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| something like this- WAY more pronounced! |
Today and tomorrow I'm going to post about a couple things I noticed
while sitting in the clinic today (fever again). I love to observe people and there are always
lots in a medical center with one waiting room, 8+ doctors and a walk in
clinic. There were three beautiful
babies though one who was quiet looked very sad, and two preschoolers, one of
which never stopped running until mom picked her up. Across from me was a late 50ish man whose
skin was weather worn over time and like many of us, was trying to amuse the
babies with smiles, the nearest one being sad baby.
His whole face crinkled up into an amazing flow of 'smile lines'
starting above his eyes but radiating down to below his mouth. I've never actually seen that many crunched
up lines before especially on someone his age, and from the side there was
little indication of them when he wasn't smiling. To me, the lines didn't make him look old,
unappealing, ugly, or bad in anyway, rather, they made him much more
interesting- like a chiselled sculpture the makes you wish you knew this person
of character. To me, that is beautiful,
and real.
Who says wrinkles aren't beautiful or acceptable anyway? The world, of course. So, why do we agree? Are they so wise, better than us, with better
beliefs and standards, morals and ethics?
Look what it's doing to the tv/ movie industry. I can barely watch anything without being
disgusted by faces (of actors I used to enjoy) that don't move normally due to
botox, bodies that are abnormally shaped, and surgically altered faces. Another thing that bugs me is the perfectly
straight, pure white teeth that don't even fit in a period piece; they didn't
have such perfect teeth in the past so at least change it for the film!
It's all about looking beautiful by the world's standards, and perpetual
youth is beautiful to the world. To me,
they don't even know what true beauty is! And we are not supposed to be living like the world anyway!
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| beauty and character... Real. Magnificent. |
…I am fearfully and wonderfully made: wonderful are thy works; and
that my soul knoweth right well. Ps. 139:14 RV
-no one is excluded. ALL are wonderfully made!
…For man looks on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looks on the
heart. 1Sm. 16:7
-God regards inward attitudes, morals and behaviours, not outward looks.
Do not let your adorning be external… *but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the
imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very
precious. 1Pt. 3:3,4
-we should be far
more concerned with our inside attitudes and behaviour instead of how we look,
for our bodies will decay and die but inner beauty is everlasting.
for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is
of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for
the life to come. 1Tm. 4:8
-though exercise is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way
and is useful in this life and the next, whereas these bodies will not enter in
to eternity.
Question: would you dare tell God someone He created looked ugly?
Speaking to a couple ladies once, we were
remarking how a particular teacher still looked terrific in her eighties, her
face a glowing testimony to God’s grace and mercy (with no help from the knife
or botox). One lady said she noticed the
closer a person got to God, the more beautiful they looked. I verbally agreed, because I’ve seen that
‘glow’ on some faces, and at that moment I was staring at one- but I don’t
think she even realized it!
*though this is about women in this context,
let’s face it, today many men spend just as much time on their appearance,
clothing, physique, their ‘godly’ look at church, how they look in what car, how
awesome a dad they appear to be, etc.