A Beauty Breakthrough

Have you ever picked up a book and knew right then it would change your world?

Well... I've picked up tons of books over the years and many have added depth and richness to my life. Some have even drawn me closer to Jesus and made me love Him more.

But until a few weeks ago, I couldn't say a book changed my world.

I'll share the title in a minute. But first, the big deal...

I have three beautiful daughters who I love with all my heart. Princesses I spend almost every waking moment with being both mom and teacher.

And I love it.

But my oldest and I have always looked at the world through different glasses and never quite found a way to meet in the middle.

That dissonance has reared its ugly head lately and left both of us hurting. And I’ve been unable to just walk away and hope it gets better this time.

Please tell me I'm not the only parent who tried to tuck something under the rug because you had no idea what to do with it!

Enter my best friend. Jen loves my girls dearly and me too. She's also the one to listen to me rant and then tell me I need to go have a talk with Jesus. Kind of a "you need a come to Jesus moment right now" sort of thing.

But last week, she didn't tell me to go talk with Jesus. Instead, she poured out His words until they overflowed my heart.

They stung at first. REALLY stung as she pointed to my aching heart and said I had a big part to play in that pain. As in you need to stop living with guilt and using it as a smoke screen to the real problem.

Ouch.

After about an hour, I was in tears. Something I'm not given to do where anyone can hear me. But Jen was right. And I needed a long stay in my heavenly Father's arms to see the past through His eyes, repent, and see my sins and my children's nailed to the cross.

Nailed there paid in full.

I got up from the floor of my bedroom and couldn't wait to see what God would do next, how He was going to answer my prayers for healing in my relationship with my oldest daughter.

Then I woke up the next morning and felt like a teen on my first date. Shy. Awkward. Wondering what in the world I was supposed to do.

God kept flashing the cover of a book in my brain and started walking my feet down to my oldest princess's room. There I stood in the doorway and asked if she'd like join me in a new beauty routine I'd started from this amazing book: Beauty Secrets of the Bible.

She said yes. And we had a totally normal, girly spa session that opened the door to another long talk. A talk that ended with lots of tears and true repentance.

And my daughter's assurance that I'd not lost her heart, but gained it.

Now there's so much more to this story that a blog couldn't contain. But I'll let my wise daughter's words sum it up....

After we read the ninth day of beauty devotions in Beauty Secrets of the Bible, my oldest looked me in the eye and smiled, saying, "I'm glad you got that book. It's helping me stop thinking I'm not beautiful and see that I am beautiful in Jesus."

We would have never had this ah-ha moment and the breakthroughs before if it hadn't been for God speaking through a best friend, a beauty secret, and an amazing book.

Want in on some of the beauty secrets that led to a bonding time with my daughter? Check out Ginger's website and some sneak peeks from her book, Beauty Secrets of the Bible: http://gingergarrett.com/downloads/

It may be that, like me, you need some time in your heavenly Father’s arms to sort out fact from fallacy and see yourself and your children as beautiful.

I pray you’ll make that time. And give yourself a treat that nudges you down that road. (hint: Ginger’s book is awesome!)