True Beauty of the Heart

http://youtu.be/bmUfJtsaqps - Beautiful - MercyMe

Psalm 139:14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

A couple of weeks ago while at the Galleria waiting for Tyler to get his hair cut, we were strolling through the mall when I had to do a double-take! There was a life-size cardboard cutout of a model in some name brand jeans. I did a double-take because the girl's thighs couldn't have been as big as my upper arm. She was so very thin, it was disturbing. I couldn't get that image out of my mind. Who ever could ever think that was attractive? What mad man decided that was the "ideal" size that should be held up for our girls to aspire to be?

I wished I could have found that exact poster so you could see for yourself. The girl in the poster above is much "bigger" than the girl on the poster at the Galleria. I still am just aghast when I think about it. I know that young girl on the poster is most likely starving herself to fit the image required by so many modeling agencies, and it breaks my heart. What are we doing to our girls?

The more I thought about it, the more upset I became. If that little model had been clothed in some dirty, ragged clothes, if her hair had not been styled to perfection and been restyled for every shot all through the photo shoot, if her make-up hadn't been painted on to make all her lines and dark circles, blemishes and bumps disappear, and if she had been squatting down in front of a hungry child, instead of posing in a sultry fashion, we would have thought "how can we get food to that poor girl. She's starving!"

The director of that photo shoot wants us all to believe a lie - that the girl on the poster is perfect from head to toe, when in real life, she looks more like a starving child we might see in a foreign country.

There is so much focus on how we look on the outside. If we aren't just the right weight, if we're too short or too tall, if our hair isn't perfect, if we fail to measure up to "model or movie star standards", we feel self-conscious and unattractive, not good enough.

We spend so much time worrying about the outside, but God wants us to focus on the inside.

How much time do I spend on my appearance each morning? How much time during the week do I spend on grooming and working out so that I can look "perfect"? All that is fine and good. I think we should take care of our bodies and take pride our appearances, after all our bodies are the temple of God. The Holy Spirit resides in each believer! We should take care of ourselves, but that should not be our primary focus.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
How much time do I spend nurturing my inside - refreshing my spirit and cleansing my heart of anything that isn't desirable?

If it takes 45 minutes for me to "groom" myself in the mornings so that I can look good to the people I'll see that day, do I also spend 45 minutes with the LORD, so that He can prepare my heart to interact with others? If I work out at the gym for an hour strengthening my muscles, shaping my body, do I read the Bible for an hour to strengthen my faith muscles? Do I spend time with God allowing Him to renew my spirit so that I will project the love of Christ to those I meet? Do I let Him fill my heart with good things; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Unfortunately, too many days I just don't find the time to "pretty up" my insides.

When God looks at me, my 5'2" less than perfect self, He thinks I'm beautiful. After all, He made me to be this height. He gave me a body structure that isn't "model" perfect by a long shot, and my hair is not thick and luscious, my face is too round, I have too many wrinkles, and when I wave to someone, my arm waves back at me! = ( And that's okay. I'm me - just the way God made me. I'm not perfect in man's eyes, but I'm perfect in God's eyes. And that's what really matters, isn't it? What a creepy world it would be if we all looked exactly the same! God is creative, and He made each one of us special and unique, with specific purpose and plan that we can't even begin to imagine.

Psalm 139:13-14
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
How does God feel when I complain about being too short or not having this feature or that feature? He made me. I"m His special design! I can't help but remember Paul's words in Romans 9:19-20 - On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
Have you ever given a special gift to someone? Maybe you put lots of thought and energy into finding just the "perfect" thing for your friend. You're so excited to see her open this present, but when she opens it, you can tell by the expression on her face that she doesn't like it at all. In fact, maybe she wants to know if you'll give her the receipt so that she can exchange what you gave her for something else she has had her eye on. Don't we see that as rude and disrespectful? Maybe I'm wrong here, but it seems to me when we complain about how God designed our particular bodies, we're just like that friend, wanting to exchange His present for something a little "better", at least better in our eyes.

I'm preaching to myself. I've complained about how I look. My eyes are greenish-blue but I wanted them bluer. I complain about being fair skinned, and when I was younger, I spent hours each week in a tanning bed so I could be golden brown. And I have the wrinkled skin to proof it! I've wished I was taller and thinner my whole life - even during those times when I was thin and in good shape. Even then, it wasn't good enough.

How much time have I wasted trying to be perfect on the outside but all the while, I let my insides, my spirit, get complete out of shape and weak?

Matthew 23:25

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!

I've learned a great lesson over the years. I'm still "living" that lesson. Physical beauty doesn't last, no matter how hard we fight to hold on to it. If you live long enough, it will fade.

But here's the good news! God has given us the greatest beauty secret of all times. True beauty comes from the inside - out.

We have little control over so much of our physical appearance, but we can make ourselves beautiful if we allow the Spirit of God to create in us a clean and pure heart. If we allow the fruit of the Spirit to grow and fill us up, our "outside" will become radiant and beautiful, just like our inside.

1 Peter 3:3Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.
God has a plan for each one us. That plan is for good and not evil; to give us a hope and a future. God's plan for me is tailor made - designed especially for me. He didn't make me 5'10" because His purpose for me doesn't require that I be tall. He didn't bless me with incredible athletic abilities because His plan for me doesn't require that I be a professional athlete. You see? God gives us exactly what we need to accomplish the plan He has designed for us.

There are amazing people in this world who have accomplished great things for the Kingdom. They are beautiful - not necessarily because of how they look on the outside, but because of their beautiful heart. I can't help but think of Mother Teresa who would never have won a physical beauty competition, but, wow! what a beautiful heart! I'm sure that anyone who spent time in her presence walked away thinking she was beautiful.

And sometimes, God allows physical challenges in our lives because He knows that when we learn to overcome those struggles and difficulties by trusting Him, we will become stronger and more powerful in our witness for Christ.

How I look on the outside might open certain doors for me. People do tend to be drawn to beauty, and so when God blesses you with natural beauty or athletic ability, use those things for His glory. Remember always that your beauty, your brain, your strong body - those are all blessings from God. He could have given those attributes to someone else instead of you. But He chose You. And when He chose to give you those qualities, He knew it would be a challenge for you not to become self-reliant, not to think you don't need God. If you remember to rely on Him, you can be a powerful witness.

Gianna Jessen's 17 year old biological mother tried to abort her when she was 7 1/2 months pregnant. I'm including the video clip of Gianna speaking out against abortion so you can see for yourself how powerfully she has used her "weakness" to stand for Christ, even though she has cerebral palsy (from the lack of oxygen to her brain during the failed abortion) and has difficulty walking, her testimony is powerful and effective. Gianna has allowed God's strength to work through her weaknesses - her imperfections. Paul explains the power of Christ and how our weaknesses/shortcomings/perceived imperfections can become a platform of strength and powerful testimony for Christ.

http://youtu.be/BrPuOrEMNwE - Gianna Jessen

2 Corinthians 12:5-10I will boast only about my weaknesses. If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The most powerful testimonies I've ever heard or seen have been from people who may have been labeled as "less than perfect". God made each of us special for a purpose. Whatever we may see as our "weakness" or our imperfection, we need to understand that God may have given us that imperfection so that we would depend on Him for our strength - not on our physical abilities or looks.

http://youtu.be/3dAKbR3WODo - From the Inside Out - Seventh Day

Holy Father, I praise You for making me special. I know that You have a special plan and purpose for my life. Thank You, Father, for giving me everything I'll need to accomplish that purpose. Forgive me for all the times I complained about what I don't have. I have so much to be thankful for. I can see and hear. I can walk and talk and breathe! So many people don't have all those blessings so it's okay with me that You decided I didn't need to look like a super model. = ) In reality, that's probably a blessing, too.
The blessings You've given me are perfect in everyway to enable me to accomplish what You have for me to do. Lord God, I pray for all the young people who struggle with body image. Father help them to see how beautiful they truly are. Help them to seek the beauty that comes from Your Holy Spirit living in them. Give them confidence to stand tall and to feel at Your Peace as they face life, even if they feel imperfect sometimes. Help them Lord to put their focus on being all You created them to be. Lord, put Your arms around each person who is struggling with feelings of inadequacy, those who feel different, or "less than" others. Remind them, Lord, that they belong to You. That gives them more value than anything else on this earth.
Lord God, thank You for showing us how You use less than perfect people to accomplish great things. And the most amazing thing to me is that You sent Your own Son to earth to be my Savior. But You could have given Him the blessing of outward beauty, but You didn't. Your word says that He did not have a physical beauty that attracted people to Him. It was His inner beauty and strength that drew others to Him. What an amazing lesson for me! You demonstrated that beauty is from within, and we all can be beautiful from the inside out. Help me to focus on spending time with You so that You can mold me into the person You want me to be - all for Your glory. In the Name Jesus. Amen.

Isaiah 53Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm? My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 8 Unjustly condemned, he was led away. No one cared that he died without descendants, that his life was cut short in midstream. But he was struck down for the rebellion of my people. He had done no wrong and had never deceived anyone. But he was buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man’s grave.
But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him and cause him grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have many descendants. He will enjoy a long life, and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins. I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

http://youtu.be/RguluDUQq2o - I'm Free to Be Me - Francesca Battistelli