The Beauty of Love

In this world we are constantly reminded of what we are not.
We set unobtainable goals and hold extreme standards for ourselves. We see things in
magazines and online that tell us that if we don’t look like this or that, we aren’t beautiful.


Why do we as women do this to ourselves? Why do we compare ourselves to a perfectly airbrushed model?

My perception of beauty has drastically changed over the past 8 months. My body is ever changing, growing, and stretching.

I’m here to tell you that this miracle occurring
 inside of me is what beauty is all about.


The hormonal changes taking place are a perfect creation from God, and I cherish every change. Knowing that there are women out there who might give everything (and have) to experience this beautiful, yet grueling change, I count it all as a blessing.

You see, as a pregnant woman, I’m tempted to compare myself to the maternity portraits I see online. I’m tempted to ask why I can’t look that way. I’m tempted to feel insecure (and often do) about myself. I feel “fat,” I feel ugly, and sometimes I feel stupid. When these temptations come, I must remain confident in the beauty the Lord has placed upon me. What is happening to my body is a beautiful thing. I’m creating life as a result of true love. What is causing these changes is an absolute miracle.

I’m here to tell you that beauty doesn’t lie within the airbrushed perfect models. Beauty lies within true life. Real life. Today I’m going to share a few pictures with you that have not been edited or airbrushed.


You may look at this photos and cringe. You may say “I’m never having kids” – I did that once. You may experience envy. What I hope you experience is praise. Praise to the good Lord above for this true miracle.

When I saw the first signs of a stretch mark, I was devastated. I stared and stared at it. I put lotion on it religiously (like that would help make it go away). That little mark multiplied. I now have several stretch marks on my stomach that I am proud of.

These marks indicate the journey I have been on over the past 8 months. The physical journey of pain, exhaustion, nausea, and all the complications I’ve had. They indicate the emotional journey that started with mourning and developed into overwhelming joy. My stretch marks indicate the spiritual journey from wife to mother. 

My stretch marks are my mark of beauty & trust from the Lord.
I found this quote, and I couldn't have said it better myself:

"A mark for every breath you took, every blink, every sleepy yawn. One for every time you sucked your thumb, waved hello, closed your eyes and slept in the most perfect darkness. One for every time you had the hiccups. One for every dream you dreamed within me. It isn't very pretty anymore. Some may even think it ugly. That's OK. It was your home. It's where I first grew to love you, where I lay my hand as I dreamed about who you were and who you would be. It held you until my arms could, and for that, I will always find something beautiful in it."

The Lord has trusted my husband and me 
to care for this sweet soul.  For that I am ever grateful for my beauty marks. This tiger has earned her stripes, and I still have one more month of stripes to earn. These stripes will one day remind me of time when I could hold her close, and never let her go. A time when I was her only source of nourishment and life. These stripes will forever be a reminder of a time when it was just me and her. 


Mommy Moments Blog Hop



Madison Lyric was born on April 13th 2012 at 10:11am

9 comments:

Sherry Calloway said...

What a beautiful way to put it! Enjoy this special time. Things will change soon...good changes. I remember the early morning as my labor was well under way and Chris and I were walking up the sidewalk to enter Baptist South, Chris hugged me close and said, "This is the very last moment that it will ever be 'just the two of us.' Once we walk through those doors our lives will change forever....and its gonna be great!" Enjoy this last month of 'just the two of you.'

Jacy said...

Beautiful post Megan!! What a privilege and a blessing to be a mommy :)

Unknown said...

You are so right and your belly really is beautiful. I've found that I've had so much more respect and confidence in my body since being pregnant. Prior to this I've had many body issues and now looking back I can't for the life of me understand why.

Anonymous said...

I love that you posted your belly WITH stretch marks, the map of your 8 month journey so far. You are brave to post them so publicly (I found you on pinterest), and thank you for showing other women that you are happy with yourself and setting such a great example of loving yourself no matter what you look like.

Amanda said...

Awwwww...What a sweet post! I can totally relate to an, "emotional journey that started with mourning and developed into overwhelming joy." Congratulations!

Cramer Coffee and Jesus said...

good post! it's one lots of mama's need to hear! haha. found you from mommy link ups! hope you'll stop by my page and meet my little girl today! Excited to be your newest follower!

Sarah @ The Not Quite Military Wife said...

I loved this post! What a great reminder for all of us who are pregnant right now and feeling those same emotions!

The Life Of Faith said...

What a great post! I'm pregnant at the same time as 3 of my sister-in-laws and their pregnancies have been smooth sailing while I've struggled with a few complications. Thanks for the encouragement not to compare! Thanks for linking it up with Mommy Moments;)

http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com/

Callie said...

I love this post, and that quote you shared was so good - I was just realizing again the other day how much pregnancy has changed my body, but I wouldn't trade it for the world because all these changes are part of what brought me my babies! Thank you for sharing this, it was a very timely post for me. :-)

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