"For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do." 1 Timothy 2:10
I will openly admit that I have been convinced that beauty is skin deep and is whatever an individual says it is. It is amazing to me how polluted our minds have become to the definition of attractive or beautiful. Our culture makes the claim that beautiful is a certain size, weight, or personality. It neglects the strength and integrity of that persons character altogether. I feel that women in our generation have a lot to battle with in regards to feeling accepted and attractive in the eyes of society. It is a blessing to know that as a believer of Jesus Christ, we as women have hope and reassurance that we are beautiful and attractive in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. For those of us who fix our eyes and our hearts upon the promises of the Lord, we are called beautiful and attractive. As we die to ourselves and the standards that our generation and society put upon us, the beauty of our character is illuminated to its fullest. Our desire should be to please the Lord and to be Godly women. Although it is hard to go against what we have been taught to be "attractive", our Lord will honor our efforts and our "cup will overflow" with blessing.
Something happened this weekend spurred this epiphany and rattled my perception of how I defined beauty. I was in San Diego with my wonderful boyfriend Jovan and we got up early to get ready for church. I had slept really well and was very much groggy and out of it when I was woken up by a kiss on the forehead. Needless to say I was not feeling very beautiful because I was in my finest black sweatpants, grey golf t-shirt, and my elegantly disheveled hair that was everywhere. Although, I did not consider myself as being attractive based upon society's definition, Jovan did. He looked me straight in my sleepy green eyes, smiled very wide and said, "You are so beautiful. I can't get over how pretty you are!" I was so humbled and flattered that I found another man, other than my Lord, that sees beauty based on who I am and my good deeds and not what I look like. It was then that I understood how God sees beauty. Thank you Jovan for helping me see what you and the Lord sees in regards to beauty.
Lord help me to follow you with every breath I breathe, with every decision I make, and with every act I perform. My desire is to follow your standards and not those around me who do not follow you and call you Father. Help me to trust that in serving you, the beauty you have implemented in my heart that you created, to shine to those who I encounter. Amen.
This is wonderfully written, and blesses the Lord. The world has standards that are so high, it makes most people feel invaluable. Physical looks are center point for all worldly relationships that most of the time end up in failure due to lust of the eye and sexual desire.
ReplyDeleteThe Lords standard is in simplest form, and can be understand by everyone. The Lord Loves you, no matter what you look like. He created us and designed us to look the way we do. If God created us, spent the time to form our bodies, and everything else we are, surely we are Loved by a God that know all, sees all, and designed all!