Seeing the Beauty

 

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”  Albert Camus

 There are times that I wish that I was either a gifted painter or at least a talented photographer. That’s because autumn is my favorite time of year and I’d love to be able to capture its beauty. While I love it when the grass begins popping out and the flowers begin to bloom, I just love the fall. 

  It’s been a late fall this year, but to me, it’s been particularly beautiful. As I drive home, my route makes a path through a splendor of changing leaves. It nearly breathtaking, it’s so captivating.  

  Our Heavenly Father is truly the master artist! Yet, sadly, there is so much ugliness in our world that I’m frequently guilty of missing out on His masterpieces. If I’m not working to control my mental diet, I focus on what’s wrong, what’s hideous in our world rather than all of the beauty.

  It lines up with the old saying, “you are what you eat.” God’s Word teaches that you are what you think. Philippians 4:8 challenges us to, “fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about.” So here are some beautiful things that I like to think about.

  The colors of fall. Autumn is nearly breathtakingly beautiful during those few weeks when the leaves still remain on the trees and are turning from green to vibrant reds, pinks and yellows. My commute takes me along country roads where I’m overwhelmed with a myriad of colors. I have to remind myself to praise God for it. And I’m thankful for the beauty of fall even though it precedes the chill of winter.

  Smiles. There’s a young man who is apparently mentally challenged, yet he has the most wonderful smile at a local store. Every time I see him that smile gives me such a warm feeling.

  There are many things that I love about church on Sundays. Yet, as I prepare to come to our services there is one thing that I probably look forward to more than anything else, the smiling faces. The joy filled faces of my spiritual family so encourages me.

  My experience is that when I’m out and about, I don’t see very many smiling faces. Most are sober. Some even look annoyed or irritated.  Because of the cultural plague of misery, I seek to follow Dolly Parton’s advice, “If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours.”

  Smiles are so attractive and they’re free. I hope I’m sharing mine so others can experience the wonderful beauty of a smile. Something about a smile can change your outlook. It lightens your load a bit and can even put a spring in your step.  

  Friends. Oprah was right, “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” I’ve got so many friends like that. They’re with me when I’m on the mountaintop and they’re with me as I walk through the valley. Thankfully most of them are so much more than friends, they’re brothers and sisters in Christ. We’re not just traveling this world’s road together. We’re headed to the same Home. God has blessed me with them and they’re a continual source of joy for me!

  Smells. My wife has taught me to love the smell (and feel) of clean sheets. Jane finds joy in the seemingly little things, things like “clean sheets.” Her enjoyment about the seemingly insignificant is contagious. And she’s taught me – there is something beautiful about the freshness of clean sheets and so many other things that I can overlook.

  For example, I love walking into a home where they’re baking bread. It smells so delicious, I can nearly taste it. And I’d be remiss to fail to share that one of the things that I absolutely love about our community is that on certain days you can smell the chocolate from Nestle’s. It’s like a cup of hot cocoa for your nose.

  Reading my Bible. Every morning before I start my day, I check an app on my phone that has five psalms that correspond with the date. It’s helped me become more familiar with the psalms. I usually read two or three before I launch my day.

  Then, later in the morning I’ll spend a longer period reading my Bible. It’s such a comfort to me. I’m sure that some of the preciousness comes from having an estranged relationship with my own Dad. Reading my Heavenly Father’s love letter to me and mediating on His promises brings a sense of peace and calm in my soul. It is truly beautiful.

  Prayer. Every day I pray for my family. Every day as a pastor, I have the privilege of praying for those in our church family. Yet often I feel so heavy hearted for some in church. I love our church. I love you! Sometimes watching those in our church family struggle weighs heavily on my heart.

  If you’ve been around Grace very long, then you know that we break the church family up into Care Groups for our Deacons. I use those groups as a guide for part of my prayer time. It helps me pray for everyone in our church family at least once on a weekly basis.
  There are some with struggles that I wish I was a genie and could pop in and solve them. There are burdens that some carry that I don’t understand and don’t have a solution. There are some who attend that it seems that they haven’t yet met Jesus as their Savior. There are others that are struggling to make Him Lord of their lives. Then, I pray for the children in our church and try to remember the names and pray for the adult children of our families. Prayer is beautiful to me because though I have so few solutions, I entrust the burdens to my Father who’s got it all under control.

  We’re never without beauty in this world, never without displays of splendor. We’re never without beauty because God’s divine fingerprints are all over all that He has made. Our problem is not a lack of beauty, it’s a lack of our seeing the beauty that our Heavenly Father has given us!

  I love this reality – if heaven is so beautiful on this side, how beyond words beautiful it must be on the other side. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

True Beauty is an Inside Job!!

“Pretty woman, walkin' down the street
Pretty woman the kind I like to meet
Pretty woman I don't believe you, you're not the truth
No one could look as good as you…” Roy Orbinson

  Last month entertainment media was all abuzz when Julia Roberts was named the “world’s most beautiful woman” by People magazine…again. It was the fifth time that Julia Roberts has received this honor and is a record breaker. She was first named “Most Beautiful” 26 years ago, around the time of the release of Pretty Woman.

  “World’s most beautiful woman,” really? Huge percentages of the world have never heard of Julia Roberts. I’d surmise that in Asia or Africa, Julia Roberts might not be considered beautiful by what those cultures deem beautiful. In fact, a Caucasian might even be considered repugnant in some cultures. At the very least, an oddity…certainly not the standard of beauty.

  A secular world is enamored with physical beauty. Yet, we in the Church are foolish if we adopt their value system. Physical attraction has little to do with true beauty. In fact, some of those who have true beauty, inner beauty, are considered repulsive by a pagan world. The prophet, Isaiah, said of Jesus, “He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). Experience has taught us that some who are considered to be the “beautiful people” are downright ugly in their behavior and values. 

  Many a young woman has struggled with poor self-image and depression because she doesn’t measure up to a shallow world’s standard of beauty. Please understand, I’m not suggesting that we should encourage dowdiness or unkemptness. Yet, as Bible-believers we must measure beauty as God does. That begins with realizing that even physical design is God-given.

  Just as Adam and Eve were designed by the Master Creator, so is every person in this world. In Psalms 148:14 King David wrote, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” In other words, God determines eye color, height, nose size, intellect, etc. Like a snowflake, every person is unique. No two are the same. God sees each person as His masterpiece. That’s so freeing!

  There are no mistakes with the Master Designer. Each part of our make-up is planned and designed by a loving God. That means, too, that there’s no place for either pride or envy. We are the designees, not the Designer. And just as despising or ridiculing the Mona Lisa is to despise and ridicule Leonardo da Vinci, to despise or ridicule an image-bearer of God is to despise and ridicule the Artist, God (James 3:9-10).

  Most of us can make few changes about our physical appearance. Yet, God has given us a stewardship to develop that which brings true beauty – character. Relationally, we all inherently know that character has lasting value while physical beauty does not. Answer these questions for yourself:

  Would you rather have a beautiful yet inept cardiologist, or someone judged plain by the world’s fickle standards, yet gifted in her field? Would you rather buy a car from someone unattractive yet honest, or a “knock-out” who is a pathological liar? Would you rather be married to someone who is “average” yet loving and kind, or a beauty queen who is vain, cruel and demeaning?

  Is it any wonder that Solomon who was an expert on both beauty and women wrote: “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (Proverbs 31:30). So what does all of this mean for us as those who are to live with a biblical worldview?

  First, we must focus on true beauty. Too often Christian women focus on their external appearance yet neglect the incredible lasting beauty of their hearts. A beautiful heart has great value both in this world and in the courts of heaven.

  Then, what do we praise? What do we honor? Do we encourage our children to focus on that which is so fleeting? Sadly, too often, as in Pretty Woman, externalism is overly sexualized. Or, do we choose to have an eternal worldview, focusing on character, godliness and fruit of the Spirit?

  A lost world focuses on what a woman looks like on the outside. God cares about what she looks like on the inside. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be attractive, yet it’s imperative that we keep things in balance and concentrate on that which has lasting value. God’s desire is for us to work on becoming drop-dead gorgeous…internally. As we do, others will see true beauty, as illustrated in this letter to Ann Landers some years ago:

  A little boy about 9 years of age went to town to buy his mother a gift for her birthday. He decided to buy her a slip. The saleslady asked him what size his mother wore. He picked out one, and she wrapped it for him.

  His mother opened it and saw that the slip was a size 12, not the ample size 22 that she really wore. She told her son it was the most beautiful slip she had ever seen and did not let on that it was the incorrect size. The child was very pleased to see his mother so happy. The next day, the mother went to the store to exchange the slip. The saleslady remembered her son vividly. She told the mother that when she had asked him what size his mother was, the little boy replied, “She’s just perfect.”

  Every woman can be the “world’s most beautiful” in God’s eyes. It’s not something found in a tube or bottle; it’s an inside job. It begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Beauty is a gift of grace. It’s by depending on God’s power to bring about heart change and lasting beauty. 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.