Many years ago my daughter was enrolled in a 3/4 year old dance class. Her dance instructor was a beautiful young lady whom the children adored. She had suffered a stroke of some sort in her youth, and as a result, one side of her face had fallen and was somewhat disfigured. I felt sorry for her and often thought what a tragedy it was for this young lady to have suffered something so life changing at such a young age. I thought of how I would have handled things if I were in her shoes. At the time, I couldn't even comprehend it. Could I stand in front of a large class of curious students, teach them and lead recitals in front of a packed auditorium? In my youthful wisdom I decided that her plight was quite unfortunate, and was thankful that I didn't have the same struggle. In my grown up wisdom, I think of her as one of the most beautiful women I have ever known.
When I was a child my mother signed me up for piano lessons. It may shock you to hear that my piano teacher only had use of one of her hands. Her left hand lay lifeless in her lap while her right hand stretched to reach the full range of keys. To this day, I have no idea how she managed to play just as beautifully as any piano player I have ever heard. I used to be a bit afraid of her. I guess as a child, I didn't quite know how to address her condition. Again, in my youthful wisdom I concluded that her plight was quite unfortunate, and I was thankful that I didn't have the same struggle. In my grown up wisdom, I am astounded by her drive and accomplishment in not allowing her handicap to squash her passion.
I am so thankful for the example of beauty and strength that was demonstrated to me through the lives of these two women. Both of them are an example in my life of what true beauty is. They couldn't hide their handicaps, cover them with makeup, or pretend that they didn't exist.......but they didn't need to. Rather than focusing on what the world might view as their flaws, they embraced those differences as a part of who they were, and neither allowed their passions to be snuffed out.
As a child and young adult, I viewed these women as "the unfortunate ones." I now realize that it's quite the opposite. God doesn't see beauty in the same way that the world does. He used many imperfect people in the Bible to connect with those around them, and still uses them to this day.
May we all have the courage to share our struggles and challenges with others, and the additional courage to follow our passions despite those challenges. You might just be the living example of true beauty and the demonstration of God's grace for someone who you didn't even realize was watching.
Blessings,
Alicia
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