What It Means To Be Beautiful

I am currently working through a Beth Moore Bible Study called Breaking Free.  Last week's homework was about the childhood girlish dreams that we had.  She mentioned several things that weren't actually childhood dreams of mine, like being a bride or having children.  She also talked about how girls dream about being beautiful.

I have thought a lot about the term beautiful over the last few months.  I see so many posts on Facebook that talk about women who desire to be beautiful.  They talk about how they need to get new clothes, or try this new makeup, or how they need to lose weight.  Even Beth Moore in her study talks about how women are naturally insecure about how they look.

I have never fit the mold of what society considers to be a beautiful girl.  I don't wear makeup.   I rarely put on fancy clothes, and by fancy I mean slacks and a nice shirt.  I don't have the ability or desire to accessorize.  I have a few extra pounds around the waist. I don't own a blow dryer or a curling iron, nor do I want to, and I truly believe that a pony-tail is a hair style.  There are many people in the world who would look at me and beautiful would be the farthest thing from their thoughts.  When I stand in front of the mirror, I don't see pretty reflected back at me but I do see beautiful.

Do you know what I see when I look in the mirror that helps me to understand how beautiful I am? I see gray hair.  This means that I have lived a good number of years, even when I didn't want to sometimes.  I see blue eyes that have seen things more horrific than anyone should ever have to see and yet I've survived.  I see wrinkles and laugh lines from years of sending smiles out into the world, hoping to get a smile in return. I often see someone who looks like she has just gone through a battle, because often I have.  It just means that I am not afraid to keep on fighting for chains to be broken in me and in the lives of others.

I hope when people look my way, they also see those traits in me.  I hope when they look at me, they see the light and love of Jesus shining out of me.  I hope they see the beauty of a person who is not without fault, but constantly fighting to send love out into the world.  I know that this is the beauty that I look for, and often see in others.  Physical appearance is a mere shadow to the beauty that radiates out of a person.

I think Glennon Doyle Melton said it best when she described beauty in her book, The Love Warrior. She was explaining the concept of beautiful to her daughters.

"You two will meet plenty of people who are pretty but haven't yet learned how to be beautiful.  They will have the right look for the times, but they will not glow.  Beautiful women glow.  When you are with a beautiful woman you might not notice her hair or skin or body or clothes, because you'll be distracted by the way she makes you feel.  She will be so full of beauty that you will feel some of it overflow onto you.  You'll feel warm and safe and curious around her. Her eyes will twinkle a little and she'll look at you really closely- because beautiful, wise women know that the quickest way to fill up with beauty is to soak in another human being.  Other people are beauty, beauty, beauty.  The most beautiful women take their time with other people.  They are filling up.

Women who are concerned with being pretty think about what they look like, but women who are concerned with being beautiful think about what they are looking at.  They are taking it all in.  They are taking in the whole beautiful world and making all that beauty theirs to give away to others."

I remember when I first read this, I thought "Yes....this....this is the kind of beautiful that I long to be."  God has truly blessed  me by surrounding me with truly beautiful people.  They come in all shapes, sizes, and appearances but they are so beautiful.  Take a look at those around you, who are the most beautiful people that you know?  Who are the people that take their time with you?  Who are the ones that take in everything around them and look for ways to overflow their beauty onto the situation? Have you told them lately that you think they are beautiful?  Perhaps you should.