Do you accept yourself?
Just as you are?
Do you accept that God made you to be a uniquely called and gifted person?
Imperfectly human but perfectly you?
Yesterday, one of my twins ran out to show me his two pieces of artwork he had created during the day. One was a house scene on a large piece of paper. The other was a bird that looked to be sitting on a pier bathed in sunlight.
“Mom, a couple of my friends told me I should be an artist because my work was so good! I think they are right! I would like to do that!”
Initially, I smiled at the two pieces of art and his declaration of talent. I am always, always grateful when my kids can say something good about themselves.
I don’t think any of us do that enough, do you?
But then, as we walked outside into the cool, afternoon air, an index card fell from his grasp and floated down to the floor. I reached to pick it up and realized it was the note I had put in his lunch that morning.
I hardly ever put notes in their lunches. But that morning, I had sat drinking my coffee staring at a bunch of stickers my twins had placed on my cork board when I wasn’t looking. Inspired by a sticker of a bird, I took out an index card and a pen and drew one alongside a note wishing one of my twins a good day. Then, I took out another index card and did the same for the other (but this time I drew a turtle). I shoved them down in their lunchboxes and forgot about them.
I stood in the breezeway looking from the index card to his artwork clutched tightly in his hand.
He had done the same thing I did that morning. He looked at my image, and he drew his own.
And it made him accept the possibility that he was talented and artistic.
It made him feel beautiful.
The moment made me feel the same.
So, I’ll ask again… Do you accept yourself?
Do you know how beautiful you are?
