This particular blog is unique in the sense that is has been several days in the making. All of my other blogs were done in one sitting in a relatively short period of time. But I started this blog at my mother-in-law's house where there is not an internet connection, but that was not a problem, as I figured that I could just upload it when I got home. When I got home it was late, and I was tired, so I did not finish it and upload it as I had planned. The next day dawns and then sets, and I am still too busy and subsequently too tired to even look at the blog.
Early on the morning of the third day, I dashed out of the house to go to a parent-teacher conference with my youngest son in tow. While driving on the way there, I was one-handedly fishing in my purse for my makeup bag...and I was digging, and digging, and then my digging became a little more frantic as I could not seem to place my hands on it! Man, I could not wait to reach a red light! When I finally got to a red light, using my eyes and my hands, I dug all in my purse and in all up in my totebag...and, and, it w-w-was NOT there! Oh-my-goodness!
And then it suddenly hit me! "You know, you gotta put your money where your mouth is, girl! Here's your pop quiz!" I smiled knowingly. So it seems that God is the orchestrator of all of this! No wonder that blog could not seem to get finished. I was not finished yet, because I had not taken the pop quiz yet. I thought to myself, "Hee, hee, okay, what 'cha gonna do, girl?"
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These are the lyrics to a wonderful song written by the contemporary Christian artist, Steven Curtis Chapman. This particular song was on his 1999 CD entitled, “Speechless.” I hope as you read the words that you meditate on the simple, yet profound message that springs forth.
I can see the tears filling your eyes
And I know where they're coming from
They're coming from a heart that's broken in two
By what you don't see
The person in the mirror
Doesn't look like a magazine
Oh but when I look at you
It's clear to me
That I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it's true
You're a masterpiece that all creation
Quietly applauds
And you're covered with
The fingerprints of God
Never has there been and never again
Will there be another you
Fashioned by God's hand and perfectly planned
To be just who you are
And what He's been creating
Since the first beat of your heart
Is a living, breathing
Priceless work of art
And I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it's true
You're a masterpiece that all creation
Quietly applauds
And you're covered with
The fingerprints of God
Just look at you
You're a wonder in the making
And God's not through, no!
In fact, He's just getting started!
And I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it's true
You're a masterpiece that all creation
Quietly applauds
And you're covered with
The fingerprints of God
You are covered with
The fingerprints of God, yeah, yeah!
You are covered with
The fingerprints of God
Yes, you are! Yeah!
You are covered with
The fingerprints of God!
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“Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Isaiah 64:8
Amen, Amen! From the moment of our conception we, being God’s creation, are being shaped, molded all of our lives.
As the metamorphosis from little girls, to teens, to young women to mature women transpires, we still have one common thread that lingers on and on. Somehow we get fixated on the images that music videos portray and Madison Avenue’s current ideal of beauty standards. Then we tear ourselves apart counting the ways that we don’t seem to measure up. Guys seem to have it a bit easier in this society. It seems that a guy can be ‘older,’ can have gray hair, even have some girth to himself, and still be considered attractive by everyone. But think about this: When was the last time you saw a female newscaster with gray hair? Not in the local markets where I live, and not on the national news stations either!
While as young as elementary aged girls, we learn to start sizing up our ‘competition’ by their physical attributes. It’s so sad! I remember listening to conversations about: Who has the longest hair, or the sassiest cut? Who had the ‘good’ hair? Who had a ‘perm,’ therefore the straightest hair? Who had the prettiest eyes, smile, nose, ears, face? Who had the nicest shape? Who got the training bra first? Who filled it out first? Who had the prettiest clothes, in the latest styles? Who had the latest fad jeans and tennis shoes? Who wore makeup? Who did the boys like the most in this class? Who got the most attention from the boys in the whole school? It never seemed to end...
And then there's me standing by quietly on the outside fringe of all of this, feeling like a born loser. No one but my mom ever told me that I was pretty, so I did not believe her. I figured my mom was obligated to tell me that I was pretty just because she was my mom. Plus, since the ‘cool’ girls said I was ugly, I believed them. My mom said that the other girls were just jealous of me. I could not imagine what on earth for! I HATED how I looked!
“But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ "
Romans 9:20
As a child, I was raised in a household where I did not have the permed hair, or a cut hair style, pierced ears, the latest styles and fashions, but I was always kept very neat, clean and wholesome…dressed appropriately for a little girl…and at the time, I hated it. It made me stand out. All the other girls were ‘funky fresh’ and flashy. But I was the unobtrusive, homey, quiet, little girl in the class, trying not to bring attention to herself, but unintentionally doing just that, by not blending in with the others. For some reason my teachers always loved me, which caused another set of problems with the kids…*sigh!*
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7
But back to the subject at hand: Our perception of beauty. Why is it that we tend to look at the outward manifestations of beauty worn on our exterior shells and then stop looking there? We look at the hair, the makeup, the clothes, the body shapes, and the faces of other girls and women, and then count the multitude of ways that we feel that we do not even begin measure up. Who ever said that outer beauty was more important than inner beauty? We certainly learn in our society that outer beauty is highly esteemed and valued, but what do we learn about inner beauty? Not much from society and the schools! That kind of teaching usually has to come from within home or the church. I can recall hearing as a child, from my Aunt Juanita, "Beauty is as beauty does." She always had these little pearls of wisdom that did nothing but confound me at the time!
True beauty lies deep, deep beneath the skin. But that is a hard concept to teach a pimply adolescent, or even an insecure mature woman with low self-esteem.
“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.”
Psalms 139:13-14
Just how many of us have taken that scripture to heart? Thinking about the women I work with, hardly a day goes by without at least one of them belittleling their own physical appearance for some reason. I used to be guilty of that too. Now, I accept and love myself honey, big bones (with the big meat) and all! ;-) But it seems that I had to take that one step further..."So just how well do you accept yourself Miss Letitia? Show Me!"
Well, remember the aforementioned incident where I could not find my makeup bag? That day I had several choices: I could go back home and reschedule the conference. I could have stopped by the store to buy some makeup, but after all of that, we would be very late to the conference. I could go on to the conference like nothing was different or out of the ordinary. I chose the latter. You all cannot imagine what a major step this was for me! I am so used to wearing makeup that initially I felt almost naked without it. But it was refreshing and kind of liberating...it was me! Just the way God designed me. Wow!
I had grown accustomed to wearing the 'full shield' of makeup to work and to church and special events that I knew that I would feel funny without it! A slave to the compact! But since this incident, I have actually cut back...sometimes I wear 'full face', sometimes I don't....just a bare minimum. There is not a sense of importance that I must do so anymore to feel complete or to feel good about how I look. I am not trying to impress a human being. The Being that I want to impress the most is not looking at my skin at all. He is only looking underneath the exterior façade of my flesh to see my heart. And that is where my worthiness lies....in Him. Not in how I appear to look with makeup, or how I actually look without makeup, or how even how I feel about my looks.
Inner beauty is impossible to fake like outer beauty. Either you have it or you don't! With makeup artistry, anyone can be made over to look like a top model in a matter of minutes! But all hope is not lost; anyone can develop inner beauty by cultivating their fellowship with God. But that takes time...and that depends on your openness and receptivity to the Spirit, and God's own timing.
So why do we place the most importance on the outer beauty? Sure, we've all heard that first impressions are lasting impressions. I remember asking myself this question: Would you rather be remembered as the really pretty girl, or the really nice girl with a genuine helping heart for others? (Gulp!)
As females, we beat ourselves up, belittle ourselves, hide ourselves, starve ourselves, hate ourselves, all because we want for ourselves the beauty that we see in the magazines...and it seems unattainable. Don't misunderstand me for one minute- I love Oprah, but have you seen her before and after makeup shots? Gee whiz! Almost two entirely different people! She allowed herself to be photographed in the before, during, and after makeup stages in one photo shoot!
The transformation was absolutely amazing! It seems that she no longer struggles with the self esteem issues connected to her appearance.
She has obviously grown to love the skin she is in, and she now realizes where her true beauty lies...underneath her skin in her heart. I wish Oprah had her magazine when I was a little girl. That would have been enough to make me really start to think early about what you see is not always what is real! Kudos to Oprah for doing that. Who knows how many young girls and grown women saw that photo spread, and have been positively affected in their way of thinking, in how they viewed themselves, and how models are 'madeover' to their picture of perfection. It's all an illusion...
The Bible is full of verses referring to how we should be more concerned about our inner self. It does not go into as much detail about how we should look on he exterior except for modesty, and that our adornment should not be soley an exterior thing.
"Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight." I Peter 3:3, 4
"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6
"Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Colossians 3:12, 14
"Woe to him who quarrel with his Maker to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’? Woe to him who says to his father,’ What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought to birth?’ This is what the Lord says—the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands?" Isaiah 45:9-11
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3: 15
Wow! That's some powerful stuff! It wasn't until I was in the 9th grade that I realized that I did not want to look like everyone else. Whatever they were currently wearing as the latest fad, I did not want to wear it. My mom taught me how to sew professionally, so I sewed all my clothes anyway. Whatever the makeup trends were, it did not matter, because I was not interested in makeup at all. I had decided that whatever my shape was, I got it from my mama, and I thought she looked great, so I was going to be fine in that department. I still was not crazy about my hair or my face, but I had learned to live with it. Well, why not? It was mine, I had to live with it!
As a young woman in my 20's I finally grew to love all of me...so I thought at the time. But it really wasn't until I started getting a better understanding of who I was in Christ, and Christ's love for me that I actually began to 'accept' me and really love and appreciate myself for the wonderful creation that He made.
We can't singlehandedly change in one day the United States' double standard on how women are judged much more harshly by their appearances, but we can change our attitudes and belief systems about ourselves, and how we individually view other girls and women. That in itself will go a long way towards molding and changing the U.S.'s and perhaps the world's shallow viewpoint through our children and their children, and their children...eventually...
But we can shoulder some of the responsibility for this task, by sharing the Word of God with everyone...our daughters, our sons, our entire families, friends, co-workers, etc. The Word of God explains who we are...there are no pretenses or self esteem issues once you get a solid grasp of who you are in Him! No need to wish you looked like someone else. Embrace and love who you are, and what you look like! You are the perfectly created beautiful being that God has formed with His own hands! You're His masterpiece and you're covered with the fingerprints of God!
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Galatians 5:1
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4 Comments:
At Monday, May 30, 2005 10:49:00 AM, 
said...
L, after reading your Blog, I thought of this particular passage in scripture, in how Jesus on this occasion is questioning His disciples concerning His identity.
Matthew 16:13 "And coming into the parts of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked His disciples, saying, Who do men say that the Son of Man is?"
Matthew 16:14 "And they said, Some say, John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets."
Matthew 16:15 "He said to them, But who do you say I am?"
Matthew 16:16 "And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Please note Jesus knew who He was (Son of Man). He did not allow those around Him to determine who He was. Isn’t it a shame how we allow society to identify us as fat, skinny, pretty, ugly, smart, dumb? And unfortunately and the list goes on...
"Identity Theft" is nothing new; it has always been the destroyer of self esteem and self worth.
Jesus said in John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly".
Society has stolen the identity of many of God’s creative beings and subsequently has diminished their potential, of which God has created them to fulfill in this world.
I’m so happy for you that you are happy in your self, and understand that you are fearfully and wonderfully made!
Amen!
Pastor Dave
At Monday, May 30, 2005 6:58:00 PM, 
A Heart of Worship said...
Wow! Leave it to a brotha' to have such insight! Thanks for sharing that biblical perspective with us!
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At Monday, June 06, 2005 1:26:00 PM, said...
I take issue with the statement that only your mom ever told you that you were beautiful. You and I both know that is not true!
Desertrat
At Monday, June 06, 2005 4:30:00 PM, A Heart of Worship said...
*SIGH!*
Dear Desert Rat,
Maybe I did not clarify my statement, but when I was a CHILD, only my Mom ever told me! :-)
Side note: If my husband never told me in the courting stage, he would not be my husband!! ;-)
Thanks for reading and commenting!
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