Laura L. Smith
  • Home
  • Books
  • Blogs
  • Speaking
  • Contact Laura

IF I WERE A CROCODILE....

9/7/2010

0 Comments

 
. IF I WERE A CROCODILE……

'Tis the season of beauty tips. Fashion magazines from Seventeen to Vogue publish their thickest issues each August chock full of “New Looks for Fall” and “Back to School Beauty”. Although, I have to admit I love a sneak peek at the latest trends and can’t wait for it to be chilly enough to sport the black jacket I got in the leather markets of Florence this summer, I also know the kind of beauty magazines promote is only skin deep. True beauty is found within, and so I went on a quest to find how others find true beauty within themselves.

One of the beauties of social networking is you can poll a large sample of people in a short amount of time. To find the answer to my question, last week I ran a contest on my Facebook and Twitter pages asking fans to tell me how they remind themselves they are beautiful. I got a wide range of responses from -- people blowing themselves kisses in the mirror before they leave their house to answers of despair from people who struggle to recognize their beauty. But of all the responses I got, Wiem from Tunisia’s, words struck me the most. So, congratulations, Wiem, who will receive a free copy of my book, Skinny, which deals with eating disorders and positive self image. Here’s her winning entry: 

“Every time I look in the mirror I smile. I feel the secret of one’s true beauty springs from one’s smile. It might seem as a simple physical act, but the impact it brings to me is huge. Even when I speak, I know that when I smile, I just look good. Each time those lips widen, I know my heart is filled with their warmness and comforted that I still have a beautiful life ahead of me.” Wiem Melki

Perhaps it’s because she started with a phrase about looking in the mirror. Anyone who has heard me speak knows I love to challenge people, “Who do you see when you look in the mirror?” Maybe it’s because she ended with a message of hope for what’s to come. But I think the real reason Wiem’s words impacted me was that each and every one of us has a smile. Whether we are male or female, rich or poor, young or old, God gave us a smile when He created us.

I’m reminded of the song, “If I Were a Butterfly”. The eighth graders’ at my kids’ school perform this song in front of all the students on the last week of school each year.  One of the verses goes, “If I were a crocodile, I’d thank you God for my great smile. But, I just thank you Father for making me me.”  And I guess that sums it up. God gave us our smiles – a peek into our inner light and inner joy that He put in us when He created us. Our smiles are a way to project all that is good and happy and hopeful within us to others we meet. What could be more beautiful?

And crocodile, or not, God did make me me, and you you, just the way He intended. Because He made us, we are beautiful and there’s not anyone or anything that can tell us otherwise.

Psalm 139:14 I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Romans 12:6 So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other or trying to be something we aren’t.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Laura  L. Smith

    Subscribe

    * indicates required
    Email Format

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Advent
    Adventures
    Allergies
    Apples
    Back Packing
    Baggage
    Basketball
    Batman
    Beauty
    Believe
    Bible
    Blogging
    Book Reviews
    Books
    Braces
    Brandi Chastain
    Breast Cancer Awareness
    Cafeterias
    Celebrating
    Change
    Chocolate
    Christmas
    Coffee
    College
    Concert
    Contest
    Control
    Courage
    Created In God
    David And Golaith
    Disney
    Divergent
    Dreams
    Driving
    Easter
    Embracing Your Role
    Enjoying Life
    Europe
    Exercise
    Fall
    Family
    Farmer
    Fashion
    Fasting
    Fear
    Finding Your Place
    Fireworks
    Fishing
    Fixed By Force
    Fixer Upper
    Football
    Forgiveness
    Free Books
    Friendships
    Frozen
    George Clooney
    Getting Closer To God
    Getting Closer To God
    Gilmore Girls
    Goals
    God
    God\
    God Given Gifts
    God-given Gifts
    Golden Rule
    Good Friday
    Gospel
    Grace
    Graduation
    Grandma
    Growth
    Guys
    Hair
    Happiness
    Healing
    Health
    Heroes
    High School
    Holy Week
    Homecoming
    HOPE
    Hot Lunch
    Ides Of March
    Impact
    Inner Beauty
    Interviews
    Invisalines
    Isaiah 40
    It's Addicting
    Jason Bourne
    Jason Warne
    Jesus
    Journeys
    Joy
    Laughing
    Laundry
    Legos
    Lent
    Letting Go
    Life Lessons
    Light
    Listening
    Listening To God
    Love
    Luggage
    Magi
    Magic
    Magic Kingdom
    Mental Health
    Metro
    Miracles
    Moms
    Moon
    Moses
    Movies
    Music
    New Year
    New Year\
    Obedience
    Oliver Twist
    Pansies
    Patience
    Peace
    Perseverance
    Peter Walking On Water
    Pick Pockets
    Pink Bra
    Planning
    Playing By The Rules
    Playlist Fiction
    Popsicles
    Potential
    Praying
    Princess
    Princess Diaries
    Prize
    Promises
    Psalm 139
    Realigning Your Life
    Recipes
    Relationship
    Running
    Savor
    Seat Assignments
    Self Image
    Self-Image
    Self-image
    Sharing
    Shopping
    Snow Patrol
    Soccer
    Social Justice
    Social Media
    Sororities
    Spring
    Steroids
    Stories
    Straightening Out Your Life
    Strength
    Stretching To Hear God
    Subway
    Summer
    Summer Reading
    Superheroes
    Superman
    Swimsuits
    Tag
    Take Breaks
    Taking Time
    Teen Fiction
    Thankful
    Thessalonians
    The Thief Lord
    The Word
    Toads
    Tortoise
    Travel
    Trips
    True Reflection
    Trust
    Truth
    U2
    Unpacking
    Winter
    Wonder Woman
    Writing
    Yoga
    Zumba


Follow along with Laura:​

Photo used under Creative Commons from Narisa
  • Home
  • Books
  • Blogs
  • Speaking
  • Contact Laura