A Beauty Glorious

Favorite.

The word brings quite a string of things to mind, doesn’t it? You probably have a favorite movie, favorite candy, favorite store, favorite class, favorite pair of jeans. How about “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens”? And we can’t forget that schnitzel with noodles!



What about people? Do you have a favorite teacher, favorite friend, favorite family member?

Wait…that’s a little awkward…

Yep, it is. But here’s another question: are you somebody’s favorite?

Are you God’s favorite?

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on. God doesn’t play favorites. By calling one person a favorite you are implying that you like somebody else less, that you even love somebody else a little less. Ouch. Romans 2:11 says that “God shows no partiality.” Doesn’t he love the whole world equally?

Well, yes, and that’s the incredible part. Think about it for a sec. God is infinite, and so is his love. If infinity was chopped up into six billion individual pieces, each piece would still be…infinity. I can be God’s favorite one, and so can you. God can give me all of his love, and you all of his love, and neither of us is missing out. Think of it this way: you are second place to no one in God’s heart. He doesn’t love Billy Graham, or the pastor’s daughter, or Britt Nicole, or missionaries to China any more than he loves you.

Now that’s an amazing truth.

I looked up the dictionary definition of “favorite,” and was absolutely blown away and delighted by what I found:

fa•vor•ite
noun
\ˈfā-v(ə-)rət, ˈfā-vərt, chiefly dialect ˈfā-və-ˌrīt\
one that is treated or regarded with special favor or liking; especially : a person who is specially loved, trusted, or provided with favors by someone of high rank or authority
(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/favorite)

Special favor or liking…check…by someone of high rank or authority…check. There you have it, girl. You are specially loved by the King of Creation—even Webster agrees that makes you a favorite.

Sometimes we may feel a bit hesitant to accept such an extreme love. It doesn’t feel right somehow. But God’s Word—his love letter to us—couldn’t be more clear. Just read Song of Songs, and picture Jesus whispering those words to your heart.

Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away…
Behold, you are beautiful, my love,
behold, you are beautiful!
You eyes are doves behind your veil…
You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much better is your love than wine…
Turn away your eyes from me,
for they overwhelm me…
My dove, my perfect one.
--Song of Songs, ESV

This is your king’s love song to you, telling you over and over in a thousand ways that he cherishes you. You are his treasure and the apple of his eye and the delight of his heart. You make his heart beat faster; one whispered “I love you” from your lips and he absolutely melts. You are constantly on his mind and forever engraved on his heart—you, my sister, are the magnificent obsession of God.

His favorite one.

I love The Princess Diaries (the movie, not the book, surprisingly enough). I love imagining what it would be like to be Mia, the awkward and slightly dorky (well, maybe more than slightly) fifteen-year-old who’s “still waiting for normal body parts to arrive,” and then all in one day finds out her grandmother is a queen, her father was a prince—and she is a princess.

“Me? A princess? Shut up!”



I’d be shocked too. But it gets weirder. (Watch the entire scene here—start at 3:05.)

QUEEN CLARISSE: Since your father died, you are the natural heir to the throne of Genovia. That's our law. I'm royal by marriage. You are royal by blood. You can rule.
MIA: Rule? Oh, no. Oh, no. No, no, no. Now you have really got the wrong girl. I never lead anybody—not at Brownies, not at Campfire Girls—Queen Clarisse, my expectation in life is to be invisible, and I’m good at it.

A princess from birth, born to rule, ignorant of her destiny. So she instead lives her life hiding from the world—invisible.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty familiar to me.

I, too, am a princess. I am royalty. As a daughter of the King of the Universe, I have been given authority and destiny. I can be a world changer. All of us who have been made royal by God’s own blood can truly be shapers of history.

If we want to be.

The thing is, far too often we’d rather just be invisible. Blend in, play the games, be popular (or just left alone), generally be normal, but never, ever do anything to truly stand out. Even in our churches and youth groups. We become “normal” Christians…we love Jesus, we read our Bibles, we sing the songs, we drop money in the plate…but we don’t really stand up and act like we know we’re royalty.

Well, ladies, it’s about time for “normal” to be over.

Romans 8:16-17 ESV "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."

We are heirs of God—fellow heirs with Christ himself! Glory is our birthright.

Normal is not. You pretty much gave up all right to a normal life when you came into the Kingdom. Did you notice the reference to suffering in the verse above? Yeah. Most people who suffer don’t suffer because they’re content to play it safe and just blend in. They suffer because they stand out and do something different—but glory is the result. That’s a promise.

So, what does it mean to act like royalty? Well, there’s a lot, but here’s a few to chew on:

You’re not normal. (I think we’ve been over this already.) So don’t act normal. Since you are a princess of the Kingdom of God, your priorities should be higher than this world. Don’t lower yourself to their standards. Keep your focus on the King and his kingdom.

You have authority. You have the power to bring light into darkness. God listens when you pray, and he moves at the sound of your voice. Partner with him to make a real difference in the world around you.

You are a representative of the King. Not just as a servant, but as a family member, as royalty yourself. Show those around you who the King is and what he’s about. Live love loud.

You’re a princess, for goodness sake! You are beautiful, you are loved, and you are strong. Your worth is not defined by those around you. It’s defined by the God who made you and calls you his own. Don’t ever forget that.

One more thing: Like Mia, you are destined to lead. Invisibility is no longer an option. All it takes is for one person to stand up first, and others will follow. Don’t be afraid to speak up, to do something never done before! You’ve got the King of Creation—your Daddy—at your back. Stand proudly, speak boldly, love extravagantly, and live the life of the Kingdom you were born into.

It’s your turn to shine

You were born for such a time as this

I am royalty

I have destiny

I have been set free

I’m going to shape history

Hey, guys! First off, a heartfelt apology that I haven't posted in THREE WHOLE MONTHS!!! I spent the summer working at a Christian camp in the mountains, and although I had internet access, I was never able to get on one of the staff computers long enough to post a blog. So I am so vewy vewy sowwy I left y'all hanging.



The summer was loverly, however. :) I worked in the malt shop serving the weekly crowds of multiple youth groups who would come up to camp, and I also led teams and games out on the rec field. I got so close to so many of my fellow staffers, and better yet, I got closer to God when I would escape into the woods to my favorite place with a view, or to the 50+-year-old prayer chapel with its wooden pews and musty carpet and sacred feel in the air. I learned a lot this summer about community, communion, and being used by God wherever I am in simple unexpected ways. :)

Furthermore, I have one final announcement: kindly conduct your eyes to the upper right side of this page, where you should see half of a youtube screen with the title "Our Videos & Music." Scroll over so you can see the whole thing. Ah, there it is. This is a playlist of all the videos and music I have referenced in the blogs, plus a few more that fit so well with the purpose of A Beauty Glorious that they just needed to be shared. (Let me know if I left anything out, or if there's something else you think should be added.) This replaces our old music player, which was frankly troublesome and unreliable. Youtube is my savior. ;) Take some time to enjoy them and be blessed.

There you have it! If all goes according to plan, expect a new blog up every two weeks. If you have ideas for a blog, or something you found or created that you'd like to share, shoot me an email! abeautyglorious@gmail.com This was always meant to be a community, not just me on my soapbox all the time. ;)

Grace and peace, my sisters!

Caitlyn

One of my longtime favorite books is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. It is the story of a brother and sister who go on a journey through space to the planet Camazotz, where Charles’ Wallace, Meg’s little brother, gets trapped inside the brainwashing powers of IT. When Meg goes back to rescue him, she is armed only with the prophecy that she has something IT does not, and it will be her only weapon. That final confrontation has stayed with me for years:

“Nonsense,” Charles Wallace said. “You have nothing that it doesn’t have.”

“You’re lying,” she replied, and she felt only anger toward this boy who was not Charles Wallace at all. No, it was not anger, it was loathing; it was hatred, sheer and unadulterated, and as she became lost in hatred she also began to be lost in IT…

With the last vestige of consciousness she jerked her mind and body. Hate was nothing that IT didn’t have. IT knew all about hate…

Suddenly she knew.

She knew!

Love.

That was what she had that IT did not have…

She could stand there and she could love Charles Wallace.

Love??

To be honest, I thought it was a bit lame the first time I read it, sort of a cheap way out for the writer. Trite. Cliché. How can standing there saying, “I love you, I love you,” be any sort of weapon?

But the more I think and read and listen, the more I have come to the conclusion that it has to be true. It just has to be. I’ve seen it. Truth spoken in love can shatter lies and soften hearts. Loving encouragement can be just the thing to motivate someone to be all they were meant to be. Love can reach in and rescue when nothing else can.

Why is this? Perhaps, it’s because it’s unexpected. It’s not a weapon that destroys, but rather one that heals. And by doing so it destroys the disease.

Most of us are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, where Paul writes that “love never fails” and that “faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Romans 12:20-21 even goes so far as to say, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” It looks to me like love may be the most radical weapon we have.

Meg was right. Evil knows all about hate, but it cannot touch love. Love is our privilege and power. Since we alone are made in the image of God, only we have been given the gift of love.

If you want to make a difference in the world, try this: live love. Speak truth boldly, attack injustice fiercely, but in the end just radiate love. If you see those around you the way God does, and treat them as though they are worth his blood, you will leave evil without a leg to stand on. Satan cannot fight love; it disarms him completely. Seek out the darkest places, the blackest lies and heaviest chains, and then just stand there and offer love with everything you have.

I love you. Charles Wallace, you are my darling and my dear and the light of my life and the treasure of my heart. I love you. I love you. I love you.

Slowly his mouth closed. Slowly his eyes stopped their twirling. The tic in his forehead ceased its revolting twitch. Slowly he advanced toward her.

“I love you!” she cried. “I love you, Charles! I love you!”

Then suddenly he was running, pelting, he was in her arms, he was shrieking with sobs. “Meg! Meg! Meg!”

“I love you, Charles!” she cried again, her sobs almost as loud as his, her tears mingling with his. “I love you! I love you! I love you!”

And then watch the miracle happen…because the greatest of these is love.

Last week I finally watched Avatar. I didn’t get to see it in the theater, but even in my living room it was a beautiful movie. The lights and colors of the forest were stunning. The floating mountains draped with vines, the enormous emerald leaves, the lizards that looked like fluorescent water lilies when they flew… It made me think that’s what Eden must have felt like.

After the credits rolled, there was one line that kept rolling around in my head, when Norm was teaching Jake about the Na’vi culture.

JAKE: (practicing) I see you. I see you.
NORM: But it’s not just “I’m seeing you in front of me.” It’s, “I see into you. I See you. I’m accepting you. I understand you.”

I See you.

How often do we really See the people around us? I’m sure you know what it feels like when you’re having a bad day and all you want is for someone to look you in the eyes and ask if you’re doing okay, but then life moves on and no one does. No one seems to really stop and acknowledge you as a person.

After all, isn’t this what we really want? Of course everyone wants to be loved, but a general warm fuzzy isn’t enough. We long to be Seen…to be Known. Intimately. We want to be accepted and understood. And we go through so much of our lives feeling like we’re missing it.

It’s so easy to transfer that feeling to God, as well. Of course he knows everything—he’s God, after all—but does he See me? Is this prayer really heard, or is it more like a message in a bottle, thrown out into the ocean?

Are his eyes really on me?

Grab the nearest Bible (or just go to www.biblegateway.com) and check out Genesis chapter 16. Don’t worry, it’s short. I’ll wait for you.



Now go back to verse 13.

Genesis 16:13 – Hagar thought, “Have I really seen God and lived to tell about it?” So from then on she called him, “The God Who Sees Me.”

The God who Sees me.

This really hit home for me a few months ago. I remember coming home after a powerful encounter with God. He hadn’t answered all of my questions in the way I wanted him to, but he had shown me beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was with me. That night, I wrote a poem/song that went: “I don’t have to know anything, but that you know me. I don’t have to see anything, but that you see me…” I still don’t have all the answers, but I know that I am Seen by the one who made me. And honestly, that’s enough.

I promise you, my sisters, that there is nothing in the world like knowing that God Sees you. His eyes are always on you, and you’re never in his peripheral vision. He hears every word before you speak it. He knows every thought before you think it. He feels every movement of your heart as if it were his own.

He knows your deepest dreams and your deepest pains. Every hurt matters to him. He hold you so close, close to his heartbeat. He has the answer for every question you’ve ever asked. No matter how many times you feel lost, he will always be there to rescue you again.

He understands you. He knows you. He Sees you.


Psalm 139:1-16 CEV
(1) (A psalm by David for the music leader.) You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and you know all about me.
(2) You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts.
(3) You notice everything I do and everywhere I go.
(4) Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say,
(5) and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side.
(6) I can't understand all of this! Such wonderful knowledge is far above me.
(7) Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight?
(8) If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there.
(9) Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean.
(10) Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me.
(11) Or suppose I said, "I'll hide in the dark until night comes to cover me over."
(12) But you see in the dark because daylight and dark are all the same to you.
(13) You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body,
(14) and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me. Everything you do is marvelous! Of this I have no doubt.
(15) Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below,
(16) but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do.

“Shed thirty pounds in just thirty days!”

“Luscious lips with color that lasts.”

“Extend, enhance, and beautify those lashes!”

“It’s so easy—perfect curls every time!”

“The perfect foundation for smooth, flawless skin.”

We’ve seen it, we’ve heard it, we’ve probably even bought the products. The right mascara to magically extend and thicken your eyelashes. The right lotion to smooth and soften your skin. The right hairspray to give you full, bouncy tresses. And countless procedures and miracle diets to make you that ideal 110 pounds, all so you can look just like the dazzling girl in the commercial with perfect skin, perfect teeth, perfect hair, and of course, perfect weight.

The Dove Corporation—yes, the cosmetics company—has put together a video that offers an inside look at what might go into creating such an advertisement.



Thinner, smoother, softer, tanner, longer, brighter, bigger… The advertising industry is making a fortune by convincing us that we aren’t something enough. And we believe them, detest all mirrors and cameras, and go buy everything on the shelves, only to start the cycle over again. This notion of "flawless beauty" is killing us.

And the crazy part is—most of what they're presenting is a lie. No one can possibly be that perfect, not even the supermodels. I bet you a pound-sized dark chocolate bar that if you could ask those models what they wish they could change about their appearance, they would be able to tell you a whole list of things right off the tops of their heads.

We live in a world that hypes up plastic beauty. And somewhere along the way, in between the Barbies and the magazines and the TV shows, we’ve forgotten what it means to be truly beautiful.

The truth is, genuine beauty comes from within. I know, I know, it’s cliché, but it’s God’s honest truth. When you carry yourself with a confidence that says you respect yourself and others, when you live life with love and joy, you can’t help but be beautiful. It’s a beauty that isn’t painted or photoshopped or dieted into you, but a radiant, glorious beauty that explodes from the inside out.

I can hear you now: “I know all that, Caitlyn, I’ve known it all my life! But it doesn’t exactly help when I see Tyra Banks in all the magazines, and then I look in the mirror and all I see is what’s wrong: wrong hair, wrong clothes, wrong skin, wrong teeth, wrong everything!”

I get it. Trust me, I do. I’ve been there thousands of times. It’s the curse of being a female in the modern-day Western world. Heck, it might be the curse of being female, period. Even when we know that we should be focusing on inner beauty, still we crave after this flawless magazine image. Still we think that we don’t measure up.

Can I share something with you that absolutely blew my mind?

Song of Songs 4:7 “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.”

Wait a minute.

Back up. Read that again.

“You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.”

Wow.

The God of the universe, the God who created me, the God whose opinion is the only thing that matters…says that I am flawless. He doesn’t see any of the things I wish I could change about myself. He sees only perfect beauty.

Don’t believe me? Can you imagine God looking at you and shaking his head, saying, “Well, I tried, but I guess I ran out of Pretty n’ Perfect Powder that day. I must have used it all on Tyra. It’s really too bad about that face.”

NO! God looks at you and says, “Look at her! That one right there, look at her! She is perfect! Perfect! She makes my heart beat faster. Breathtaking, stunning, captivating… Beautiful. Flawlessly beautiful.”

Barbie’s got nothing on you, sistah. The King of the universe has called you beautiful. And it has nothing to do with makeup or skin care or fashion sense. It has to do with you. Because he made you in his image and he loves you exactly the way you are.

Flawless.

I don't know about you, but I recognize this. This is for that moment when the world fades away and suddenly only one thing is important... suddenly, it doesn't matter where you are, because it's like you're not even there... heaven is invading earth, and all that matters is worshiping him.

Pour it out.