True Beauty

I love looking beautiful just like any other woman. You can watch a little girl's love of playing dress up and making herself beautiful. Every bride adorns herself in beauty on her wedding day. Women long to feel beautiful. It is our deep question, Am I lovely, Am I beautiful? The world has a funny way of telling us how to obtain beauty and for many it feels out of reach. And that deep question is often answered "No". We feel we'll never have the perfect body, complexion, hair, so therefore how could we be beautiful.
God's word has something to say to us about beauty. If we look around us we'll see expressions of beauty everywhere. In the vibrant colors of a sunset, a field of black eyed susans, the laughter of children, a rainbow. The world is filled with sweet smells, vibrant colors, and magnificent beauty. God is the creator of beauty. We are an expression of His beauty and He delights in us. God has given us the creative ability to make things beautiful. I love to dress up in make up and put my hair in curls, wear sparkling jewerly, sweeting smelling perfumes, and have my hands and feet pampered. All of these things feel great and there is nothing wrong with any of it. However, it is all fleeting and will fade away. God taught me this lesson a few weeks ago. I was asked to speak at a small church one Sunday morning and the invitation was a days notice. Not much time to prepare, but I felt lead to go anyway. The problem was I desperatly needed a haircut, to feel fresh and beautiful before I presented myself to a group of people. I simply could not go without a haircut. Thankfully I have a dear friend who does hair and I called her for an emergency beautification treatment. She agreed, so I was happily headed for a fresh new look. On my way out the door, the question dropped in my heart, have you prayed, have you spent time with the giver of all beauty, are you prepared for the message you need to convey?
My answer was "No". Suddenly my mission for a haircut was deverted and I ended up at a small coutry church that I grew up in. It was dusk and I found myself surrounded with true loveliness, and peace. I sat on the front steps of that church, notebook and bible in hand and watched the sun set in front of me. I enjoyed the quiteness for a while and then began to pray. "Okay God, I'm ready to take notes". Pen in hand, I waited and nothing came. After awhile I took a walk though the graveyard to three crosses that stood in a distance. The middle one had a crown of thorns hung around it. I stared at that crown and was reminded of what Jesus did for me. I bowed low at the cross and wept. After a while I stood and walked back to my car, realizing the purpose of my being there was to be emptied. Poured out, to be filled with God's spirit, true beauty. I did not have a new haircut, but I had a new found confidence in who I really was. The daughter of a King, a princess. Now that is beautiful...

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Proverbs 31:30