Today is not mother's day here but I am thinking about my mama back in the USA...I cannot remember my age at the time, but I know that I had heard one-too-many kids comment about the moles on my neck and my face. It was bad enough that I never felt like my clothes were in style and my hair was never that pretty. Clothes and hair can easily be changed and improved, but not the moles on my neck. So my mama took me to the doctor to see if something could be done. However, for some reason it was not advisable to have them removed. Whatever the case was, I can still remember the horrible feeling of disappointment. Beauty was unattainable for me. I would be forever condemned to thick glasses, unruly hair, and moles on my face. In that tear-drenched moment, my wise and loving mother spoke words to me that literally erased the ugliness and despair that had taken up residence in my heart.
She looked me in the eye and said, “Rennae, I want you to listen to me. God created you beautiful and unique. Now you can despair about what you call "ugly moles" or you can see yourself the way the Lord created you.” My mother always considered the moles on my face as "beauty marks", unique features that made me special. What I had labeled as ugly moles, were really beautiful and distinct qualities that no one else had.
Now I had never thought of it that way, and I know it shouldn't really be that simple. But I believe that God gave her those words that day because it was a heart transforming moment for me. From that time on, I never felt ashamed or worried about those moles in the same way.
I still heard the comments; frequently the girls at school would ask, with a tone that communicated their repulsion, "Ooo what's that on your face?" My answer to them was completely confident; there was no doubt in my mind. For goodness sake, my MOTHER had told me so. "Oh this?” Pointing to the object of their disgust, I would respond. “THIS is my beauty mark.”
Happy Mother's Day to my mama, Donna Sjostrom!
