Sorry it has been awhile since my last post. I would like to finish up with the final two premises that women and girls wrap their identities up in:
4) Career- so if work is going good, you feel accompished and not so stressed out...but what about when it goes bad? You feel bad, don't you? It stresses you out, and when you are stressed out you feel low worthless, and either mentally or physically ugly. Luke 10 tells the story of Martha and Mary. Martha was so caught up in her work, that she lost sight of the fact that Jesus was in the room...and she got frustrated with Mary because Mary was sitting at Jesus feet instead of helping her. Martha was consumed by work, and Mary was consumed by Jesus. When you allow yourself to be consumed by Jesus, it doesn't mean you ignore the work that needs to be done...it means that you do not let it control your emotions. Mary felt beauty as she sat before the Lord, and Martha felt stressed out because in her heart, she wanted to be like Mary...but she was consumed by duty.
5) Religion- even christians can be so caught up in their religion that they lose sight of the value that Jesus has placed on them. For some reason, church has become this place where we feel like we have to always appear at our very best, from the clothes that we wear to the condition of our lives. So instead of church being a place where we are able to come before Christ weak and broken, it is a place where we have to prop up an image of ourselves that tells the world that we have it all together. Maybe you joined a prayer group, and all you do is sit around talking about the sins in other peoples lives and then say "we need to pray for her...because she is a -fill in blank-." When you are consumed by religion, you become the person who is leaning on the cross, staring out at the masses and pointing out the faults and sins of everyone else...instead, Christ desires you to be the one kneeling at the cross, looking over yout shoulder only to tell the others that there is plenty of room for them. Religion...especially southern church culture...has done more to hurt the cause of Christ than any other aspect of society, becauseit has become about what you wear in the house of God, and how good and perfect you can appear. I would rather see people in ragged jeans and t-shirts who have an inner desire and passion for God, than to see a group of panty-hose wearing hypocrites that size everyone up as they walk in the door. You may say "well, I dress nice at church because the bible says to give God our best." I'm pretty sure that didn't mean your clothes...way to abuse the word of God...
Now, I want you to think about the person in your life that you admire the most. Who is it?
Now, think about the one main reason that you admire them...
Did it fall into any of those 5 categories? Do you admire them because they have an attractive appearance? Do you admire them because they have a prettier home than you? Do you admire them because you wish you had the husband, or boyfriend that they have? Do you admire them because of the job that they have? Do you admire them because they point out the sins of others instead of fixing the sins In their own life?
My guess is NO!
So I challenge you...strive to be like the ones that you admire most, because of the character qualities that they have. Most of all, strive to be like Jesus...and in that, you will understand the beauty that He sees in you.
Bless you all! Never grow weary of striving for the life God has intended for you! And in it all, may you always feel...BEAUTIFUL!
Ypc.
Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Beautiful (part 2)
So this is part 2 of the Blog-series "Beautiful."... lets dive right in and see if we can swim:
I believe that many women and girls do not feel beautiful because of the unfair comparisons that they make. Comparisons to the other "more beautiful" women in Hollywood, or on the magazine covers. However, is this 100% Hollywood's fault? Or did Hollywood just start taking commercial advantage of the identity crisis that many women were already experiencing?
See, when you wrap your identity up in the wrong thing(s), you end up dismantled from the outside in, and beauty is supposed to come from the inside-out. I propose 5 aspects of the female condition that many women wrap themselves up in. If your identity is even partially wrapped up in one of these 5 things, you will never feel trulybeautiful:
1. Appearance: There is a false formula that women use when it comes to beauty: more makeup + less clothes= more attention which leads to feeling more beautiful. If you could only wear the clothes that she wears, you would feel more beautiful. Or, "if I could just get my hair to do what hers does, I would be happy with it, and feel beautiful." The fact is, you spend MONEY on everything under the sun that will supposedly make you feel beautiful, yet at the end of the day, in the checkout line, when you look at the magazines, you still dont add up to "her." Maybe stop spending all your time, and money, trying to cover up or change yourself, and learn that you are already beautiful, and if people cant see that, its their problem! (atleast until next weeks blogpost, then you may discover it is your problem...*that was a teaser, by the way :))
2. House: "If my living room looked like that, i would feel so accomplished and proud." "Come on in the house, sorry for the mess "<--even though you just spent all day cleaning it, you still apologize for a mess that doesnt exist. Proven fact: Women identify themselves partially with the condition and decor of their house. The question is, are you more concerned with the wellbeing of the "home," or the house? Nothing wrong with keeping a clean, well decorated house...but when you do it because you want people to walk in and say "her kitchen is so much prettier than mine" then you are SINFUL. "Caleb, whats wrong with wanting people to admire my kitchen above their own?" well, it makes you a stumbling block for them to covet (you know, on of the 10 commandments? You shall not covet?) and it also probably means you saw a kitchen somewhere that you thought was the greatest kitchen ever, so you went and spent $15-$30,000 to redo yours...so now you are a coveter, and a terrible steward of money. Ladies, dont diminish your identity to a place where it can be bought at a cabinet retail outlet...
3. Relationships: Do you define your beauty by how much you can get a man to give you attention (husband or not)? Somehow, if he is pursuing you then you feel more beautiful...but when he isnt pursuing you, you feel less beautiful. Guess what? HE WILL NEVER PURSUE YOU ALL THE TIME. He is wired to need some time to himself...by God in fact...notice Jesus would often drift away into His on little world, even when it seemed like He was needed most? The village of Capernaum, the disciples wake up and are like "all these people are needing healed and taught, where is Jesus?" So they go on a search for Him and they find Him under a tree out in a field just chillin'. Jesus NEEDED that time to not "pursue" anything, just to be alone with God...and even, just to be alone with Himself. So maybe your "he" wants to sit on the couch and watch the game, and ignore you a little bit...it isnt because you arent the most beautiful thing in his life...it's because he NEEDS to be in a quiet place for awhile. You can feel beautiful during those times only if you take you identity and emotions out of his hands, stop relying on him to make you feel beautiful, and understand that you are already beautiful because "the king is enthralled by your beauty!
Stay tuned for the final 2 premises...I will let you digest these first 3...
I believe that many women and girls do not feel beautiful because of the unfair comparisons that they make. Comparisons to the other "more beautiful" women in Hollywood, or on the magazine covers. However, is this 100% Hollywood's fault? Or did Hollywood just start taking commercial advantage of the identity crisis that many women were already experiencing?
See, when you wrap your identity up in the wrong thing(s), you end up dismantled from the outside in, and beauty is supposed to come from the inside-out. I propose 5 aspects of the female condition that many women wrap themselves up in. If your identity is even partially wrapped up in one of these 5 things, you will never feel trulybeautiful:
1. Appearance: There is a false formula that women use when it comes to beauty: more makeup + less clothes= more attention which leads to feeling more beautiful. If you could only wear the clothes that she wears, you would feel more beautiful. Or, "if I could just get my hair to do what hers does, I would be happy with it, and feel beautiful." The fact is, you spend MONEY on everything under the sun that will supposedly make you feel beautiful, yet at the end of the day, in the checkout line, when you look at the magazines, you still dont add up to "her." Maybe stop spending all your time, and money, trying to cover up or change yourself, and learn that you are already beautiful, and if people cant see that, its their problem! (atleast until next weeks blogpost, then you may discover it is your problem...*that was a teaser, by the way :))
2. House: "If my living room looked like that, i would feel so accomplished and proud." "Come on in the house, sorry for the mess "<--even though you just spent all day cleaning it, you still apologize for a mess that doesnt exist. Proven fact: Women identify themselves partially with the condition and decor of their house. The question is, are you more concerned with the wellbeing of the "home," or the house? Nothing wrong with keeping a clean, well decorated house...but when you do it because you want people to walk in and say "her kitchen is so much prettier than mine" then you are SINFUL. "Caleb, whats wrong with wanting people to admire my kitchen above their own?" well, it makes you a stumbling block for them to covet (you know, on of the 10 commandments? You shall not covet?) and it also probably means you saw a kitchen somewhere that you thought was the greatest kitchen ever, so you went and spent $15-$30,000 to redo yours...so now you are a coveter, and a terrible steward of money. Ladies, dont diminish your identity to a place where it can be bought at a cabinet retail outlet...
3. Relationships: Do you define your beauty by how much you can get a man to give you attention (husband or not)? Somehow, if he is pursuing you then you feel more beautiful...but when he isnt pursuing you, you feel less beautiful. Guess what? HE WILL NEVER PURSUE YOU ALL THE TIME. He is wired to need some time to himself...by God in fact...notice Jesus would often drift away into His on little world, even when it seemed like He was needed most? The village of Capernaum, the disciples wake up and are like "all these people are needing healed and taught, where is Jesus?" So they go on a search for Him and they find Him under a tree out in a field just chillin'. Jesus NEEDED that time to not "pursue" anything, just to be alone with God...and even, just to be alone with Himself. So maybe your "he" wants to sit on the couch and watch the game, and ignore you a little bit...it isnt because you arent the most beautiful thing in his life...it's because he NEEDS to be in a quiet place for awhile. You can feel beautiful during those times only if you take you identity and emotions out of his hands, stop relying on him to make you feel beautiful, and understand that you are already beautiful because "the king is enthralled by your beauty!
Stay tuned for the final 2 premises...I will let you digest these first 3...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
"Beautiful" (blogpost for ladies) part 1
So you are in line at the grocery store checkout. Right in front of your face is this spam-fest of magazine covers..."How to look better in a bikini" "how to please your man" "how to lose those unwanted pounds" "how to look beautiful"...blah blah blah. No wonder depression medication is the most highly prescribed and used medicine amongst the female gender...you know, no matter how hard you try, you don't add up to the girl on the cover...because some guy didn't spend hours airbrushing your face, and then photoshopping your image.
If by some rare chance, your eyes don't catch all the "cosmo-type" magazines, then they catch the "better homes and gardens" where you are inspired to think "if my living room only looked like that living room, I would be happy." I could go on...but I won't. We live in a microwave and barbie dolls society..."I want the perfect (fill in blank) and I want it now!" It blows me away to see people stand in front of a microwave anxiously...I mean, are you really that strapped for time that you can't wait for a full 5 course meal to cook for you in less than 3 minutes? Anyway, back on track...you want perfection and beauty and you want it now. The reality is, the beauty that you are seeking may not even be beauty at all. It may be the thing that makes you ugly, or unattractive, or undesirable.
Contrary to popular belief, men (yes, even husbands) are not attracted to women (wives) who are self consumed (either by over confidence, OR insecurity)...consumed by appearance, or the appearance of something (like your house, or your kids lives, or your career, or your blah blah blah).
Psalm 45:10-11 says "Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear:
Forget your people and your father’s house;11 the King is enthralled by your beauty"
What God is speaking is first "listen, I want my voice to be loudest in your life...because I am worth it!" And then, once you allow that voice to be loudest, you will understand that "The King is enthralled by your beauty!" Enthralled means captivated by, entranced in, lost in the moment with...the King sees you and the world stops spinning for just a moment, and all He sees is you. It reminds me of my wedding day, when my wife first stepped out of that old 57 chevy and out onto the lawn where we were being married...the lawn was perfectly manicured, the lake behind me was sparkling, 350 people sat between me and her, but for that moment all I saw was her...nothing else mattered...I was "enthralled" by her beauty.
Your worth and value come out of the heart of a lovesick God, not off of a magazine cover and not in a clean, well decorated home.
Part two I will give you my premise that most women define there beauty in 5 ways...and wrap up all their identity in one or more of these 5 things.
See you next time, and share this blog with others...copy and paste this link to your facebook, twitter, myspace, or email lists (www.ypcshack.blogspot.com)...thanks for helping me spread the word!
If by some rare chance, your eyes don't catch all the "cosmo-type" magazines, then they catch the "better homes and gardens" where you are inspired to think "if my living room only looked like that living room, I would be happy." I could go on...but I won't. We live in a microwave and barbie dolls society..."I want the perfect (fill in blank) and I want it now!" It blows me away to see people stand in front of a microwave anxiously...I mean, are you really that strapped for time that you can't wait for a full 5 course meal to cook for you in less than 3 minutes? Anyway, back on track...you want perfection and beauty and you want it now. The reality is, the beauty that you are seeking may not even be beauty at all. It may be the thing that makes you ugly, or unattractive, or undesirable.
Contrary to popular belief, men (yes, even husbands) are not attracted to women (wives) who are self consumed (either by over confidence, OR insecurity)...consumed by appearance, or the appearance of something (like your house, or your kids lives, or your career, or your blah blah blah).
Psalm 45:10-11 says "Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear:
Forget your people and your father’s house;11 the King is enthralled by your beauty"
What God is speaking is first "listen, I want my voice to be loudest in your life...because I am worth it!" And then, once you allow that voice to be loudest, you will understand that "The King is enthralled by your beauty!" Enthralled means captivated by, entranced in, lost in the moment with...the King sees you and the world stops spinning for just a moment, and all He sees is you. It reminds me of my wedding day, when my wife first stepped out of that old 57 chevy and out onto the lawn where we were being married...the lawn was perfectly manicured, the lake behind me was sparkling, 350 people sat between me and her, but for that moment all I saw was her...nothing else mattered...I was "enthralled" by her beauty.
Your worth and value come out of the heart of a lovesick God, not off of a magazine cover and not in a clean, well decorated home.
Part two I will give you my premise that most women define there beauty in 5 ways...and wrap up all their identity in one or more of these 5 things.
See you next time, and share this blog with others...copy and paste this link to your facebook, twitter, myspace, or email lists (www.ypcshack.blogspot.com)...thanks for helping me spread the word!
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