Growing up Girl

So I figure I'll break down my intern year into a few different categories. Today was me becoming a girl.

Yes I have always been a girl. No I did not have an operation to make me a girl. Yes I am being serious.

What I meant was how I grew into being a girly girl. Gee people ;)

So I went into Interns not caring about being a girl. I wore the same ugly flats every day, I wore the same dark coloured type clothes. I had long dark hair with no bangs. Seriously none. I would hide behind my hair or throw it up into a ponytail.

                                                 Me then -> -> ->

Right after going to Cambodia the girls on my team convinced me to get at least side bangs. So I did. At prom  I had a nice dress - first time I dressed up. My cousin took me to go get my hair done professionally. I would have been happy if she just curled it herself and just pinned it back. And she did my make-up. I was, to be honest, really annoyed at that. I did not want my make-up done. I had had my mind made up years ago that make-up made people ugly - or at least made then fake. But I really had no say in the matter, I was to wear make-up for prom. She always wanted to attack my eyebrows but I'm quiet attached to them.

In Interns that was challenged. KS grew up with make-up. She had a different view. If you know her you know she is IMPOSSIBLE to argue with. So I wouldn't. I just didn't argue with her. Yet I changed.

It was all God. As I grew to know who He was truly (or better then I knew before) and who I was in Him I grew to love myself. As I grew to love myself then suddenly I was trying more.

I went for multiple haircuts. My hair kept getting shorter and shorter. I dyed it red (and then dark purple which faded to red, but that was more recent). I mastered the art of wearing heels (short ones at least) and worked my way up to higher ones. My clothes got colour (specifically purple but still) and really just looked better all over.

<- <- <- Me now

And really that was all God teaching me to love myself. In order to love myself I had to love Him. As I grew to love Him, I grew to love myself. As you grow to love yourself you grow in your capacity to love others.

And really all things considered my hair and clothes and awesome purple high heels were just an outward show of an inward change.

Hollie.