Every girl's dream...

I found this Snow White costume on the clearance shelf at Wal-mart today. Sophia's passion right now is princess. She loves dressing up in the whole get-up: dress, tiara, shoes, jewelry. And I have been slowly collecting things from consignment stores and clearance racks for her to wear. Yes, I know I have played right into the hands of the advertising business. I know it's all a marketing scheme to lure parents into buying more stuff.

And yet what woman didn't dress up when they were little? Or dream of being a princess? I love watching her eyes light up as she twirls in her sparkling dress and plastic clip-on earrings. The longing in her eyes as she approaches Daddy and Mommy to hear the words, "You look so pretty!" Her faltering steps as she attempts to walk in high heeled shoes.

And just because you grow older doesn't mean those longings change. I will always remember this passage from the book Captivating, by John and Staci Eldredge:

The desire to be beautiful is an ageless longing. And it's not just the desire for outward beauty, but more - a desire to be captivating in the depths of who you are. Cinderella is beautiful, yes, but she is also good. Her outward beauty would be hollow were it not for the beauty of her heart. That's why we love her. We desire to possess a beauty that is worth pursuing, worth fighting for, a beauty that is core to who we truly are. We want beauty that can be seen, beauty that can be felt, beauty that affects others, a beauty all our own to unveil.

And as Sophia grows older and goes through the inevitable awkward stages of adolesence, experiences rejection, questions her purpose....it will be our job as her parents to reassure her that she is beautiful, not because of what she looks like, but because of who she is. Yes, she is a princess - but her Prince Charming is Jesus, and her Father is the King of Kings. And this is the source of true beauty - knowing that we are loved unconditionally, accepted unequivocally, and created perfectly, in His image.

The King is enthralled by your beauty. Psalm 45:11