She Walks in Beauty...

Justin Hackworth (used by permission)

Who do you think the people seated together in this photo might be? Where do you think they are, and what would you guess is their purpose in assembling there?

I almost feel like I'm initiating a game of "Clue" here. In a way, I am, because while this audience is not playing Clue, they are definitely a group that has a clue when it comes to knowing what's important. Indeed, this assortment of fine men and (mostly) women were gathered in the Wilkinson Center at BYU to hear Stephanie Nielson speak about what being beautiful really means. Although the room capacity was only 1700, hundreds more crowded in last week to hear the beloved Nie talk about where true beauty really comes from...and if anyone knows the answer to that, it is surely Stephanie, because this amazing woman definitely has a clue. More than a clue.

Justin Hackworth (used by permission)

This is what Sister Nielson had to say on the subject at hand: "...As for beauty," she explained, "it comes in the red hair of Jane, in the freckles on Claire, the tender spirit of Oliver and the bright white hair of Nicholas. It is the sun, rising over the mountains every day without fail. It is my painted toenails and the people who love me, my friends all around me. It's my sweet husband who knew me then and knows me now and will forever know me just the way I am. With or without freckles on my face or flawless skin. I am his wife, and my beauty is apparent in the way he loves me."

No doubt she changed the paradigms of many women when she declared, "I know I came back to earth after my almost fatal accident, because I wanted my body. I didn't care what it looked like. I wanted to experience this life on this beautiful earth with my children and family."

Sister and supporter, Paige Checketts, shared her insight: "The coolest thing about Stephanie is she's in touch with this inner beauty. At first, it is a little startling because she is a work in progress and in the middle of cosmetic surgery...but as you get talking to her...it just melts away and you see these beautiful green eyes with a light in them. It takes over all the scars and everything else and you truly do see beauty. It is amazing."

Justin Hackworth (used by permission)

Checketts is right. Just look at this woman, who is nothing short of beautiful. The spirit that she emanates draws the eye of every beholder. And have you noticed the way her husband is looking at her? Of course, there are scars...obvious scars...but the beauty overpowers them, for it does not come from the assortment of flesh and bone that make up Stephanie's body. It comes from the way she inhabits that body––the marvelous way her spirit inhabits it.

Looking over the sea of faces that assembled to hear Nie's message makes me realize how much women need to hear that message and be reminded what really matters when it comes to beauty. All of us know people with perfect (or nearly so) face and form, who walk around feeling empty and worthless. We may even be those people, at one time or another. Stephanie teaches us that the beauty we seek comes from knowing that we are daughters of God, loved by Him and worthy of receiving love from others and from ourselves. Even more important, we are capable of giving love and receiving Christ's image in our countenances.

Justin Hackworth (used by permission)

Stephanie Nielson is a woman of courage and grace, who battles every day (and it surely is a battle) to overcome adversity. No wonder these words by Washington Irving are among her favorites: "There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity."

Stephanie, without a doubt, beams and blazes. She is all things bright and beautiful. And the blessing to all of us is that she knows it. Early in her recovery process, while studying her image in the mirror, she had this epiphany: "I saw glimpses of happiness; I saw God in my eyes," she said. "It was as if He was looking back at me, reassuring me and giving me hope."

Now, she shares that hope with others.

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Justin Hackworth (used by permission)