God's beauty is alive, something that can be felt and experienced. One way to think about beauty is as soul beauty. It has a spiritual quality to it. Soul beauty inspires us, motivates and moves us to pursue the good that needs to be done in the world.
Beautiful is my favorite word. It can be defined as, the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit: loveliness (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). I love the idea that beauty exalts the mind and spirit.
Over the years I have had the wonderful opportunity of working with a lot of women. One of the things I have come to understand is that many have a challenging time seeing themselves as the beautiful woman that God has created them to be.
We live in a culture that idolizes earthly beauty. We have a tendency to measure our beauty based on a standard that the world projects, forgetting that true beauty is actually measured by a heavenly standard. If you find that you, too, sometimes get caught up in this kind of thinking, here are some things to keep in mind about soul beauty:
God has created each of His women unique and beautiful. I love the quote from George MacDonald that wonderfully captivates this sentiment. He once said, God's finger can touch nothing but to mold it into loveliness. The next time you look in the mirror tell yourself, "You are beautiful. You are a daughter of the King and He loves and adores you."
Soul beauty comes from the inside and radiates outward. St. Peter said it well, Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gold or putting on fine apparel - rather let it me the hidden person of the heart, with incorruptible beauty (1 Peter 3:3-4). Have you ever met a physically beautiful woman only to find out that her heart was not so beautiful? Did you find that her beauty quickly faded? A truly beautiful woman exudes soul beauty.
Earthly beauty fades; don't let your identity be found in it. Like a beautiful flower that blooms and shortly withers, so is earthly beauty. In the book of Proverbs we are reminded that, Beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised
(Pr. 31:30). Let your beauty be found in knowing God and intimately walking with Him.
Beauty is found in who we are becoming. If we are becoming like Jesus, then others will experience our beauty. When people see Jesus radiating from our lives; then we are truly beautiful. Soul beauty is the reflection of the living God being lived out in our lives.
When I think of beauty I think of that which moves my soul. Women who are beautiful to me,
- Are passionate about God
- Live wholeheartedly for His calling
- Show generosity
- Inspire people with hope
- Are gracious and full of gratitude
- Show kindness
- Exercise humility
- Sacrifice for their families
- Have courageous hearts
- Spend time on their knees praying
- Extend their hands to the poor
- Pursue justice
- Are merciful
- Love God's people
- Embrace the unlovable
http://www.DrAngelaBisignano.com
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