She was so cute, standing there in front of the mirror, entranced by her own beauty.
I put the camera up and began snapping. Through the viewfinder’s limited field, the scene took on the surreal appearance of two identical little girls, making friends, dancing together, hugging and kissing by turns.
Adorable. I could look at pictures of my little birthday girl all day. And so could she. We’re alike that way. We both love looking at ourselves.
I spent the next several days reflecting on Ann Voskamp’s assignment for this week: loving like Jesus. I dread making the obvious connection, the worn-out cliché, no matter how true: loving my children, watching my children love, the special love of a child with special needs…yada yada. Those things are all true, but hopelessly trite. I’m looking for something deeper. Deeper, and yet true—not contrived, not holier-than-thou…something that will make the quick clicker sit up and say, Hey, this woman’s got something to say that’s worth hanging around for! Something that will increase my hits and my platform base and…
I was looking at the pictures again when realization smacked up against the locked door in my brain and blew it open.
How can I love like Jesus when I’m so enthralled with myself? It’s all about me. So much so that I’m ashamed to admit it.
He emptied himself…
He didn’t seek a big audience, high blog stats and renown.
…he humbled himself…
He didn’t get resentful when other people achieved successes he was shooting for.
…he became “obedient to death.”
Um…yeah. I tend to polish my halo for how much I’ve “died to self” since becoming a mother. But if I was really dying to self, the halo wouldn’t need so much polishing, now would it?
Knowing, then, my proclivity to pride, vanity and selfishness, how shall I seek out humility? When my husband asks what I perceive to be a dumb question, I will answer without sarcasm, without belittling. When my son grabs my ankle or my daughter starts getting into everything she knows she’s not supposed to have, I will recognize their desire for my attention, and react without flying off the handle. When the phone rings during my writing time, I will take a deep breath and let go of resentment.
And maybe, by the grace of God, I will at last learn to empty myself.
(For more reflections on the extraordinary ordinary, visit Tuesdays Unwrapped at Chattingatthe sky.com.) For more Faces, visit I Should Be Folding Laundry’s You Capture.
16 Responses
You have a beautiful child and a beautiful heart. Emptying ourselves of self is impossible without the power of the Holy Spirit..just yield and let Him do the work!
What a sweet little girl and a life-changing principle. May I join you on your journey to emptying myself of me and filling it with Him.
The first and last pictures are both amazing. I can’t quite figure out what the arm gesture means in the first, but she is quite cute.
I hate the humility thing. I know that there is no real love without it, but it seems that even the most humbling of times only “stick” with me for a few months and then I find myself trying to make myself look good to others again.
Rae,
I had to respond — Julianna’s gesture with her left hand in the first picture is her absolute FAVORITE sign — hungry.
Ask her anytime, day or night, if she wants food and you’ll always get a resounding grunt that means “yes” followed by the fist to the mouth. She’s ALWAYS hungry.
Christian
A girl after my own heart. 🙂 Thanks for the explanation.
Beautiful little girl and beautiful thoughts you shared! Very inspiring!
This was a very thought provoking post, both the pictures and your words. Your daughter is beautiful! And your words are so true, we do need to empty ourselves of our pride and selfishness. Thank you for the reminder. I wrote a post about motherhood on my blog, if you would like to read it (it is in no way as well said as yours) I’m at Cake Crumbs.
You may have to scroll down a few posts to get to it.
Have a great day and thanks for the much needed words.
oh your little girl makes my heart sing!
your words makes me think.
thank you for your post!
mindy~
What a very eye opening post, with one beautiful little girl, with her best friend. The reaction children get when they see themselves in the mirror is just priceless.
Thank you for the smack upside the head that I have been needing. I need to learn to take the time to just take a breath and truly see what God has given me. All the joys. My husband. My children. Everything. And stop focusing on what I haven’t done, or what I need to do.
So glad that I found your blog. Very inspiring!!
It is a hard thing to do…emptying ourselves for God. I know..I’m still learning every day. boy do I have a long way to go. These photographs are amazing and beautiful. What happiness in them!
(I know this isn’t your prime concern right now, but if you are interested, I can give you some tips on how to draw more people to your blog. . . not that I am any expert! Good grief!)
Oh the cuteness!! What a little sweetheart!
Adorable shots. I love the cheek to cheek capture. So sweet and tender.
She is so beautiful! What a great post and a lovely reminder about taking our focus off ourself and looking to Jesus! Perfection!
Beautiful daughter. Such sweet pictures. She looks like she was having fun:)!
http://www.tellyouaboutit.com/2010/02/you-capture-challenge-faces.html