I love beauty.
I love wearing lipstick. I love dressing to the nines. I love slipping on a pair of classy high heels.
Now all those things have to do with beauty on the outside, but what about beauty on the inside? What about beauty in the unseen? The LORD has been teaching me a lot about different kinds of beauty, and I never realized just how much I appreciate beauty until I came on the Race…
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The golden sun dipped below the outline of the mountain range. Bursts of light pink, violet, and orange clouds had replaced what had once been the usual puffy, white billows cloaking the sky. I smiled as I watched God paint one of the most breath-taking sunsets in Swaziland. Hours later, I knew I could always count on Him to show off His display of brilliant stars splashing across the dark sky. It was a stunning event to witness. I told Jesus, “Please, let me just see one star while I’m in India.” I had the outlook that Indian nights would be humid and foggy; stars wouldn’t make an appearance because it was too polluted in India.
Wise words my squad leader told me before we left Swaziland echoed in my mind;
“Don’t forget to look for the beautiful and majestic things of Jesus.”
Fast forward to the first night we pull into our hostel in India. I looked up at the sky and saw nothing. Just an endless wave of blackish-grey. Feeling dejected, I gave up the notion that I’d see twinkling lights in India. I suppose I would just have to wait until Nepal. But I felt a nudge from the LORD telling me to look harder. So I looked up once again and strained my eyes to look for something I doubted was there. In the far distance, I saw a solitary star peeking its light out through the hazy atmosphere. I couldn’t believe it! I excitedly pointed and whispered to my squad leader, “Look, it’s one star!” She smiled and nodded her head as if to reaffirm the importance of searching for beauty.
For me, it’s been a struggle to see the beautiful things in India. Everything is so different here; the sights, the smells, the colors, the people. Every thing bombards my senses and forces me to recoil in anxiety. Jesus has had to walk by my side every step of the way as I tear myself away from my normal definition of “beautiful”. During this Race, I’ve seen His beauty in places and things I would never think to call beautiful; a little African boy squealing with laughter as I spin him around in my arms, an unexpected smile from an Indian woman, the joy found in making cinnamon rolls from scratch, and weeping in front of my team mates due to the fact that words cannot express my pain.
Jesus brings out the most random and desolate of situations and creates them into something beautiful. My life is an example of that. He “redeemed my life from the pit and crowned me with steadfast love and mercy” and every day, I am reminded that I need Jesus. I need Him to take away the awful thoughts in my head and the selfishness of my heart and transform my life into a beautiful thing to behold. This is an uncomfortable, refining process, but that’s the beauty of His grace.
Because God created beauty, He is the embodiment of beauty.
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Yes, I adore beautiful things like dresses, shoes and makeup–things that can make me feel externally beautiful. But the beauty I am more concerned with is the beauty found within me and within others. The beauty that can only come from the Father’s beauty!
“Do not let your adorning be external-the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear-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 3:3-4
***I encourage you to look for His displays of beauty in the smallest of ways. He will certainly surprise you!***
