God Loves You

I believe that loving our individual, unique selves is something that we can and should do.  

We don’t need to boast.  We don’t need to flaunt.  But in private moments when we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror, or when we have a chance for honest self-evaluation I believe that there needs to be a little bit less self-loathing and a little more gratitude and confidence that we are beloved children of a brilliant God who is a master creator and who does not make mistakes.

He created us not to be doted upon or as ornaments but as interesting, amazing, diverse beings who have a tremendous capacity for usefulness, enjoyment, creation, and sociality.  

Like many mothers I have watched my daughter start middle school with much trepidation and worry that her elementary school confidence - despite glasses and complete ignorance of fashion - would give way to low self-esteem and comparison. 

I hope that she will grow in her love of God and come to know of His great love for her. That she will make goals to be useful to him - to become a mother and a doctor.  To help others someday.  Although I have been tempted to encourage her in popular girl pursuits, I think that God hopes that she will follow her own star, develop her own talents, and become the best version of what He created her to be. 

Here is a poem I wrote for her that expresses these sentiments:

Daisy

Like a bright sunspot

Her yellow-hair-tumbled-under laughter

Dances across

Sea green eyes

Pure-light-piercing

Ankle-shallow souls

She is deep

Deep in the way

That a child’s embrace

Can turn a sunset

Into sunrise

Other girls dance

She leaps with

Enthusiasm

For a not-so-distant future

When she will calm the storms

Lifting feeble knees

The kindest and most confident girls and women I know are women who have found God and who have followed his will for them.  Women who are unselfish.  Women who are dedicated to noble causes.  And women who are fearless disciples of Jesus Christ.  I hope that my daughter will follow in their footsteps.

©Copyright by Elise Ellsworth, September 2021.