HisGrace.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Are you beautiful?

There are 3 kinds of beauty:

1 Outward Beauty

Everyone likes to dress well, be in the latest trends, fashionable, be lavished in 'branded-s'. Nobody likes to look like a toad. For me, I love to dress myself up too. It’s fine to have fun and play and dress up. But the thing about outward beauty is that it’s temporary and transitional. Outward beauty doesn’t stay the same (trend changes); it transitions through the years and the seasons.

Outward beauty is temporary. I can have fun with it, appreciate it, but it’s going to change. One day, my 'orbakuk' will be legal dark rings, my dyed hair will return back to its original black, wrinkles will start crowding, pigmentation too.

But if I remember that outward beauty is temporary and transitional, then it doesn’t have to define my identity, it can just be something I enjoy in its various stages in life.

2 Inward Beauty

Got to admit to it, physical attraction is important. I love 'dashing-talented Guitarist'. Ahahahahaa!

My outward beauty (appearnce) has been created by God and it will pretty much stay the same. Fair, small eyes, chubby, 'eye brow-less', disease-plagued (hai~ Yes, please remember to keep me in prayer) - that's me

Inward beauty is the place where God is going to transform me.
It’s the place in me where I notice that I’m changing as I’m growing and seeking God.

Some changes I've noticed about myself:

- I notice that I’m not mouthy and argumentative like I used to be. (Practice listening skills)

- I notice that I’m more at peace with myself when someone doesn’t like me or agree with me. I don’t feel some huge pressure to perform for acceptance.

- I notice that through my experiences in being in multiple ministries, Church, schools and workplaces, I have a greater trust in God. These are experiences that I went through that deeply humbled me.

- I notice that I’m not about trying to judge people and 'fix' people but my highest calling in my life is to love people and walk in the truth. I love living that more and more.

“Don’t be conformed any longer to the standards of the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

I am being transformed by how Christ is renewing my mind. I used to think that some ladies look very attractive in short skirts and tops.

But there’s more than meets the eye.

I’m seeing that there’s something very beautiful about being a person of influence. Being a person with integrity and character and trust in God is becoming very beautiful to me and it impacts peoples’ lives around me. It draws attention to God rather than drawing attention to me and that is more satisfying to me than it used to be.

“Your beauty should not be merely external such as braided hair, expensive jewelry and fine clothes, but let it be the inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”

As I’m growing in my relationship with God and learning from my life lessons along the way, I am seeing that posseseing a gentle and quiet spirit is more valuable.

3 Sacred Beauty

I love the word “sacred” because it reminds me of something that is untouchable. It’s a private place, a sanctuary place, a secret place. It’s outside of seasons, outside of the elements, it’s timeless and completely protected in its own little world.

Sacred beauty is timeless and untouchable.

As I’ve been on this very honest journey with God and asking him, “Who are you? And who am I?” I’ve learned something that has changed my world and changed my entire outlook on life.

- God is love
- He made me from that love
- Nothing can separate me from that love

It would be like someone trying to separate me from my DNA, the very core design of my being. You can’t do it.

Christ is the very source of who I am.

The challenge for me is in believing that. So, I've been bringing to God my unbelief and saying, “I believe that you are love, but I don’t believe that that’s who I am. Help me in my unbelief.” And God works on my believing issue because He’s the only one who can. And He knows how and where to work on it because he knows everything about me.

How do we keep ourselves centered on what really matters?

Pray for the things that God says are valuable to have:

- Wisdom
- A gentle and quiet spirit
- Fear of the Lord

“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

So…..

Enjoy our outward beauty - it’s temporary and transitional. (That will help keep it in perspective)

Enjoy the inward beauty - that something beyond what you see is going on inside of you as you live life and seek God. God is in the process of transformation.

Enjoy the sacred beauty – the unchanging fact that a God who is beautiful created you by His inspiration and love. Nothing on the outside of you or the inside of you can affect his love for you. He simply loves you because you are from him. That’s an untouchable and a timeless place.

Which kind of beauty matters the most to you?
As I think about it, I can't help laughing at myself. We, human beings value things that are of the least importance to God and worst still, some of us, allow them to be our god.

God, thank You for making me beautiful.

11:49 AM