If there was no beauty in the world, there would be no hope. If there was no hope in the world, there would be no purpose. If there was no purpose for life, there would be nothing worth living for.
Most of the world is asleep to true beauty. We have been allured to sleep; some of us have lost our way. Masquerades of light appear so close to the real thing that it keeps us looking, but do you realize that we don’t just have to know beauty in bits and pieces?
We have an immense craving for beauty. When we wake up in the morning, we feel it. Before we go to bed at night, we think about it. We only know in part the beauty that we chase. You may catch glimpses of it in the sunrise as you drive to work or in the face of your child as they reach out to you.
Do you ever catch yourself gazing into the clouds, longing to touch a rainbow? Do you ever wonder how many veins can possibly make up a leaf or how the shape of a mountain can form into its distinct shape? Do you ever sense that someone is calling your name?
I feel that someone is calling our name as women, and that it is beauty. Around every corner, it seeks us out.
God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. (Ps. 46:5)
In between every troubled relationship and difficult situation, it desires us to pursue it instead of a counterfeit beauty. Around the corners in our life, it is still there waiting for us to stop and appreciate it. It doesn’t shout, “Look at me!”. It doesn’t force us to hold its hand. Instead, it softly whispers, “Come spend time with me”. It has been waiting for us all along.
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands… (Is. 49:16)
As women, we long for beauty and relationship. It is my faith that tells me that God, the Maker of Beauty, created us to appreciate a deeper relationship with Him. Perhaps, we are meant to breathe in and out a beauty that invites, heals, and inspires others.
When I was younger, I found myself searching too for beauty out of the poverty of my spirit as a diver who was intently looking for treasure, but I believe now with all of my heart that the most fulfilling beauty comes from the one who made beauty itself- God.
So God created mankind in his own image… (Gen. 1:27)
It is this beauty which will transform, heal, invite, and inspire us. It is this beauty that invites us to itself and lovingly wipes the tears from our eyes, drawing us out of our cocoons, and capturing us with its loveliness. Beauty tells us that everything good or bad that has happened to us will work together for good. Beauty tells us to stop and rest awhile. It reminds us of what really matters in the end: faith, hope, and love. Beauty uplifts us and takes us into a place of peace and rest in our hearts. It reminds us to put our treasures in things that will not fade away. It shows us that there is a different way to live our life, unhurried and undistracted. It reminds us of how things take time to grow. It sings– even in the dead of winter. Beauty tells us that we are more valuable than we could ever realize–a masterpiece of God.
May we all know this beauty in our hearts and lives.