Beauty from within

This verse really spoke to me today because I'm constantly thinking that my outward appearance is more important than it should be. I am tempted by society to believe that I'm not beautiful because I'm not wearing certain clothes or my hair isn't done the right way. God's truth brings me back to reality:

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.
The Lord does not look at the things people look at.
People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)

Reflection -- Sonya and I were watching Veggie Tales "Sweetpea Beauty." That's where I got the verse from. A girl had been concerned about her braces and glasses and being accepted. They used the stories of Cinderella and Snow White (and some creative liberties) to focus on inner beauty and what God sees in our heart. 

Why does society tell us that we need to fit Hollywood's standards of beautiful? We look in a glass mirror to see ourselves when we should be using God as our mirror. He's the one that sees us as we truly are - broken, loved, beautiful, His children. When you look in the mirror, what do you see?

When I set my eyes on God, the Light of Him shines through. My heart is reflected in my outward appearance and I feel beautiful. Guess what? We can all be beautiful - and that's a beautiful thing. 

Why two different schools?

I can't believe how big my little girl has gotten! Sonya started 3yr Preschool today. It's been a joy watching her grow and learn at home. Now, I'm excited from her to do more of that at school and church. On the first day of school for the main campus of OCS, they had Chapel. So Sonya and I went. The principal, Mrs. Austin, was talking about the cord of three strands (from Ecclesiastes) and how important it is for our children to learn at home, school, and church. Since we want to bring our kids up knowing who God is and not being afraid to share their faith, we are so blessed to have the opportunity to send Sonya to the OCS preschool program.

I love that Ozaukee Christian School (OCS) is a small school because the families there really get to know each other. The class sizes are small which is a huge advantage for learning. The teachers invest a lot of time into the kids both inside and outside of the classroom. They pray for their students and teach the kids how to live more like Jesus by reading the Bible, knowing more about God, and by praying. The school environment is so loving that I already feel like a part of OCS and am excited to be a part of it all.

Caleb started 2nd grade at Lincoln Elementary school this year. It's a public school right across the street from our house. He has been going there for the past two years already and feels comfortable. He really doesn't adjust to change very well and since we hadn't really talked too much about switching schools, we decided to just keep him at Lincoln for now. Caleb's good friends go there and all the teachers are great so far. There are also many more opportunities for Caleb to witness to unbelievers. (He invited friends to AWANA and talks about Jesus on the playground - SO proud of him). Another factor that I can't rule out is that the cost of a public school is significantly less than a private school.

As the school year progresses, I'm sure we will have many discussions on where we should continue Caleb and Sonya's educations. For now, I think we are right where God needs them to be. Who knows? I might become a home school mom someday. :-)