The beauty of woman

I want to be beautiful
And make you stand in awe
Look inside my heart
And be amazed
I want to hear you say
Who I am is quite enough
I just want to be worthy of love
And beautiful.  ~ Bethany Dillon

The cry of every girl is to be beautiful.  Little girls twirl and dance and exhibits their femininity unhindered and unashamed…..

A shift happens between childhood and womanhood~ the culture begins to speak to what beauty looks like.  From magazines, television, movies, social media~ all present a falsified view of beauty (see videos below). When girls/women are focused on the culture, their view of beauty becomes what the culture says. 

The culture’s voice tells girls they must STRIVE to be beautiful.

I pastor teenagers.  This summer the girls are studying  through the book, Captivating and the topic of conversation often is that of BEAUTY.  My cry and prayer is that girls will know they are beautiful, not based on what the culture says, but by what the Lord says to them. He has created each one, as unique and beautiful.  There is nothing we DO to become beautiful.  We position our hearts to receive God’s love and allow His Spirit to speak to our identity (no striving necessary).  As God’s love is poured into our hearts, beauty arises from our inner being, which creates a radiance and beauty that Hollywood cannot touch.

Stasi Eldredge says in the book Captivating, “A woman becomes beautiful when she knows she is loved”.  This is true beauty~ beauty that never fades. 

The first woman, Eve is the pinnacle of God’s creative Voice in creation.  The Word tells us that “the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man and he brought her to the man,” (Genesis 2:22).  The final display of God’s creation is woman.  One who is to be adored and loved.  She is fashioned for beauty, created by the ultimate Designer.  And there is NO mention of what this pinnacle of beauty looks like physically.  We are not given any measurements, hair color, hair length, height, etc….what does this say to us?  Each woman is fashioned by God’s loving hand and she is His creative work~ whatever her size and shape.  We are to embrace our beauty and display who we are as women marked by the Divine Designer!

Moms and mentors, what is the picture of beauty you model for the younger generation?  Do you talk about your weight?  “I need to diet” or “I hate my legs” or “My feet are too big” or “I wish I had….” Or “I wish I didn’t have….”  Do you complain about your appearance?  How much time; energy; money do you spend on matters of “beauty”?  {Whatever we give our resources (time, energy, money) to is what we worship.}

There is a generation watching.  There are young women who hear what you say, watch what you do, use you as their model for what beauty looks like.  Do you have your focus on what the culture speaks or what the Lord speaks? 

I am calling a generation of mothers (spiritual and natural) to model true beauty for a younger generation who is in desperate pursuit of what beauty looks like, embracing a lifestyle of living and loving who you are (all your curves and edges), presenting yourself in beauty that displays how God has designed you. 

“Charm is deceptive and (physical) beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised,” Proverbs 31:30

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