Beau-ty (byoote) n.
– Beauty does not mean perfection. It is not limited to physical
attributes. It is not defined by magazines or billboards. It has
nothing whatsoever to do with the consensus of the general
population. Beauty is the light in Pastor’s Gideon’s eye when I tell
him that Cambodia is my favourite country so far. It is the look on
Muoy Kim’s face as we discover yet another thing in common. It is the
shy smile Jenna gives every time she sees me. It is the six youth
that lead worship in church. It is the simple gift of a paper heart
lovingly made my Gina. It is the loud, off-key voices of a group of
girls as they joyfully sing me a song in Khmer. It is waking up
without sweating. It is the party and sweets planned by GL to cheer
everyone up. It is the grins on our cooks’ faces when we shower them
with thanks. It is loudly worshiping, even when I’ve lost my voice.
It is the laughter of my teammates.
Suc-cess
(sek’ses) n. –
Success is not the attainment of popularity. It does not mean
prosperity. It is not defined by one’s position in society. It is not
limited to material gain. Success is learning a new English word. It
is jumping higher than your friends. It is coming to know Jesus and
tearing a talisman from your wrist. It is winning at Pictionary. It
is decorating a room for Christmas. It is sweeping the church every
day. It is washing all the walls in a room. It is using a squatty
potty in the dark. It is listening to children chanting the alphabet.
It is dancing the traditional Cambodian dance. It is learning a name.
It is teaching Sunday School with three minutes notice. It is
figuring out a difficult Bible passage together. It is sleeping the
whole night through.
Qui-et
(kwiet) adj. – Quiet
does not mean silence. It is not peaceful. It is not a right we have.
It is not a lack of activity. It is not boring. It is not a freedom
from the disturbance of others. Quiet is sitting together with a
friend. It is reading a book next to a crowing rooster. It is putting
your headphones in to drown out the other sounds. It is sitting
between a calm river and a busy schoolyard. It is reading your Bible
with numerous children standing at your shoulder. It is feeling the
presence of God and smiling because of it.
Love. Passion.
Commitment. Change. Joy. Genuine. Endurance. Covenant. Worship.
Interesting. Productive.
When did we allow
the world to redefine these words? When did we take God’s definitions
and throw them out the window? Why are we content with that?! My idea
of what is considered “acceptable” is drastically shifting, and
that is one change I welcome with open arms. I don’t want to look at
the world around me the same way anymore. I’m tired of limiting
myself with society’s definitions. I want more. I want to see more,
experience more, learn more!
Don’t you?
Look
around you! Where do you see beauty? How are you succeeding today?
Where do you experience quiet? Redefine these words in your own life,
and you’ll never regret it!
On a different
note… It’s quite the interesting experience preparing for Christmas
with sweat dripping down my back. Although, God did answer our
heartfelt prayers and sent a bit of rain to cool things down to a
wonderful 23 degrees for a couple of days! We’ve decorated, drawn
names for Secret Santa, hung up our stockings, taken the cheesy
family photos, sang more Christmas carols than usual, and laughed
every day.
So what do I want
for Christmas? It’s really rather simple! Besides hugs from my
family, I would like 100 comments on this blog, please. Show me your
love by dropping a quick line or two (or three or four…) at the
bottom and you will make my Christmas even better!
I love you all and
pray God’s blessing upon you as you celebrate the birth of His
awesome Son!
