After I bared it all...
I have struggled with writing this follow up post for
awhile. I have written it, rewritten it,
erased it, and started over. One reason
is because I still feel like I am walking through this journey, so it felt a
little premature to be offering advice as to how to conquer it. Secondly, I had such an AMAZING response to
the last post, I sort of felt like there was no way I could live up to that
again so I might as well stop the whole blogging thing with a bang, right?! :)
Lastly, though, I have struggled with writing this because in
light of the current events around the globe, this topic seems so superficial
all of a sudden…like what does feeling beautiful have to do with anything in
the long run.
However, I have been reading pretty much every article I can get
my hands on these days in regards to the events in Iraq, Syria, Gaza, and even
in Ferguson, MO. There is some serious and heartbreaking stuff going on. I have literally stayed up in the night
thinking about it and praying about it.
Yet, despite all of that, I still have this thorn in my side so to
speak. It haunts me and taunts me and at
times even debilitates me. It begs to
steel my joy, my confidence, my peace, and even at times my faith.
And unfortunately after reading so many of your messages and
emails, I know this is true for more people than just me.
So even though my plight of feeling beautiful is NOTHING
compared to what women are facing RIGHT THIS MOMENT in the aforementioned
places, I know that I can be of no help if the enemy continues to press me down
with the lie that I am not beautiful. I
want to be strong. I want to be active. I want to fight. I want to live life and life to ABUNDANCE! I
want to be a part of bringing beauty back into this broken and fallen
world. I can’t do that with my face in
the dirt.
You can’t either.
Therefore, for whatever it is worth to you here is what I am
learning about feeling beautiful. And
guys (big shout out to you because I seriously thought only girls read my blog…so
boys for the win!)…guys these things go for you too. Many of you struggle with insecurities based
on your looks. So this is for you too!
2. We need to
participate in things we are passionate about.
Play a sport. Sing in a
choir. Go for a hike. Draw. Paint. Cook. Write. Read. Fiddle around
in a workshop. Volunteer with an organization you love. Help out at an animal
shelter. Whatever it is you are
passionate about, find as many opportunities as possible to do it!
The other day I had a chance to share with our
staff of about 60 people at our retreat.
I was super nervous about it.
Speaking in public doesn’t really bother me too much (I find making
small chit chat to a small group of strangers much more intimidating). So it wasn’t that so much as having to speak
in Spanish and about a topic that I felt super passionate about it, but totally
inadequate to be the one actually sharing about it. A couple of days later, though, my husband
and I were just sharing a quiet moment together when he told me how beautiful
he found me while I was speaking. He
said he was so totally captivated by me and just found me absolutely
breathtaking.
Now maybe for some of you, your spouses say
that kind of mushy gushy stuff all of the time.
But mine doesn’t it. He is more
of a show your love kind of guy rather than say it with words. So this was
pretty out of the ordinary.
But, then it all seemed to make sense to
me. I was radiating beauty to my husband
not because of what I wore or how I fixed my hair or anything like that. I radiated beauty in that moment because I
was passionate and alive. I was speaking
about something that I love dearly, and it showed on every part of my being.
Hello people!
Beauty is so much more than something physical
and tangible! Beauty is an essence. It
is a feeling. It isn’t momentary. It is at times indescribable. It captivates you. It makes you feel alive. It begs you to come back for more.
Beauty is so much more than a pretty face and a
great body.
3. Our ultimate example of beauty is Christ and
His sacrificial love for us. His torn, broken, and lifeless body on the cross
is the ultimate and best example of beauty.
Not because his body was beautiful but because He IS BEAUTIFUL. His love
for us beautiful.
If I want to feel more beautiful, I need to
know Christ more. The more I know Him,
the more I love Him. The more I love Him, the more I will be like Him…and the
more people all around me are going to see His beauty. I am His vessel. He is my potter. I am His clay.
The more I make it about me. The less beautiful
I am going to feel. I am going to see my
flaws, my imperfections, and my lack.
But, the more I see Him…the more I love me.
I am beautiful because the Christ that lives in
me is beautiful. I am enough because He
says I am enough.
May these truths become alive in you
today. May they penetrate every part of
your being.
Get your face out of the dirt. Stand tall.
This world needs beauty. This world
needs life. I want to be a messenger of
both.
You are beautiful.
