Just the other day I heard someone say when looking at a picture of someone else, "wow, she is so cute, she has lost some weight" and it got me thinking...
Soceity labels beauty as MANY things; perfect body, long legs, stunning hair, piercing eyes, lucious lips, you get the idea...but you won't hear soceity saying (not very often at least) that women are beatuiful if they are over a size 12 or 14, let alone a 22 or 24(or even larger), or if they have short stubby legs that break out, or hair that doesn't do what you want, let alone the women who have struggled with illness or something that leaves them bald, or even if you leave the house without makeup( gasp...JK OF COURSE!) lol....once again, you get the point....
We are called to love each other like Christ loves us, and He loves us ALL regardless of weather we are short or tall, skinny or fat, blonde, brunette, red head, whatever! Remember the song we all sang when we were young, " red, yellow, black or white, they are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world" why is it when we grow up, we seem to forget that...We all have been guilty at one point or another, or maybe you struggle with this daily, but whatever it is, we can rise above it. Truth is, Jesus loved a lot of people, and befriended a lot of people that left other people questioning why He would go near them...but He didn't care, He knew them, and loved them for THEM!
Why as Christians do we struggle with this so much? How do non-Christians perceieve us, when we are right there saying the same things they are?...or even worse, judging them! I can guarntee they aren't getting the " God loves you regardless of your sin, regardless of what you look like, regardless of the things you struggle with, vibe."
You know the saying, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" which is true. Speaking of husbands specifically, your husband, who likes "skinny chicks" would not be the least bit interested in me, and my husband who happens to like "fat chicks" wouldn't be the least bit interested in you, but thats why God made your husband for you, and mine for me...but we all know that...here's whats a new thought...to me at least is this:
Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder, not beholder. Get it? In the end God is the "beholder" for all of us, regardless of weather you have a physical person in your life that finds you beautiful, God does! I know this might be hard to grasp, but when we stand before Jesus and He calls us "HIS Beautiful child" we will know True beauty, standing in His presence.
It just all seems so childish and "third grade" to judge someone because of the way they look. Physical beauty is only skin deep,and fades with age, but a beautiful heart can last a lifetime...and I don't know about you, but when I die, I would much rather have someone say(among other things) that I had a beautiful heart and loved others unconditionally, than to have someone say I was pretty, and physically beautiful.
Just some thoughts to think about, including myself!!
oh and just so you all know...I use the word "fat" or "fat chicks" in a loving way. I know what I am and accept it. :)
5 comments:
I love it when you get deep and uncomfortable =-)
You are so very right, and it breaks my heart to see it. A very good example that I just watched?
Go here -->
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
Made me cry, for realz.
It amazes me that this starts so very young. I think I am on gaurd a little because I think one day our children will be judged for their looks, when I think they are beyond beautiful, some do not. So as much as I want to model for them that God loves us all equally and unconditionally, I also want our kids to understand that some people are just not going to like them. Make sense? I want them to be able to just shrug it off and maybe even laugh at how stupid it is that someone would miss out on them because of something so dumb as appearance. Truth is, we are all judged for something...for me it wasn't as much physical as it was my faith and my personality. But my parents taught me that I just needed to move on and forgive. Our Savior has to be broken hearted at the way we behave and so miss His message of LOVE! BTW, has your husband heard the version...red and yellow, black, brown, white??? The boys like to hear their shade in there!
I love this! Wish you lived closer!
Thanks Ash...I needed to read this! I love you!
So true! I had never thought about the beholder being God. What an amazing way to look at it.
This subject is so close to my heart because my best friend has a severe eating disorder, and it is heart breaking to see what she is going through and how hard it is to fight when the world is telling her that she's not good enough on her own.
P.S. I found your blog through your comment on MckMamma's blog. We adopted our babies in Dec. 07 and Dec. 08.
Read your prayer request on Mck and am praying for you. Our family was recently called to adoption as well and it is hard waiting for the children that God has planned for us. (We know that there are two somewhere...that He has made clear.) It's just that it's so hard to wait!
Have you looked at the link she posted to Reece's Rainbow? There are some kids that will just grab your heart there.
Anyway, I also agree with you on this post. I have a different view of beauty all together, it was a blessing from the Lord and change of vision a couple years ago. http://puremommyextract.blogspot.com/2009/04/through-eyes-of-lord.html is a post about scars that I wrote that you reminded me of up there...
I am praying that He blesses you with clear vision and a fulfilled heart. May you seek His ways over all else.
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