So
the little girl comes down from her very late afternoon nap. Somewhere I missed the fact that she had
slept through supper. Sometimes we
exchange sanity for schedule. This was
one of those times.
She
strolled through the kitchen and saw it.
Her prize, her Christmas playhouse was moved and packed and stacked out
of the way.
The
tears began.
I
explained how it got in the way of the kitchen chairs at supper. Her castle had become a village and then a
town and then a field for all the little ponies she possesses. It had simply gotten too big. So her brother, obeying my wishes, moved and
stacked and perhaps threw a few of the littler pieces.
I
didn’t think much of it at first. We would
rebuild and relocate and re-purpose, yet over and over again she began, “But, it’s not like it was before.” We certainly didn’t realize the prior castle
had any order or importance in its arrangement.
First
I scolded, this was entirely too much drama for me; but as she sulked something
in my spirit stirred.
I
had just read in a Christian news article that only 5% of women find themselves
beautiful. I am not sure why but I could
not release this statistic off my mind.
Ghastly I find this.
And
as I saw my baby girl red faced and forlorn, I realized something she found
beautiful and enchanting was gone and she craved to have it back.
It
is the job of parents to find beauty for our children, to point them to beauty
to introduce the author and creator of beauty.
Perhaps we shouldn’t find beauty
in toys, but somewhere in their toys an imagination is born. It is that imagination that sees Kings and
princesses and can understand the royalty they have inherited through the
Savior.
We
thank God for our toys; we thank Him when we have a lovely day or a delicious
meal. Why then, when the toys have long
been packed away, when age necessitates the forfeiture of things done for us
for things done by us, do we stop finding beauty?
Why
at the start of the year does every ad show abs and exercise bikes and little
mats that lay on the floor? I have no
trouble lying on the floor without spending twenty dollars on plastic mats.
Why
do only 5% of women polled worldwide for a Christian publication find
themselves beautiful? Where
is it that we derive our definition? Are
we to look like magazine covers? Are we
to spend our time focused on the physical?
Have we so failed that 95% of us shame what it is God has allowed us to
have?
I
have complained, dear one, I have. I
have walked extra miles to encourage away extra pounds. I have grimaced when the scale has not agreed
with my goal. And
I have also stolen time staring at the outside; forgetting where true
everlasting beauty resides.
The lies we have been told and worse believed. I
will never underestimate the value of health; it is a gift to be treasured and
nurtured, but our joy and our reverence for beauty must literally be turned
inside out.
What needs to change inside? I believe it is inside that true beauty
grows. The beautification of the soul is
a life long journey. It is the tending
of a garden that can wither with inattention or blossom with prayer, trust,
rest and the planting of hope.
From
here new life emerges, from here beauty is born.
The
life with the Spirit is one fraught with adventure and discovery. It is also adorned with beauty.
It
is understanding that the vision of God is the vision of the heart. It has little to do with what we do, how we
look, and how others see us. It has
absolutely everything to do with the fabric of our souls. It is the strength of the thread of scripture
that has sewn our faith and the colors of trust we have chosen as we embrace
both the lovely and the ugly.
So
we take that long gaze in the mirror. Do
we choose to reflect Cosmopolitan or the Creator? The
journey to beauty begins like any other, one tiny step followed by another and
yet more.
Perhaps yours will begin in
the Word, perhaps mine in prayer, perhaps ours will be in transparency with one
another.
Perhaps the life that looks most together is the one that needs a word of encouragement, an offer of prayer, a heartfelt hug.
We
rebuild the castle. The beauty has been
there all along. The Holy Spirit
residing within, He is extraordinary; He is beauty.
He
takes the torn up, used up, worn out and weaves purpose, peace and beauty in
the fragile rags of life.
Behold,
He sees great things and so will you.
He has made
everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart;
yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecc.
3:11
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