You Are
Truly
Beautiful
The world is consumed with thoughts and dreams centered on more.
More beautiful, more money, more stuff. Most of us aren't happy with ourselves
and the way we come naturally so we turn to many different things to fill the
void. The world is happy to try and tend our never ending, never satisfied
state of displeasure. The key to being beautiful or worthy is not in what you
have or don’t have. It’s not whether you are tall or short, or whether you are
fat or skinny.
The truth is, you are already beautiful. God created you with
His perfect hands. He says you are worth dying for yet you cannot or will not
accept His truth. True beauty comes from a relationship between you and your
heavenly Father. Only until you come honestly to God will the void in your
heart be filled. Only through Jesus is this possible.
If your first thought after reading
the previous paragraph is (I don’t believe in God or where has He been when I've needed Him) then I beg you to read on. Its okay if you don’t believe in
God! That’s not my business and God has given you free will to choose in what
or who you put your trust in. What I ask is that you would at least explore or
look into who He is before casting Him aside.
Society would have us believe that
we need to add a new layer of make-up in the morning if we want to look our
best or we need to buy the latest pair of fashionable shoes to feel like we are
hip and that we fit into the world. God’s children are made to not fit into the
world’s systems. The truth is that God created you to look like you. What you
see in the mirror is what God meant to create. He loves you wholeheartedly and
truly wants you to come to know what that means by His standards and not the
world’s standards.
The world is out to make money! The
almighty dollar is what the world sees and if they have to make you and I feel
like a piece of crap to make that dollar they will do it. We clearly have an
epidemic of overweight people in the world, but this is just one more example
of lack of self- control, lack of self- esteem, and lives that are so busy
working in sedentary jobs. We are always busy but not physically moving enough.
This takes a toll both physically and mentally. Many of us look to food for
comfort. Sometimes it helps us ease our pain and many times it’s an escape from
boredom. We have become so used to being still that we find it difficult to
motivate ourselves to move on a regular basis. We continue to wait for a
miracle weight loss pill that promises us that we don’t have to move. Let’s
face it, food is very tempting and the more fat or sugar in it the better it
tastes. The cosmetic company wants you to believe they have the new miracle
wrinkle remover so you chuck out hundreds of your hard earned money to fill
their greedy pockets. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look your best but
I personally think there is genuine beauty in growing old naturally. The more
make-up you put on, the more there is to take off which also causes wrinkles.
Where does this insecurity come from
within us? Why do we torture ourselves trying to be better than someone else or
have more than others have? What is the root cause of this crippling attitude
that many of us carry around? What we experienced growing up in our homes has
much to do with how we see ourselves today. Did you grow up the only child or
were there many brothers and sisters? Did you get compared with each other or
maybe another person’s child in your neighborhood? I was told by my Dad all my
life that I would never amount to anything and would never be as good as him.
Makes me wonder how many wretched things he had to hear someone tell him in his
past. I love my Dad and always believed he was so smart, but alcohol made him
look very different. All of these things as children has a deep impact on who
we become as adults if no one steps in to tell us the truth about who we are through
God’s eyes.
God loves you more than your heart
and mind could ever conceive to understand. The bible says in Psalm 139.14 that
you were wonderfully and fearfully created. You may have come out of your
mother’s body, but the hands of God were the hands that created who you are
physically! God doesn't make mistakes and God doesn't make junk! He is
perfectly perfect!
God loves you so much that He sent
His one and only perfect son to die for you on a cross. To give His sons life
in the place of yours so that you might live your life and live it to the
full. This concept sears my heart in
such a way that it hurts every time I think of it. Just think for a moment of
your child, the love you feel for him or her. They are so sweet and special in
your heart but the truth is all of us deserve death outside of Jesus sacrifice.
If you are not a parent then think of the one that you hold dearest to your
heart. Now think of someone beating them, mistreating them and then nailing
that person to a piece of wood. How does your heart feel with that image,
Horrible right? That’s how far God has gone to save you from death. The only
difference is that Jesus, who is the son of God, was perfect. He never sinned.
Jesus was God stepped down from heaven giving up His throne to be born of a
virgin woman, lived a life of full obedience to God to show us that if we would
connect our hearts with Gods heart then we could also live a great life. But we need that connection! But then He didn't stop there! Jesus went on to be rejected by His people, to be beaten and
abused and nailed to a cross (the very death that we deserve because we are not
obedient to God) and died in our place.
I sometimes sit and try to imagine
the picture of it all and what it means to my life in Him and sometimes this is
what I see.
Jesus is near us at all times
whether we are believers or unbelievers. If we've already accepted Him then
He’s on the inside of us in the form of God’s Holy Spirit. For unbelievers He
is constantly doing things in your life to get your attention. Little things
that we miss quite easily because we are too busy. Sometimes He gives us huge
events that make us wonder if God is real but at the same time make us see our
need for Him is great. God is real and the void we feel is real and God wants
to fill that void. He will never disappoint a receiving person. His love is
unimaginable!
1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 4
explains what love is: it says, Love is patient, love is kind. It does not
envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self
seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not
delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes and always perseveres. Love never fails.
Jesus Christ = true love. Love is patient: Jesus knew how
imperfect we all are before giving His life for us yet He went through with it
because of His love for us and His obedience to our Father. He also knows that
we all grow at different paces. It doesn't make us smarter or not as smart,
it’s just how we grow. When we connect with God, we are not to rush like the
world rushes but we are to slow down, take in a portion of His scripture (His
love letter to us) and chew on it. We need to think about it, ask God what this
passage means to my life and how do I apply these principles to my life?
I want you to know that Jesus will
never steer you wrong! He won’t make things easy for you because He wants to
build strength of faith in your heart and soul and He has the patients to wait
on you as long as you are genuinely seeking His will for your life. If on the
other hand you don’t care and you are not really sorry about the wrongs that
you do, then if tomorrow doesn't come to you hell is a reality to where you
will spend eternity. Consequences are real to all people whether believers of
Gods will or not! I have heard it said that “ patience is a bad thing to ask
for in prayer” but whatever it is you find yourself lacking from the character
of God is what you should be striving for and asking for more of.
Love is kind: Have you ever noticed
how a person’s face lights up when you smile genuinely at them? When you hold a
door for someone at the post office or bank with a smile on your face, how it
is appreciated most of the time? That’s because people aren't used to that kind
of kindness! Sometimes we see a person who doesn't smile or doesn't thank you
for doing such a thing and those are the people who are truly unhappy or like
most of us really busy. They may think that you want something or they see
themselves as unworthy of your kindness.
Those are the people that you should
go the extra mile for! Those are the ones in which we need to be creative to
show God’s goodness to. By the way, the more focus you take off of your own
issues and put onto someone else’s need, the smaller your problems become! As
you bless others, God will bless you. That doesn't mean he will grow your bank
account. But He will instill in your heart a feeling of pure joy that you can’t
explain. One that makes you feel like you have a permanent butterfly in your
belly and it feels awesome. Jesus showed so much kindness to us by His deed on
that cross that if we ever understand the full truth of it, we will never be
cheap or unkind ever again to another human being. It doesn't matter how much
or little they have because if we truly get in our hearts what Jesus did for us
and the kindness that he sent our way then we will overflow with His goodness.
Love does not envy: You know that
feeling you get sometimes when you feel like you should have more but you don’t
but your neighbor or friend does? That deceptive feeling you get in the pit of
your stomach that tells you that you should have what they have or you hate the
fact that they have what you don’t? That feeling is what the bible calls envy
and it is not good. If you find yourself feeling this way often then you need
to repent and go to your knees before Jesus and ask forgiveness for it. Believe
me when I say that “you are not alone in it”. We all have bouts with this
feeling at one point or another and whether it is a small or huge problem in
your heart then it needs to be addressed between you and your heavenly Father.
Before you begrudge someone of what they have you need to ask yourself, am I
willing to put the effort in to work for and
someday have what they have? If power and prestige is what you want for
your own glory and honor then you might get it but this life will be the only
life you get to have and your eternal life will be hell. If God grants you the
gifts and fervor to do what He calls you to do, then He will reward you for
your obedience. We truly need to examine our motives before doing deeds. Are
they worldly or are they for His glory?
No matter how big or little you see
yourself, in Gods eyes you are equal to every and any other person you see or
come into contact with. This means that every person you look at or talk to are
people that Jesus Christ also gave His life for. If you can get this concept
into your heart and mind then your outlook on others will begin to change. It
all comes from a healthy connection between your heart and Gods.
You may have something in your past
that slows your progress with God. Someone has hurt you in a way that you
cannot shake the feeling it gives you. Remember the person who hurt you has his
or her own issues that he or she needs to connect with God about and deal with.
If someone has been ugly with you then it’s a direct reflection of how they
feel about themselves. If we don’t catch our insecurity, bring it to God and
deal with it, then we will keep the cycle going with our own kids and most of
us usually want more for them than we've had, in every way. If you are a parent
reading this then I implore you to offer your children up to God and ask Him to
make them lovers of Jesus and walkers in His will and purpose.
Love does not boast: that’s a tough
one isn't it? When we do something well, we want to be recognized for that
action. It’s natural and God wants us to acknowledge the gifts He’s given us.
What he doesn't want us to do is forget that it is by His genius and His
knowledge passed down to us that allow us to succeed in anything no matter what
it is.
If you are accomplishing things then
you need to thank God for His provision of not just your accomplishment but the
brains and ability in which He provides you to do such things. All things are
to reflect the Father’s glory!
So many people think that it’s a sin
to step out and become successful by using the abilities that God has permitted
to them, but I believe and (this is my words not Gods) that if we don’t use
those gifts and talents then we insult the very person of God. It’s like
throwing what He wants us to have in the garbage and being done with it. Then
we drive ourselves into the deepest pit we can by telling ourselves we are
losers. Do you see? He doesn't want us to boast to make others look stupid or
for our own glory but to glorify Him by using our abilities and helping others
to see their own. We all have gifts we just don’t all use them or know what
they are.
It’s like what we call common sense.
Common sense is simply our conscience. It tells us in our gut when we are doing
wrong or about to do wrong. It gives us peace and joy when we do well. It is
placed in us by God and left un-abused it works well. We are so inclined to
ignore those feelings within us that many of us have numbed it and we don’t
receive its benefits anymore. Again something we need to repent from and ask
God to reignite our common sense that He gave us. God said in His word that He
would write on our hearts His law (Jesus died to release us from the power of
Gods law) and even though we are weak and can’t by human nature obey His
perfect law (which God knew and is why Jesus died for us) we still have to do
our personal best to live right before Him. If we intentionally sin knowing
Gods will then that’s like laughing in the face of God and woe to you who are
that arrogantly bold! Repent!
Love is not proud: many of us see
ourselves as better than others. Most of us I think try hard not to be this way
but no matter whom we are most of us has one group or another of people that we
don’t associate with or like to take time to talk to or interact with. God does
say not to hang around with fools,( anyone who treats God with contempt or
disrespect on purpose). What He does not say is that you have the right to be
rude to the fool. Before any of us comes to know Jesus, we too are fools just
like that. Only by Gods grace do we even believe in Him. He chooses us not the
other way around. If He didn't we’d all still be lost and there’d be no one
heading to heaven with our beautiful Almighty Father.
As with any other area we need to
pray for God’s eyes when looking at others. Be kind to all people remembering
only Jesus is perfect and you yourself fall very short of the glory which is
His alone but through it gives us so much love and kindness. Whoever is in your
life that you consider the fool, be nice and smile and pray for them and if you
find yourself judging then get on your knees and repent. Remember as well that
your sins are forgiven if you are already a child of God, you just need to
confess. But if not and you are still breathing then it’s never too late to ask
Jesus into your heart and life. You don’t have to understand it, you just have
to believe in His sacrifice for you and the power of the Father who raised him.
Say Jesus I don’t know you but I
believe that you know me, I believe that you gave your life for mine so that I
might live. Father I believe that by your power you raised Jesus from the dead
and He now sits once again at your right hand. Teach me Father from this day
forward what it means to be your disciple.
If you do not have a bible then go to your
nearest bookstore or church building. Make sure you ask if they believe in
God’s Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). You can find many free bibles and
bible studies by topic online; the NIV version is an easy to understand
translation.
Love is not rude: to disregard the
respect of others in everyday situations in which it should come naturally to
be nice. Our own jealousy sometimes can play a big role in rudeness. Kindness
again comes into play with this issue. We haven’t walked in our neighbors shoes and even more important to remember if you are already a follower of
Christ is that you associate His name with your actions. So be wise! Obviously
no one is perfect so we need to adopt the habit of quickly asking forgiveness
if we do stumble over tongue and insult someone un-intentionally.
The bible says that love is not self
seeking: if we love someone then we are always concerned for their well being
before our own. Mothers know this because most mothers give up most of their
time on a daily basis to clean house and laundry and the rest, leaving very
little time for herself to think or enjoy alone time. For the most part taking
care of our families are the greatest joy besides God that mothers have.
Parenting is the truest test of selflessness there is. With that said, it can
also be daunting at times so always know that Jesus is ready to listen when you
need strength. Imagine how selfless to be nailed to a cross. To save people who didn't even care about Him enough to acknowledge Him. His perfect sin sacrifice
never ends and is always available to anyone and everyone genuinely interested.
It is not a get out of trouble card
that can be use to excuse purposeful sin! Asking Jesus into your life means
that you are ready to live a better life. You are tired of living falsely and
now want to live a right life for God and for Gods good purpose to bring all
peoples to know and love Him.
Love is not easily angered: we don’t
fly off the handle at people when they do something we don’t agree with or
like. It’s sometimes up to us to point out their wrong path or action but we as
followers of Jesus are to be slow to anger just like our heavenly Father. This doesn't mean that you be a doormat for anyone to kick and walk all over you.
There is such a thing as righteous anger, and through our heart connection
between us and our Father in heaven we are to develop a habit of quick
forgiveness toward others. If there is something in your heart against someone
that you can’t seem to let go of then go to God and give it up to Him. He’s the
only one able to make the changes in us that we need.
Love keeps no record of wrongs! You
know when you fight with your spouse or loved one and the actions from six
months ago gets thrown around into each other’s faces where no one forgets or
lets go? That kind of attitude will destroy everything good in the way of
relationships. It doesn't matter if it’s a friend or a spouse, the relationship
will not last if letting go of past incidences is not an option. Forgiveness is
an absolute must for any and every relationship.
Love does not delight in evil: Satan
is as real as God is and he is out to destroy whoever will live the way that he
delights in. Having no concern for others, committing every kind of sin without
condemnation in his heart is the way of the devil. He gets a kick out of us
every time we treat others with contempt. Living for the world and falling for
the lies of it is his way of trapping us and it’s so easy sometimes to fall for
it. If we keep our God connection clear and strong at all times then God will
guide us rightly against all attacks of the evil one. Without God we cannot
avoid Satan’s snare. We want so much for life to be about me, me, me and the
world feeds its greedy pockets on that one fact. God is truth and if you
believe in Him and give your life to Him then you will also delight in all
truth. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through Him.
Love always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails.
All these promises of what true love
is are not possible without God. God is love and if you are a child of God then
you should be purposely seeking to grow in these areas. If you are not a
follower of Christ then I pray through these words and the fact of what Jesus
gave for you will tell you what the true meaning of beautiful is.
We were created for two purposes, to
be loved and to love. God created you because His heart is so big and so full
of love that He wanted to share it. You are beautiful in His eyes. It doesn't matter what color your hair or skin or the ethnic race you come from. God loves
you so much. If you get this concept, you will never worry again about how the
world sees you or what the world thinks. You are worthy because God gave you
worth in Jesus death and life.
I pray that you will take these words
seriously. Look to your heavenly Father, ask Jesus into your life and watch God
transform your being. There are four key ingredients to a great life with God.
They are faith, hope, love and willingness to let go and let God. This is the
secret of being truly beautiful.
