Proverbs 31: Day 1: What Does Beauty Mean to Me?

I laid awake last night thinking about this topic. It is so broad and can be difficult to define for anyone! In a lot of ways, I think that "beauty" is defined differently for every person. But, here is what it means to me.

Beauty in people is different than beauty in things (don't you love the english language?). When I see a beautiful person, it goes far beyond our culture's definition of "beauty." When I observe a beautiful heart....one that is selfless, giving, caring, kind, Christ-like, strong in adversity, loving, I observe beauty. Usually, that requires getting to know a person in a deeper way in order to truly see their beauty. True beauty goes beyond the outward appearance. Some of the most beautiful women I have EVER known had white hair, wrinkles, stooped shoulders, arthritic hands and crooked walks. When you look into their eyes you see where they have been and where I hope to someday be. I attended a Bible study for a few years in my old church with a group of some of the most beautiful women I have ever known. They loved Jesus with the entirety of their lives. They had been through intesnse personal struggle including losing children, wars, losing husbands, property and jobs and yet they came through triumphant on the other end. They were glowing representations of who I hope to be in 50 years. Their strength in life was only attributed to the faithful God who got them through, and they expressed that nearly with their every breath! I think of my grandmother, another godly, beautiful woman. I never knew her when she was young and when she went into the arms of Jesus at the age of 93, we rejoiced because we knew we would get to see her again. She is up there today singing praises to her heavenly father and waiting for the legacy of her family to someday join her.

***

In another veign, we talk about beauty in terms of things that we see. Our God is the author of beauty and His creativity is seen in every sunset, every beautiful nature scene that we are blessed to have on this earth. He put the scientific laws in place to allow the sun to rise every morning and set every night.....to bring the waves to the sand and the tides to flow.....to allow the stars to remain in the heavens and the gravity to keep us firmly planted on the earth.

I also find beauty in things that have an obvious history. When I can look at an object and know that it has been around longer than I have been alive, it absolutely fascinates me. I yearn to know the stories that that object has seen.....the way the world was different when it was new and not an antique.

And perhaps the most obvious way that I see beauty is when I look at miracles. Some people think miracles no longer play a part in our lives......but I have living proof that God is still working his miracles. Those small miracles, some of which we see every day, are perhaps the most beautiful things of all.