“It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. 4 No, your beauty should come from inside you—the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. That beauty will never disappear. It is worth very much to God.” 1 Peter 3:3-4
So yesterday this happened….
Holly had a photoshoot for her senior pictures. My precious high-school friend, Stephanie Humphrey, captured what is now dubbed as “Holly being Holly”.
Holly has always walked to the beat of her own drum. She is not one to conform to the happenings of her surroundings, unless it specifically fits her personality. With Holly, she is what she is, and you get what you get. I just praise God that she is gracious, pure, strong, and loves the Lord.
As Autumn was adorning her with natural make-up, Kellie styling her carefree/beachy hair, and we were fashioning Holly with her outfits…Holly remained Holly.
God graced us with stunning weather, natural lighting, beautiful scenery, and a breath-taking sky at sunset.
All the right dots were being connected for a beautiful photoshoot.
But…when Stephanie allowed us to look through her captured and untouched moments, my heart melted.
It wasn’t the hair, makeup, and clothes that got me (well, maybe a little). No, it was the essence of it ALL. The positioning of the sunrays shining on her and the movement of the grass in the hayfield; the look of who she is inside beamed.
Just like 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, “It is not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or fine clothes that should make you beautiful. 4 No, your beauty should come from inside you—the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. That beauty will never disappear. It is worth very much to God.” A gentle and quiet spirit was captured through the lens of Stephanie’s camera.
Okay, moms, I held it together. No tears throughout the shoot. But…when we were driving back to the studio, and I was in my own truck with a load of chairs and seven surfboards, yes…my eyes teared up as I was thinking about how those pictures came out exactly as I had envisioned for my free-spirited and only girl. Then, before we departed ways, Stephanie (the amazing photographer), Ellie (Holly’s BFF, one that I will gladly call one-of-mine, and assistant for the day), Holly (the model of grace for the day), and I had a group hug and I began to pray out loud. When I was thanking God for the talent He had given to Stephanie and for the day, yep…tears came down. Tears of gratefulness and knowing that the next big step for Holly is about to come in her life, and the thought of her heading off to college this summer…whew…tears now too.
Advice to girls…stay true to who and Whose you are. Allow God’s light and love to shine in and through you!
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I pray that you will enjoy soaking up The Son every moment of each day. –Stephanie
THANK YOU…Dede, Shelby, and Ellie for the use of your boards; Autumn Parrish for the makeup; Kellie Morrow for the hair; Ellie for being there (too much to list); Stephanie Humphrey for capturing Holly being Holly, and God for the stunning weather. I LOVE YOU, Holly Anne.
