Ballet Shoes

A couple of days ago I wrote the post beautiful hands and feet. I was looking through some of our family photos and I came across two I want to share with you today. One is the photo above. It is a picture I snapped of my kiddos’ feet a couple of weeks ago. I could not resist recording this day with my son dressed for the rodeo in his bull riding vest, denim blue jeans, and boots on his feet and just waiting to bust out of the chute. My daughter pretty as could be in a pink organza tutu and the tiniest pink slippers prepared for the curtain to open for her imaginary recital performance. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and looking at this one of my kids’ feet I could not agree more. It reminded me of the scripture I ended the post the other day with…”How beautiful are the hands and feet that bring glad tidings of good things” Romans 10:15 and I had to come back to it today based on the second photo I ran across.

The one to the left is a recent photo of Ainsley and me just hanging out in the backyard after blowing bubbles everywhere! She is growing in to an incredible little lady and I anxiously jump at time to spend with my baby girl that I’m afraid is not so “baby” anymore. To say I’m not shedding a few small tears right now would be such a lie! :)


You girls want a little insight into the heart of why I’m reaching out to the King with such tenacity?

Ainsley.

I’m praying that those tiny little ballet shoes that follow me around all day long while I clean the house, do the laundry, visit with friends, shop for groceries, talk to my husband, drive in my car, put my makeup on, study my Bible, apply the Truth, learn, grow, encourage, help, sing her the Itsy Bitsy Spider and lay her down to sleep at night only to do the whole thing over again the next day is watching her mother become all glorious within. That when she is placing her feet behind mine we are actually BOTH placing ours in the King’s footprints.

As born again, daughters of the King we have been placed on this planet for such a time as this and my Ainsley embodies the next generation. When I think about the amount of time I am afforded in a day to reach her heart and expose her to the lavish love of the King, again I say “I’m all in.” Just to get real with you for a minute in my world right now that looks like when I’m helping rock her baby dolls to sleep and we sing Jesus loves Me, or she’s sitting on the bath room counter watching me put my makeup on and I share a little blue-glitter eye shadow, or painting her finger nails blush or bashful pink (yes, it’s a nod to all you Steel Magnolia lovers out there :)), blow drying her hair and encouraging her to run in and let Daddy and Bubba see how pretty she is and hearing them love on her, or when we are singing in the car headed to Wal-Mart. I have to make a choice to use those seemingly simple moments to inject the Truth of how Jesus is the one that makes her heart radiate beauty from the inside out. I’m speaking to her about WHO makes her beautiful. Jesus. Whether you are a mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, sister-in-law, daughter, mentor, friend or woman….you count in raising the next generation of daughters! What an AWESOME opportunity we have ladies!! Let’s not leave it to chance. Let’s aspire to dress ‘em up as the cuties they are but not just reach their make-up bags…let’s reach their hearts too!

I want to encourage you today to think of at least 5 women in your world that are either older or younger than you and think about their feet. If it “weirds” you out to think about feet with no shoes (let’s face it some of our feet could use a little “Pedi”-TLC-action, LOL!) think about their feet with a fabulous pair of shoes on. Ask God to speak to your heart about how you could encourage them and “bring glad tidings of good things” to their hearts today. Be confident in rising to the challenge of nurturing the next generation of daughters. Your testimony of faith and healing might be the very footprint that my daughter steps into someday to find the BEAUTIFUL love of the King!! Keep stepping!

Loving you and your beautiful feet ~xoxo