Thursday, November 8, 2012
Beauty Defined
I am so sick of the lies this freaking world feeds us about beauty. Beauty does not exists outside of God in my opinion. If you think about it, it makes sense. Take music for example. Think about a beautiful piece of music you've heard in your lifetime, the notes and chords meshing in the most melodic way. Every time you hear the song you feel at peace or just ok about life. The song is beautiful to you in some way and maybe that way cannot be expressed through words.
Scientifically, your beautiful piece of music is simply a bunch of sound waves with different pitches, wavelengths, and amplitudes hitting your ear. How in the heck can that be considered beautiful unless you are overwhelmingly and unhealthily obsessed with science. The only reason that music can be considered beautiful is because God gave us imaginations and a sense of understanding. Beauty is not scientific which is one reason why I am so upset that our world has broken physical beauty down to a scientific formula. Does she have the right hair, eyes, facial structure, boobs, butt, nose, skin, teeth, build, hands, feet, stomach...you get the idea. There is no such thing because beauty is perceived differently by everyone. FREAKING STOP.
I don't care what anyone says. Every girl struggles with body image. Every girl wants to be told she is beautiful. Every girl longs to be loved and pursued.
Ready for the encouraging part?
Each and every person holds beauty.
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." Ecclesiastes 3:11
First of all, why girls, aren't we encouraging each other more when it comes to this issue? If we know that we're all struggling through this together let's just be the people and say the things we wish others were being and saying to us.
Second of all, we aren't letting God romanticize us. It sounds weird, but seriously think about the best present a boy can give you. Ok, kicking it Mandy Moore style here. In A Walk to Remember the guy names a star for her and we're like, "Oh my gosh, that's the sweetest thing ever! I want that! Blah blah blah blah blah!" Ok, yeah cool whatever. Now think about this. God MADE that star. Oh, and just the 70 sextillion ones next to it as well. Real number by the way...according to CNN. It means 70,000 million million million. That's a lot of stars and God created them all for us. He gives us nature and scenery to enjoy because it brings us back to honoring, worshipping and praising Him. Which ultimately for a Christian is what life should be about. Is it not? Looking at people should evoke the same feelings as looking at nature. Both created by God, both beautiful and special in some way.
Anyone can put on a truckload of makeup, do their hair, workout for 6 hours a day and be "beautiful" according to the world's standards, but how much more to be beautiful to people because of our gentle and quiet spirits. How much more to be sought after because people see something different in us. It is so much harder to receive a compliment on the inside because people are so used to only looking at the outside. I want this challenge to be the cries of our hearts. May my attitude and my words define my beauty. May these qualities overtake whatever I or anyone around me perceive my physical appearance to be. Let my actions be so strong and glorifying to You, that the only explanation for my beauty is Your presence in my heart.
Whatever physical beauty is...it will fade, but inward beauty is everlasting. There's nothing wrong with taking care of your body or getting dressed up or working out. In fact God calls us to take care of our bodies. "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Obviously, we are not called to just lay around all day eating potato chips and watching The Office, but when working out, wearing makeup, and dressing ourselves becomes so excessive that we are just doing them for the compliments and acceptance of others...it becomes a problem.
We were created in God's image; therefore, we are all beautiful. He has a specific purpose for us and our individual lives. To say anything different would be to deny that God's carpentry...his creation...is faulty. "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Mumfs
Loving this song. Can't get over it.
"And there will come a time, you'll see, with no more tears. And love will not break your heart, but dismiss your fears. Get over your hill and see what you find there, with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair."
Thankful
Wow, what a great time to be reminded of how thankful we can be for a sovereign God. So blessed are His people to have the knowledge of his ever-present love. Situations change everyday. People in our lives will come and go...never ceasing to fail us and yet He remains the same. He is always there. He is always ready to take up and hold his children in the warmest embrace and bestow His beautiful selfless love in the most gracious of ways.
I don't remember much as a little kid except through pictures, but I will never forget the feeling of seeing my dad after he got home from a long day at work. Wildly, as though I had not seen him in years I would run up to him screaming, "DADDY!" and jump into his strong open arms. He was always happy to see me. He would always excitedly respond, "Hi bud!" He never failed me. Everything was better with a dad hug. In his embrace I was safe. I had not a care in the world. Whatever happened that day didn't matter anymore cause dad was home and he would fix all the problems. He would take care of me. He would spend time with me. He would encourage me and make me laugh. The day was better. The world was brighter because I knew my daddy loved me and no one and nothing could ever change that.
There are very few things quite like a dad hug. To this day, it is something I most look forward to when coming home from college. This 20 year old adult instantly melts into a 3 year old little tomboy from one big dad hug. Sure, there may be less jumping and screaming involved, but my heart is just as happy, just as comforted as that 3 year old little girl's. Yes, I have been blessed with an awesome awesome man in my life for the past 20 years and am so extremely grateful for his presence and influence in my life. I do not take it for granted. It makes me sad to think of all of those who have not grown up in the same way or were maybe not as fortunate to have such a relationship. It's so unfair and I wish I could just share my dad's love with those who never received it from their fathers. Imagine for one second that kind of love.
Imagine that kind of love.
It is so difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that someone could love me more than my parents. Can you even fathom how much greater God's love is for us? How much more He desires for us to rely on Him? How powerful and constant He is? We get to call this man dad. That's crazy! We get to run to Him and rest in His sweet and beautiful peace. We are able to lay all of our troubles and burdens at the foot of His cross and be comforted in the fact that our Daddy is taking care of us...that we are safe because we are HIS. I am absolutely flabbergasted each day by the provision the Lord provides. He knows what He's doing and He doesn't ever miss a detail. We have nothing to worry about in this lifetime because the control belongs to our Heavenly Father who loves and cares for us more than we will ever know.
Mmmm thank you Jesus.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7-8
Sunday, November 4, 2012
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