Inner Beauty....

A dear friend of mine gave me a book of 25 devotionals for women on Mother's day... each devotion is about "Reflecting the beauty of the Lord."  One of my favorites is day 10 "The Finishing Touch- Love" the bible verse is 2 Peter 1:5-7 which reads "Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perserverance, and to perserverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection, and to mutual affection, love. "
As I was reading this verse, and the devotion which followed, I began to think about teaching my girls the difference between outer and inner beauty.  I decided it was never to early to explain to them the importance of loving themselves and others for what is on the inside and not focusing solely on how a person looks on the outside.  This isn't an easy concept for a 4 year old, and a 3 year old!  But, honestly, it isn't always an easy concept for a 30?? something year old either.  I found myself feeling a little hypocritical trying to convey the concept of inner beauty when it is something that I struggle with daily.  I look in the mirror and am critical of what I see- knowing full well that this is example that I am setting for my daughters. 
What I want for my daughters to understand is that beauty is what you make it... beauty is in the eye of the beholder... beauty is not a possession, but a treasure.  I look around and see so much focus on the outer beauty, but nobody is addressing how ugly the behavior or the attitude is.  I'm concerned that my daughters will try and find themselves in their outer beauty and not focus on the beautiful qualities they have- the beautiful qualities that I see and love.  
In thinking of my girls, I see that Alivia has such a beautiful heart and spirit.  She already has this love for God that amazes me and pushes me to be a better person and her passion for Christ brings me closer to him.  Alivia loves everyone- whether she knows them or not and cares for others in a way that makes them feel loved and special.  Audrey has this wit and charm that makes everyone around her smile.  She radiates happiness and on days that I am at my lowest, her smile can light my darkest mood.  Adyson is just simply love.  She already knows that her head on my shoulder just makes me melt.  She snuggles and smiles at just the right time... making you feel like your the only person in the world. 
I know that as they grow older, life is going to be tough... I remember how hard it was and often times still is to navigate through life.  I wish that I could save them from all the heartaches that I know they will encounter... I'm already dreading the drama that comes from just being a girl!!  My prayer is that they stay true to themselves and to the vaules and principle's we have taught them.  I pray that when they hit a rough spot, the turn to the Lord and to Bobby and I... and I pray that God gives me the right words to say to soothe their troubled hearts. 
Faith, Grace, and Hope