Being on the World Race, more so
than not, involves roughing it compared to USA’s standards. It means sleeping
on floors, eating greasy foods, going to outhouses, not showering for 3 days or
more, wearing a pair of jeans for at least 3 days before them even being
remotely dirty, wearing t-shirts & shorts daily, and so on. Looking “cute�
is not the priority…and even if it were for some, it’s beyond practical in a
daily sense.
Therefore its not uncommon to
hear this,
“I just want to look
cute.�
I’ve said it. Probably everyone
on my team has said it. And I’m sure former Racers have said it. But the other
day a dear friend said it to me, not whining, just venting. However it struck
me & caused me to think about this desire to look “cute.�
(Taken by Lil)
What does it mean to look cute?
*
A new haircut?
*
A new outfit?
*
Wearin’ some makeup?
*
What does it mean?
And why
do I long to be cute?
*
Do I long to fit in?
*
Do I yearn for attention?
*
Do I want to feel pretty?
What is it about?
It’s really all the same as
beauty. “
Cute� & “Pretty� can all be
substituted for the word BEAUTY.
So what then is beauty?
And why do I ache for
beauty?
I was thinking about that the
other day & in the midst of asking the question, I answered it too…or
rather the answer came to me like a steady conversation between Friends.
“This
earthly desire I have, is actually the inner ache to gaze upon the Beauty of
the Lord & be transformed!�
So I cried out, “Oh that I might see You & be changed into the beauty You say I am & have.�
(taken at Joe’s house)
And so I thought…What is The
Lord’s beauty?
In Isaiah it says that He was
ugly & unattractive. Which is it? Is He delightful & attractive? Or
commonly & unnoticeable?
I
haven’t yet reconciled this verse with the cry of David in Psalm 27:4, where he
says
“One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That
will I seek:
That I
may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the
days of my life,
To
behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to
inquire in His temple.�
“…his
holiness is his beauty (ps. 110: 3 ), his goodness is his beauty (zec. 9:17).
The harmony of all his attributes is the beauty of his nature…When with
fixedness of thought, and a holy flame of devout affections, we contemplate
God’s glorious excellencies, and entertain ourselves with the tokens of his
peculiar favour to us, this is the view of the beauty of the Lord…� —Matthew
Henry
David must have tasted & seen the beauty of the Lord, else why would he have desired, ABOVE ALL ELSE, to behold it? And behold
is not a mere passing looking. Beholding…is enjoying every moment of the
view…not hurrying along as though the subject matter was mundane. David longed
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord. And so do I. It is what I was created to
see & know. Therefore I refuse to
forfeit my inheritance for mere earthly beauty! When I think about
God’s beauty I get tickled like a little child eager to play. Somehow my
longing to be beautiful MUST be connected with the Most Beautiful One of all.
Beauty is more than stylish
clothes, make up, & painted fingernails. It’s the light that beams from the Throne of God. When that light fills you & changes you…that’s when you
become beautiful! Not when you put a new
outfit on. So when you want to feel beautiful again, because somewhere in the
world you’ve heard or seen the lie, run fast to the throne of Heaven. Run to
the glorious goodness of God. And let that light produce true beauty in you. Behold
the beauty on the throne. (ps 27:4) Peer though Heaven & get drenched in
the beauty you were created to have fill you. This alone will satisfy every
longing for cuteness & beauty. For The Lord’s unending beauty will
captivate you till all you can desire is to seek, find, & BEHOLD the Lord.
“God passes through the thicket of the world, and wherever his
glance falls he turns all things to beauty.�
—St. John of the cross
Father of Glory, let Your glance
fall upon us all once again.
