Beauty

On Sunday I wore a dress and high heels to church.

I typically do not wear high heels because I get so into the worship (arms raised, eyes closed, swaying) that sometimes I will lose my balance in the middle of a praise song.

I am not even kidding.  The last time I was worshiping on stage in heels I literally stumbled forward.  I bet the congregation thought I had had a little too much of the communion wine.

I managed to stay pretty balanced this past Sunday and the hubs gave me several sincere compliments about how pretty I looked.

Of course I brushed them off with the usual, “Oh, you have to say that – you’re my husband.”

Then later that day I had an opportunity to run to the grocery store by myself.

{{Insert choir singing the Hallelujah Chorus.}}

When it was time to check out, I loaded all of my groceries onto the conveyor belt and the cashier started to ask me a bunch of questions.

Cashier: “Did you find everything?”

Me: “Yes – and then some!”

Cashier: “Do you want any help to your car?”

Me: “Nah, I can handle it!  My kids aren’t with me!!!”

Cashier: “You have babies at home?”

Me: “Yes!”  Then I laughed, “They aren’t really babies anymore, though – they are 6 and 3.”

The cashier looked at me and said, “Do you work out?”

I laughed again, but nervously this time, “Not reeeeally.  I walk on my treadmill sometimes, but I’m definitely no fitness buff!”

She smiled and said, “Well, I hope it’s okay for me to say, but you have a really good figure for having 2 babies!”

This is when my jaw almost hit the floor.

Did someone pay this woman to say that to me?!  Did my mom plan this somehow???

I leaned over the conveyor belt and hugged the woman and said, “TELL ME MORE!” 🙂

Her compliment totally lifted my spirits.

As soon as I headed out of the store, a gentleman who was passing out cards for his handyman business approached me and said, “Excuse me, ma’am, but you are just so beautiful!”

I almost fell over.  TWO compliments within 5 minutes of each other?!

I headed to my car on cloud 9.  I mean, THIS IS NOT NORMAL, people.  I never get complimented on my looks unless it’s someone asking me why I am wearing so much glitter or to inform me that I have cashews stuck in my teeth.

Obviously THESE people were the ones drinking too much communion wine!

I got home and breezed happily through the door and immediately relayed the whole event to my husband.

I was beaming and giggling and feeling pretty good about myself (and possibly sneaking some glances in the mirror along the way).

That’s when I noticed that the hubs was not nearly as amused.  He said, “But baby, I have been telling you all morning that you looked beautiful.  Why can’t my compliments have that effect on you?  Why can’t my encouragement be enough?”

OUCH.

My shoulders slumped a bit as his words took root.  Why weren’t his words enough for me?  It wasn’t bad to delight in compliments from others, but I knew my heart was filling up with pride and a thirst for more – there was the rub (and the danger!).

I pondered this for the rest of the night and the Holy Spirit spoke straight to my heart on the matter.

It wasn’t just my husband’s affirming words I sometimes brush off.

I do this to the Lord, too.

How many times does it say in the Bible that I am beautiful, loved, and valued by God?

But how often do I continue to seek the approval of others?  How often do I try new make-up or wear new clothes or high heels to feel beautiful?

When all along the Lord is whispering that I’m beautiful simply because I am His creation.

The world’s standard of beauty is ever-increasing.  We have to be thinner, have bigger boobs, gorgeous hair, clear skin, brilliant teeth…  And we go to all kinds of lengths to attain it.  We want other people to notice us.  It feels good to have someone tell us we are beautiful.

What happens, then, when that selfie we posted on Instagram didn’t get as many likes as we had hoped?  Or when the pregnancy weight is hanging on for dear life despite a healthy lifestyle?  Or the second wrinkles start showing up?

Instead of feeling worthless, we can make the choice to believe the words our Savior says about us.  Words that remind us about who we are and Whose we are.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made.

My boobs might sag a bit and my hair might cause me great stress and confusion on days with 110% humidity, but God sees me and delights in saying,

“I love how I made you!”

This is the message for women today.  We need to stop holding our worth out to the masses and take hold of the beauty we possess through the blood of Jesus.

We can receive His affirmations and they can be enough.  Enough to keep us away from the Botox injections and the plastic surgeons.  Enough from the crash diets and endless trips to the Clinique counter.

Enough to keep us out of the communion wine because we can’t ever seem to keep. up.

We can still wear cute clothes and make-up, friends.  We can still wear heels (although I am personally going to stay away from this on the Sundays I sing on the worship team – ha!).

We can still take care of ourselves.

But we must make sure our beauty is defined by God.

And not by the creepy guy hanging outside the grocery store.

– Julie 🙂

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30