Thoughts of Grace

August 12, 2011

BEAUTY

We agreed to write it down – write down the only definition of beauty that matters:

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14.

Write for Five Minutes then link here:

http://thegypsymama.com/2011/08/five-minute-friday-beauty/

I’ve never thought of myself as beautiful. I never heard myself described as beautiful. I’ve heard ‘pretty’. In my twenties, I heard my mother say “I’ve always thought you had pretty legs’, but I don’t remember any words before that from her. As I have aged, I’m almost 62, next week, and overweight, I know that I don’t appear beautiful in my eyes at all.

I do know one day He said   “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ” Mat 11:28 KJV  He didn’t care about the outward woman, and He died to change the inward woman into a new woman. He gave beauty for ashes and put hope in the heart.

I know inside this house of flesh is a heart whose main desire is to encourage others to keep on trusting Jesus, to take one step at a time even though it is dark, to hold on to the Hand that is . . .

Isa 61:1  THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound, (3) To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion–to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit–that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.  Amplified Bible

Scriptures were added after the ding.

I need to make something very clear. My Mother is not a mean person. She is perfect.  In the era I was raised, you didn’t tell your children they were pretty or they did a good job. You didn’t want them to get a big head or be spoiled. We were all raised the same.  I’ll never forget the day Mom called and said guess what I just heard on the radio…’It is okay to tell your children they have done a job well!’ It was if she were liberated, as if this is what she wanted to do all the time but didn’t have permission to do! She immediately started telling the grand children that they were’ good workers’,’ thank you for doing such a good job’. She told her children also, ‘your house looks really nice’, ‘I like that shirt on you.’

My Mom is beautiful!