Pretty is. Beauty does.

Pretty is. Beauty does. I heard this on a commercial recently and began to think about this. I mean, what could it possibly mean? Every girl wants to be pretty. We want to feel pretty and be told we are. But what about this thing called beauty? What could that be about? I hate to break it to some of you, but its not just about a girl who loves to read and ends up in a mansion with a harry beast, its much, much more! Lucky for us, we are to be called beauty too.

Recently, I was having lunch with some friends and we were talking about relationships. I confessed that I struggled with my definition of beauty. I feel as though I don’t have anything to bring to the table of marriage. I mean, what will I be able to offer my husband one day? I can’t really cook, neither do I care to honestly. I’m not very intellectual. I can’t talk on various subjects and don’t have profound knowledge on very much. I don’t always please everyone. I don’t always wear the right thing or show up at the right time. I certainly never say the right thing or respond the right way. So what could possibly be beautiful about me? Seriously. As my confession came to a close, I expressed what I am passionate about; however cliche it may be. Its the truth. I love people. I love holding orphans in Africa. I love loving people. I love caring for and helping people. I love being there for people. I love my family. There is nothing I love more than holding babies, any babies! But that’s all I have going for me and that’s my heart. My friends began to laugh as they looked at me puzzled. They obviously knew something I didn’t.

You see, I was looking at my strength as a weakness. I was forgetting the fact that I have loved. This then reminded us of what 1 Corinthians 13 says: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I gave away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

I realized the Bible says something quite differently about the beauty I possess. My friends also helped me realize that the very essence of my beauty is incredible. In fact, these verses greatly encourage what my heart longs for. The beauty the world asks of me is meaningless, its beauty that chases after the wind. What I gained from all of this? Who gives a rats rear that I can’t tell time backwards, recite the constitution or make French cuisine. According to Corinthians, if I have not loved, I am nothing. As a matter of fact, I’m not content with being nothing. I would rather love while I can. And that my dear reader, is my beauty. So whether my hair looks a hot mess tomorrow, my clothes don’t match or I don’t end up eating that great of a breakfast due to my lack of skill; I know that beauty is defined differently for each of us, because its defined by beauty itself.

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The Prayer of a Broken Heart

Dear Lord,

This sucks. I hate it all. Everything. Nothing seems to be going right. My whole world is falling a part. Where are you? Its so dark, I don’t know where to begin to look for you. Why are you allowing this to go on? Why must I suffer? It all changes with a blink of an eye, and you expect me to be okay with it? You expect me to go with the flow. To lean on you. To accept the change. You call me not to rely on my own strength. To believe that I am more than a conqueror through Him who first loved me? I don’t know if I can do that. I don’t know if I will make it. I’m not sure I have as much confidence in myself as you do. Everything is going wrong. My life is turning upside down. I’m angry. I’m broken. I’m confused. Yet, you say you will carry me through this. Yet, you say I don’t have to be weary. You tell me to not let go. You ask that I trust you and walk in faith. But is my faith big enough? Are you enough? Because I thought all of the things around me were enough. Now, those same things are deserting me. They’re changing. Unlike you. You never change. You never leave. You never forsake me. You don’t stop loving me. You never give up on me. You don’t reject me. You don’t say hurtful things to me. You don’t let me down. You want me to hold on. You want to love me. You want me to believe from the bottom of my heart that you are enough. You are on my side. You hold me when no one else will. You comfort me when no one else can. You give me the peace I can’t get anywhere else. You encourage me. You free my soul. You have saved me. You believe in me. You love me. You will never stop loving me. You are enough. You are all that I have. All that I have is enough. I can live with that. As long as you can live with me. I have no joy a part from you.

You are always enough,
Liberty Stripped of her Pride

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My Prince Charming?

I want a Job 29 man. Why? Let me tell you something. But first, go read Job 29 when you get the chance.

Now, why do I want to spend the rest of my life with a Job 29 man. Because he is admirable. He is proactive, not lazy or ill-mannered. He is responsible. He’s respected by all. Nothing but kind words come from his mouth. People call him blessed. He reaches his arms far and wide to those who need to be loved. He serves as eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. His heart has wholly been stolen by Christ. He is friendly to strangers and pursues relationships. He is strong in stature and in faith. Wisdom walks with him and others know this. He lives for nothing but to bring glory to God. He encourages others and sees the need for encouragement when one has no hope left. Children look up to him and he brings laughter to their hearts. He longs for God’s presence. He has faith that God holds all things in his hands. He desires his heart to be changed through God’s word. He is genuine with God and with people. He is honored, even by those older than he is. He denies himself so that Christ may become greater in his life. He turns the other cheek. If someone robs him of his shoes, he offers his shirt as well. He delights in the worship of his creator and worships as if he’s been waiting his whole life for such a moment. He is not prideful. He does not judge others. He is aware of his need for a Savior. He’s looking for a Proverbs 31 woman. He cares about my heart and the beauty that encompasses it. He is patiently waiting for what the Lord wants to give him. He believes in true love. He is a hard worker. He knows that nothing can be done in his own strength. He lives everyday walking in humility and by faith. I want him to love God more than he loves me. I want this man because I know he will lead me, love me, serve me, cherish me and honor me. I want this man because his biggest passion is to love the Lord with all his heart.

So there you go. That is the kind of man I am looking for. That is the kind of man God hopes for me. That is the kind of man I will wait for, and I will not settle for anything less. Now, are my standards too high? I don’t think so, after all, I have to live in such a way to honor this man. So with that being said, his standards should be just as high for me. Hope this inspires you.

Salutations,

Liberty Stripped of her Pride

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