Beauty

She made her way to the front where I was sitting on the edge of the stage, after leading 100 college students in worship at a retreat in the mountains this past week. She joined me on the edge and whispered in my ear:

Girl: "Does the word beauty mean anything to you?"

Me: "Yes, Why?"

Girl:  "Because you are beautiful, but not in a worldly way. When you are worshipping, You have a beauty that reflects Jesus, all your beauty points back to Him. All your beauty points back to Jesus, all of it."

Me: (tears filling my eyes) "Thank you, that means so much to me."

Girl: You are welcome. I just thought you should know.

She walked away as quickly as she had approached, and I sat there in awe of what this college girl had just revealed to me.

My whole life I have wanted to be beautiful. I have wanted others to see my beauty and tell me I am "beautiful." What girl doesn't?

From the time we are little, we want to be pretty, we want others to notice our beauty, because somehow it means that we have worth and meaning. That we are worthy of looking at, and worthy of being called beautiful. Deep down we all have a desire to BEAUTIFUL.

Ask any woman, we want others to notice our beauty. We spend tons of money on clothes, beauty products, hair products, jewelry, shoes etc. We deck ourselves out to impress others with high hopes that someone will say "cute outfit!" "Your hair looks so pretty!" "Where did you get those jeans? They make your butt look big!" The list goes on.

I want to be beautiful, I want to leave a mark on the world. I want others to remember me by my beauty. I bet you do as well.

The crazy thing about what this girl shared with me about my beauty, was it was completely foreign to me. My whole life my beauty has been about me, about what I can bring to the table and what others notice about me. It also completely depends on me. How much I weigh, how much I am working out, how much effort I have put in to being beautiful. The words she spoke shifted that thought process completely. My beauty is not about me, its about Him. Always about Him.

What this young woman's perspective revealed to me about my beauty, is what I believe the Lord wants to reveal to all women about their own beauty.

Our beauty is ALL ABOUT HIM. Every ounce of beauty is a reflection of Him, His creativity and His majesty. We are created in his image and our beauty is intended to point others back to Him. Always. The other crazy thing about beauty is, it isn't one size fits all. Melissa McCarthy is beautiful to me because she is funny, spunky and smart. Beth Moore is beautiful to me because she is wise, and deeply rooted in Jesus. Carrie Underwood is beautiful to me because her voice is majestic, and her stage presence is inviting. All three of these women have different physical traits, but they are still absolutely beautiful to me.

My sister Megan is one of the most beautiful people I know. Her physical beauty is breathtaking, but her personality and wit make her the complete package.

My sister Shannon is beautiful because she is brilliant, she cares for others and is tender hearted. Her red hair is stunning and she has a firecracker personality.

I am beautiful because I care deeply for others, I have a beautiful smile and an infectious laugh. I am beautiful because I reflect Jesus.

This new found realization has me strutting a little taller these days. It isn't about me. So therefore the pressure is off. All the years of making my beauty point back to me is changing day by day. My beauty points back to Jesus and His love for others. When people spend time with me, I want them to leave feeling closer to Jesus than before we met. When I lead worship, I want others to hear my voice, and be led into the presence of Jesus and worship Him in the fullness of His majesty. I want others to see Jesus when they see me.

Shoutout to Phoebe who told me that's what she sees when she looks at me, and for being bold enough to tell me.

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