The Day Sofia Evelina Didn’t Feel Beautiful

This is one of my stories in the first volume of “The Many Adventures of Sofia Evelina”. It will be available on Amazon very soon and I’m so excited!

The Day Sofia Evelina Didn’t Feel Beautiful

It was a beautiful sunny day when Sofia and her friends went to play outside at the park. The park was just down the street from Sofia’s house, so they spent most of their summer there. Whenever any of the kids were looking for each other, they always knew to look at the park first. And when any of the neighbourhood parents were looking for their kids, they too headed to the park.

         Most days, all of the kids got along pretty well. But every once in a while, one of the kids would make one of their friends angry. And when that happened, they’d usually come home upset and tell their parents all about it. This day was no exception. For some reason or another, Sofia came running home angry that her friend, Timothy, wouldn’t share his popsicles with her. He gave everyone else one, except her! It just wasn’t fair!

         Feeling sad for her, Sofia’s mom gave her a Popsicle from her house and back she went to play with her friends. An hour later Sofia was called in for a bath and bed time. Her mom noticed that she was quieter than usual.

         “Mom,” Sofia said, while staring at herself in the mirror. “I am fat and ugly.”

         “What?! You absolutely are NOT fat and ugly!” Sofia’s mom was in shock. “Who on earth told you that?!”

         “Well,” Sofia sighed heavily, “Timothy said I was a big, fat tattletale. So he thinks I’m fat and ugly.”

“Oh honey!” Sofia’s mom’s heart was broken, but she stayed as calm and positive as she could. She turned to face Sofia and brushed her hair behind her ear. Then cupping Sofia’s face in her hands she said, “You are absolutely perfect just the way you are. You are kind, wonderful, smart, friendly, passionate, generous, thoughtful, polite, strong, and creative. God made you just the way you are and everything he makes is good and perfect. The Bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.”

         Sofia looked down at the floor. “Yeah but my legs are bigger than Olivia’s legs, and she’s my older sister. She should be bigger than me.”

         “That’s the beauty of how God makes us. None of us are the same. Each and every single person in the world is different than the other. Just like no two snowflakes are the same, no two people are the same. And just like snowflakes, we are beautiful, unique and perfect in our own way. There’s no rhyme or reason for the way God makes us. I have two younger sisters and they’re both taller than me! Does that make sense? Nope! But that’s the way we are each made.”

         Sofia sighed, “Yeah, I guess.”

         “So, my beautiful daughter, what’s the first thing we do when we’re feeling down or going through a hard time?”

         “Say what we’re thankful for,” Sofia replied.

“And why do we do that?” asked Mom.

         “Because it helps us have a more positive attitude.”

         “That’s right,” said Mom. “This time I am going to go first. I am thankful that I have three wonderful, amazing daughters, who are such perfect gifts to me from my heavenly Father. Today, I am especially thankful for my Sofia Evelina. You never stop amazing me with your spunk, your passion, and your beauty, both inside and out. I’m so thankful that you never give up, even though sometimes you want to. I’m thankful for the wonderful treasure that you are. All the rainbows in the whole world are not as beautiful as you! Okay, now it’s your turn.”

Sofia smiled, “I’m thankful that I have a healthy body and that everything works the way it should. I’m thankful God made me the way I am. I’m thankful that God made me and loves me and thinks I’m perfect. I’m thankful that my mom and the rest of my family loves me and thinks I am perfect, just the way I am.”

         “Very good,” said Mom. “Now we declare to encourage ourselves and boost our confidence. I’m going to go first this time, too. I declare that you, Sofia, will know how wonderful and beautiful you are, no matter what anyone else says about you. I declare that God will give you wisdom to make healthy choices in all aspects of your life. I declare that you will know that you are a child of the Most High King. You are fearfully and wonderfully made and loved more than you will ever know! Okay, Sofia, your turn.”

         “I declare that I am beautiful, no matter what anyone else says. I declare that I won’t let other people’s words tell me what I should think about myself. I know that God made me just the way I am. I declare that I will keep myself healthy and make healthy choices as much as I can. I know that I am an amazing, wonderful person, and the daughter of God! And I ask, Father, that on days I don’t feel good about myself, you will remind me how much you love me.”

         “Very good Sofia!” Mom gave her a big bear hug. “You’re my most favourite Sofia Evelina in the whole world!”

         Sofia rolled her eyes, “I’m your ONLY Sofia Evelina!”

         “Yep,” her mom winked and gave her a big sloppy kiss on her cheek. “I know!”