After a bad week consisting of the stomach flu, sleep deprivation, and dropping my cell phone in the toilet, I found myself at the height of being a grumpy and impatient mama.  Disgust filled my heart as I saw my own ugliness beginning to surface.  ”Who have I become?” The question rang hollow as I realized – I’ve always been this person, it just took this physical, emotional and mental testing to draw this “ugly me” to the surface.

Ugliness lives in us all.  Some of us hide it well, deep down.  Some of us wear it on our sleeve with arrogance.  But either way, hardship brings it to the surface and forces us to deal with our ugliness.

Being a mommy stretches me and takes me to a place that no other experience has ever come close to equaling.  Being a mama is daily making me a more beautiful person.  Not outwardly, as I have my share of stretch marks, baby weight and “mom hair.” But inwardly I have never learned or loved so much.  My 25lb, 20 month old daughter teaches me more each day about human nature, grace, and love than anyone else.

Our culture avoids pain, inconvenience and hardship to its own detriment.  What are we missing out on by religiously avoiding uncomfortable experiences?  Are we so scared of seeing our limits that we cautiously avoid anything that might test us?  Joy and pain go hand in hand.  Refinement follows struggle.  Growth comes after pruning.

Let us embrace the situations that reveal our ugliness and be grateful for the chance to be different from the person we were yesterday.