And of course when I say beautiful I'm not just talking about physical beauty. That fades away. Most of us are ordinary according to Hollywood and fashion magazine standards. And that's perfectly okay! The beauty I'm talking about is a person's character. If the outside is nice too than just icing on the cake. :) But I haven't always thought this way and if I'm really honest sometimes I still get wowed by the outside appearance.
See, recently God has been gently letting me know that I need to focus more on Him and His standards of beauty. Because He is a jealous God. Because He desires that I think about Him. And because, quite frankly, God deserves my undivided attention.
And then I realized in a new way that God created the people I admire. You know, one of those "duh!" moments. God gave them their good looks, their talents, their abilities, and their lives. And as I was admiring a charming man the other day, and I mean... very handsome, I heard a thought in my head:
" Sincerity, admire the Creator not the creation."
It was a quiet thought. It was gentle but it was also blunt. I was not thinking about God in those moments, just on how beautiful this man seemed to be. Praising God for the beauty of someone else is not natural to me. I wrestle with this. And I know I'm not the only one.
There's nothing wrong with liking people! There's nothing wrong with admiring their abilities. And there's nothing wrong with appreciating someone's physical beauty. But we have to be so careful with all of that because it can quickly crowd God out from the center of our hearts.
God isn't against beautiful people. Several of the Bible's greatest stories center around attractive individuals: Sarah, Rebekah, David, Esther, and Solomon. But as we read about these people we learn that their beauty was not only skin deep or because of their skills and talents. They all loved the Lord and put Him first in their lives. And that obedience to His will, even when at times it was very difficult, proved to be the most beautiful thing about them.
Would God want to put my life's story in the Bible too if He were still including new ones today?
God isn't against beautiful people. Several of the Bible's greatest stories center around attractive individuals: Sarah, Rebekah, David, Esther, and Solomon. But as we read about these people we learn that their beauty was not only skin deep or because of their skills and talents. They all loved the Lord and put Him first in their lives. And that obedience to His will, even when at times it was very difficult, proved to be the most beautiful thing about them.
Would God want to put my life's story in the Bible too if He were still including new ones today?
I want to be beautiful in God's eyes. I want Him look into my heart and mind and find only beauty there. I want my character to be excellent and I want to continue growing humbly in His will. Because once my outward youth fades away, once I'm too old to have a career, once I can no longer remember names and faces, God will still love me.
And once I pass away and everyone who ever knew me does too, and the memory of who I was is forgotten, God will still remember me. God will still know. And that... that is beautiful.
" But the Lord said to Samuel, ' Don't judge by his appearance of height for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't see things the way you seem them. People judge by outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.'"
~ I Samuel 16:7
13 comments:
That is my desire too. Inward beauty to be seen in me. Love your post. A good reminder. Thanks God for the His creation. Have a blessed beautiful day:)
nice post thanks for sharing...i found you thrue other followers looking for to visit more...blessings from holland
what a powerful word! i pray that i might be beautiful in God's eyes as well... :) thanks!
Great word! I want to be beautiful in His eyes and want to admire the Creator instead of the created. Thanks for sharing!
Joy: Inward beauty is the only kind that never fades. God is so good to surround us all with the beauty of His creation, even when the world is not as it was meant to be.
Thank you and may you also be blessed. :)
My Diary: Hello and welcome! Thank you for visit and I look forward to your future comments. :) Peace to you.
Banning Brewd: That is a God-given desire and one that He promises to fulfill in the lives of all who earnestly seek Him.
I believe that it is already happening to you. :) Keep going! It is effort well spent. May God continue to bless your efforts in serving and pleasing Him with your life.
BelovedBomber: You're welcome. It can be so difficult to not focus on what our human eyes see. But by God's grace we continue to be transformed into His image, complete with His vision of true beauty. :) Blessings to you.
Especially nowadays when people are too in a hurry or aggressive, it's hard to think or realize God's wonderful creations.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. :)
http://hildaleticiadominguez.com/
Amen, amen.
Hilda: Yes, I completely agree. Many of us simply don't take time out to enjoy the things in life that really matter. Family, friends, nature, even just saying a kind word to a stranger... all of those things are free and often have a greater impact than we will ever know.
Blessings to you.
Denise: To God be the glory! :D
i just enjoyed a visit to your blog, reading a few of your posts, and your love for the Lord and the way you honor Him is encouraging. Thank you for visitng my blog, and I appreciate your comment. I will be praying that you will heal completely from the injury you've had, with no lasting affects. Even if that doesn't happen, we both know that the Lord will use what has happened so that as we serve Him we may bring Him glory.
Kindly,
Laurie
P.S. Isn't that just like God to bring you Tiger when you and your family had to say goodbye to Angel Eyes? His timing is always perfect!
Hi Sincerity,
Do you know, there is not one picture of any of the characters written about in the scriptures, so we really do not know whether their physical appearance would have appealed to us or not. Yet when I first became a Christian I always called the Lord 'beautiful'. Everything about Him is beautiful to me. On the road to Emmaus Jesus appeared in another form. They only recognized Him when He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. Then He vanished. This showed me the recognition of Him was not in the physical appearance, but in the blessed bread 'the Spiritual word', given to us by the Lord. That, for me is where true beauty lies, whether it be in the scriptures or in a person. Physical beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I love the beauty in animals and nature, I suppose because it is innocent beauty, not tampered with.
Laurie: Thank you for your kind words. I praise God for any encouragement people receive from my blog.
Complete healing would be wonderful! But you are absolutely right. Being in God's will, even if it hurts, is better than being outside of it.
His timing is perfect! :D Blessings to you.
Brenda: You have several great points. I do imagine that even today there are strong contrasts between cultures and ethnic groups as to what is beautiful.
That example of Jesus on the road to Emmaus is how I see Him. He is mysterious and kind and wise. He desires to relate to us intimately and prove His love to us.
There is nothing in all of creation like His Word. Nothing has the power, the impact that His Word has. Especially on broken and wounded hearts.
Thank you for sharing and God bless!
You are correct to say God is beautiful. He certainly is!
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