Tuesday, January 29, 2008

A Lasting Beauty





"But remember, for all your adult life you'll be a woman. And how you live your life as a woman, all by yourself before God, is what makes the real you. Nothing on the exterior can touch or change that precious inner sanctuary, your heart, his dwelling place unless you let it. And God, who loves you very much has tailor made all your outer life, your circumstances, your relationships, to pressure you into becoming that beautiful woman he's planned for you to be.” ~ Anne Ortlund ~





Well ladies, I'm learning very quickly that no physical beauty lasts forever. Yes, as we age we change. Once soft, smooth, shimmering skin now begins to give way to lines and wrinkles. As by magic, grey hairs begin to appear out of nowhere, but it’s not an illusion. Before you know it, you look in the mirror and discover you have lost that woman you were many ago.



I'm so blessed to know that even though natural beauty will dissipate, our inner beauty can continue to flourish as we become conformed more into the image of Christ. This was really what our loving Father always intended us be, a vessel of honor perfectly designed by His loving hands.


"And God, who loves you very much has tailor made all your outer life, your circumstances, your relationships, to pressure you into becoming that beautiful woman he's planned for you to be."



So, herein lays the secret to becoming the most beautiful woman you could ever be. Our relationships, circumstances, and pressures. Sounds like the process of a diamond being formed from a lump of coal in the heart of the Earth. He does not change our nose, figure, hair color or make us taller or shorter, but He changes our hearts and minds. We work so hard to preserve the outer, and all the while, our Father is at work to renew the inner person. So what is beautiful to God?

“Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.” Proverbs 31:30


Each new day we are given the opportunity to allow more of God's unfading beauty to be imparted into our lives. When I first was saved, Amy Grant sang one of my favorite songs. Some of you may remember it was called, "She has her Father's eyes.” That should our quest, to become more like Him in every way.





Lord, let your beauty and your holiness rest upon us today. May others be able to see Your eyes, Your heart, and a reflection of Your beauty when they look upon our faces.

If you would like to see what other's have written on this quote stop by Extravagant Grace.






13 comments:

Heather said...

1st - totally my favorite song! I could sing it for you right now :)
2nd - Ok, I'll stop pulling out those greys and pretending they're not there!
3rd - Do you know that you are the BOMB! Thanks for your sweet encouraging comment.

Denise said...

I really enjoyed this post, bless you.

Tami said...

Lord, let your beauty and your holiness rest upon us today. May others be able to see Your eyes, Your heart, and a reflection of Your beauty when they look upon our faces.

Amen, my friend, amen.

ellen b. said...

Beautiful words, Prayer and photos Susan! What an encouragement to read this post. Blessings...

Tea with Tiffany said...

Thank you for your sweet comment to my quick poem. I've been in a low spot, undercovering some pain from my past. I'd appreciate your prayers.

And I'm going to a writers conference starting Thursday. I could use prayer there too.

And everyone around me is sick. I cannot be sick again. I was sick last year at the conference. It's a long weekend. I need the energy.

Hugs, Susan.

Have a great night!

Mimi said...

This is a very nice post...
and encouraging for those of us who already have too many grey hairs to pull out..

Lisa said...

I love your combination of personal reflection and poignant truths! The reminder of Amy Grant's song touched a chord in my heart, too.

Thanks for taking the time to participate and share your thoughts!

Blessings,
Elisa

twinklemom said...

Very awe-inspiring post!! Thank you so much for sharing it!! I love reading it and admiring your blog layout...very elegant!

Maxine said...

Susan, this post is beautiful and reflects that inward beauty God expects of us. I can really identify with this--a message for the young as well as the "older" of us. Proverbs 31:30 is a favorite of mine, btw.
I came because I suddenly remembered that you had tagged me for a meme and I had forgotten all about it! Please forgive me--I don't know if I can put my mind to it this week, so don't know if I can do it. I skimmed it and it looks like fun! Pray for me--I'm trying to come from down under these days.

Lyric said...

Thank you, Susan.

He makes all things beautiful...in His time!

Kimberly said...

I found you through Lelia, and I am so glad I stopped by. I get so focused on outer beauty some days, fretting over how I look. Thank you so much for the reminder today about what my Father is really looking at and about the beauty that truly matters!
Love and Blessings,
Kimberly

Anonymous said...

so beautiful. thanks for sharing

2nd Cup of Coffee said...

Hi, 1st time here. You have a really beautiful blog, and this post was encouraging! Lovely family!