He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Isaiah 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”
Typical for a teenage girl—I thought I was ugly.
I giggled over Tiger Beat and 'Teen magazines and plastered posters of the Mod Squad, Brady Bunch, and the Monkees on my bedroom walls. Even though the celebrity rags were much more innocent in my time, they were covered with what Hollywood considered beautiful people.
As a tomboy, growing up in the country, I knew I'd never look like any of the beauties who graced the screen. I wasn't skinny (anyone remember a model called Twiggy,) my clothes were determined by our high school's strict dress code, girls in dresses and boys in business casual. We wore our hair long and straight and had some interesting eye wear.
All I wanted was to dress in my bell bottoms, sneakers, and t-shirts.Even as I read about Bobby Sherman and Marcia Brady, I also learned about a man called Jesus. On Wednesday and Sunday evenings our youth leaders shared Bible verses about true beauty that blossoms from the inside out. They watered us like flowers with verses about joy, love, kindness, faith, and peace.
It took me years to truly accept the beauty the Holy Spirit planted in my heart and to understand that "pretty" blooms from within. There's nothing wrong with looking nice, neat, and clean. But the outward appearance is only a fraction of true beauty.
I'm thankful those adults brought the "good news" of Jesus to us.Sharing about Jesus love and grace, and the eternal hope I have in him opens my soul. Living a life where Jesus shines through me wherever I'm planted reflects the wonder of daily life with him. My outward appearance may not be Hollywood standards, but my heart is filled with the beauty of Jesus' love and grace. I pray I mirror Him in all I do.
"If only our eyes saw souls instead of bodies. How very different our ideals of beauty would be." ~Unknown
Seek Jesus and share his beautiful story.
Seek Jesus and share his beautiful story.