?  Have you discovered your 3Bs?


If you missed my Letter A from last week, click here.  I am blogging through the alphabet with Proverbs 31 Mama.  Check her out along with all the other bloggers who are on this journey!  You might just find some great recipes and great stories!

What To Do When You Are H-O-T....

Yesterday, I wrote a post about the things you can do when you are hot.  Today, I am writing a post about what you should do when you are H-O-T!!  Now, you may not know that you are hot or you may know that you are.  There are several ways to tell.  If people turn and stare at you when you walk down the street, you may be hot.  If you don't throw up when you look in the mirror, you may be hot.  If your hubby sends you a text message at church telling you that you look hot, you probably are.  So what to do with that?

#5 Denial
     A polite "you are too kind" or "you are precious" will suffice.

#4 Acceptance
    A gracious "why, thank you" or a big grin is certainly with the realm of tastefulness.

#3 Brag
   A cocky "yea, I know" fits this scenario.

#2 Become a model
   But really who wants to eat that little and be that stuck up?

#1 Kiss your hubby and feel more confident.
   That message from your spouse of almost 13 years and after 4 babies will boost your confidence just about more than anything else he may have said before.  "You look hot" is different from "you are pretty" or "you look nice" or "you are beautiful."  Hot implies that he desires you still after all these years.  Hot implies that he is truly looking and not just saying what must be said to his wife out of duty.  So throw your arms around him and give him his just due for it!  I know I did!