Every Hair and Every Freckle

The summer sun first sprinkled light brown freckles across the bridge of my bunny-sized nose during the season of my girlhood. Each year brings a few more to my body. My arms, shoulders, and back all wear tiny spots hand made by the life-sustaining ball of fire. I like my freckles, but I give them little thought. In fact, when I wear makeup, the ones on my face are barely visible.

Still new to the world, my preschool age daughter delights in daily discoveries. She studiously examines God’s creation, especially delighting in the nuances of plants, animals, and humans. Last summer, while we stood on our porch tending to the small potted herb garden, she asked me question after question. Some were easy: “Does Basil taste yummy with pasta?” Some questions challenged me: “Why did God make mosquitoes so mean?” After she finished the nature portion of the quiz, she touched my face, wrinkled her nose and asked, “Are those little spots on your face dirt?”

I summed up my freckle explanation by adding, “You don’t have any freckles. Maybe God will use the sun to paint some on your face one day.”

“Mommy! I already have a freckle right here on my arm.”

Without hesitation, my girl with pristinely porcelain skin that is almost always lathered with sunscreen, extended her right arm to show off a pin-point-sized freckle, or perhaps mole, on the inside of her elbow. I nearly gasped. Not because she had a cute little freckle, but because she knew she had one.

Toddlers and preschoolers are very aware of their bodies. They study their faces, limbs, belly and hair. And, they conduct their research of self without contempt. My daughter’s freckle hunt bears little resemblance to my “fat finding expeditions.” She loves every bit of her petite, 39 inch frame and joyfully boasts, “I’m so beautiful because God made me.” She is beautiful indeed.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 NKJV

As I think of my daughter’s self awareness, I am reminded of God’s attention to every detail of my body. I couldn’t give you a freckle estimate, much less an accurate count, but God can tell you the numbers of freckles on my body and when each of them arrived. He can even say the number of combined freckles plastered on every human body that ever existed. We’re part of His creation. And He loves every part of us.

The Holy one who can count the hairs on my head, moles on my back, and creases on the soles of my feet, also comprehends every thought circling my mind, and each feeling beating within my heart. He made me. He knows me. He wants me to delight in Him as He delights in me. And He loves me like no other. That brings a whole new meaning to the word beauty.

Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands. “What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries. Matthew 10:28 – 31 (The Message)