To the Girl Who...

We live in a culture where standards for beauty are high. We so often walk around comparing ourselves to each other. “She’s skinnier than I am.” “She’s prettier than I am.” And somehow, that makes us feel inferior. It makes us feel like we’re not enough. Insecurity clings to us like a leech does to skin, and we feel paralyzed inside. 

My heart breaks when I see young girls at my school who are staring at themselves in the mirror when I enter the bathroom, and who are still there when I leave it. My heart broke the other day when I heard someone say, “they should put a full length mirror in every girls bathroom...no one understands the struggle.” My heart yearns to give these ladies a hug and whisper into the depths of their soul, “You’re Beautiful.” Yet I never have the courage to. 

My mom and cousin were going to pick me up after school today, so we could go shopping. They told me they were stuck in a long line of cars however, so I took advantage of the extra time I had and went to the restroom. Both of the two stalls were occupied so I leaned up against the wall and gazed into what was straight in front of me...happened to be the mirror. I wasn’t looking at myself; I was daydreaming...doing one of those “I’m looking forward but my mind is entirely somewhere else.” I awoke from my micro-sleep when a stall opened up, and I noticed a girl whom I had never seen before, at the other sink washing her hands.

When I exited the stall to wash my own hands, she was still there. When my eyes met hers, she said the following words: “You’re really pretty. Just in case you were wondering.” Before I had a chance to say anything, or even take look at who she was, she had left. My mind replayed those words over and over again, wondering if what had happened was a dream. This girl had just said the words I’d always wanted to say. And it meant everything. It made my day. 

The world needs more people like that young lady who waited for me to tell me I am beautiful. I think it’s something we all forget. In our heads, we know that we’re beautiful and that we’re the apple of God’s eye. Yet in our moments of insecurity, it’s so easy to forget. Sometimes we need people to speak that hope into our lives. We need people to be the voice of Jesus for us. 

Let’s strive to be bearers of hope and encouragement like that young lady was. The world sure needs more of them <3