The Little Black Dress

A peek inside “The Little Black Dress” book reveals a woman struggling with her self esteem, her life and her faith after the man she adored with all her heart left her.At the perfect moment God sent a friend to her door with a little black dress and jewels in hand. Her friend came to “play dress up” with her in hopes of helping her to see how valuable she was within her self, to others but mostly to the Lord. The following is a brief glimpse into this remarkable story.

…As she repeated her words she ever so slightly placed her hands on the sides of my face and turned my head toward her, looking directly into my eyes. “I want you to listen to me very carefully my dear friend. God created a real beauty when He made you. You are a beautiful woman, on the inside and out. Any man who would give you up is a fool because he is losing a treasure. You are a treasure and you need to recognize that about yourself.” She turned me back towards the mirror and repeated her words for a third time, “See, just look at that beautiful woman in the mirror!” The tears welled in my eyes. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t tell her how her act of love had moved me beyond words. I felt confused, unsure and grateful all at the same time.

I turned and stared at my image in the mirror again. “She really is thin,” I thought, “a lot thinner than I realized.” As I studied my reflection I found myself resisting the idea that the woman in the little black dress was me. It was the first time that I truly recognized how much my physical appearance had changed over the past several months. I stared blankly for a moment as I tried to absorb the changes I was seeing.

In my peripheral vision I noticed Janet standing at the side of my antique dresser watching me. She had her arms crossed in front of her; her head was tilted slightly to her left side. I turned and glanced at her without saying a word but I was sure the look in my eyes betrayed my thoughts. She grinned at me and nodded her head affirmatively. Her smile was a silent expression of encouragement. I felt a blush of confidence flood over me as I turned to look into the mirror once again. My mind was conflicted, “That really is me,” I thought. “Janet wants me to see myself from a different perspective. She wants me to see my potential instead of my failure. She wants me to see promise instead of defeat. I want to see it too,” I reasoned. “Oh, Lord,” I prayed, “I really want to see it too.”

In actuality, what I saw was how horribly I was struggling with the way my life was now. I had lost my sense of “self” and I felt as though I no longer held an identity. I knew who I used to be but I had no idea who I was supposed to be. In that moment I realized if there is life after losing the man I believed held all my future hopes and dreams, this gesture of love was certainly a way to show me that truth. It definitely gave me pause; something to really think about.