But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
This month in India has been a month God has stretched me in new ways and taught me more about His love for us….unconditionally beautiful.
BEAUTY
Beauty in our society is skewed and usually defined by being attractive, handsome, perfect, just the right waist, just the right bust size, plump bootie, symmetrical, proportionate, flawless skin, straight hair, thin…the list goes on and on.
God has showed me beauty in so many different ways….I could write too many blogs just about the beauty of this month…Here is just a few:
This month as we’ve been working with the kiddos here at SCH, I have fallen in love with many of them and would love to take them all home with me! They all have a beauty you clearly know the Heavenly Father has given each one of them in their own unique way…from their different personalities, character, charm, smile, eyes, ears, compassion, brotherly instincts, etc. These children represent exactly what our Father sees when He thinks of beauty.
Another night I was reading 1 Peter and as I was lying there I started thinking about how I wanted to do something with all of the ayahs as a team. Then God was like…why wait? Why not do something for them now? Immediately I was reminded of my nail polish!! I jump up and go get all of them. All of the ayahs just so happened to be in the kitchen right outside my room. I asked one of them if they would like their nails painted and before I knew it…..I had 7 of them gathered around me, sitting on the floor, getting our paint on!! As I painted each one of their nails I was reminded of Jesus and how He would have sat right there with them and served them….made them feel beautiful like the princesses they are… even if I can’t understand any of the Telugu they speak…except Chaalaa Bagundi!
One of our projects this month was to build a toy box for the children. We started on it and had all of the panels and frame cut,(Thank you Dave Benfield!) only to find out one day there were some carpenters who needed a piece of wood for another project in the house and they took two of our panels….welcome to India…if it’s not stamped or engraved with your name on it…it’s up for grabs!
Anywho….I decided… well I guess this means I’m going to have to cut two panels so we can get this thing built before we leave. I got the pieces cut, primed the panels and painted them red. Alys and me start one morning putting the frame together and aligning the panels together…only to discover it’s not quite going to be exactly perfect. lol We start nailing the sides together and both looking at each other like…”Is this real and how in the heck is this going to look when we get done?” Audra comes to help us and we get it all nailed together and had to improvise and make some final cuts in the frame.
Once we have completed it we realize the toy box actually doesn’t look all that bad….it will serve its purpose as a toy box and it’s in the shape of a box! I apply the final layer of paint on the frame, inside, outside and I’m in awe of it and the lesson God taught me: God sees the imperfections as beauty. We couldn’t see the final outcome of what this toy box was going to look like…but we finished with determination it would be a toy box.
I believe we sometimes look at our lives this way too. We only see the mistakes, errors, imperfections, but what if we allow God to continue being who He says He is and work on us? To continue to cut away pieces that need to be removed, allow Him to sand away the splinters in our lives we have avoided or left hanging, to allow Him to add new pieces to give us a new look…complete in Him.
Bit by bit, nail by nail…. Let Him be the carpenter and make us into the beautiful masterpiece He has created. Even if we don’t see the finished product, knowing He’s a God who is determined to perfect our imperfections and make us more beautiful in Him.
“There could never be a more beautiful you.” NEVER FORGET THIS!!
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16
“But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” 1 Peter 3:4
