Don't Tell Me You're Not Beautiful
After leaving Orange City on Tuesday morning, Pastor Mark and I made the drive straight through to Mescalero, pulling in around 2:45 in the morning. [Technically 1:45 with the time change. But let me tell you that we were definitely not feeling the benefit of that extra hour in the time change.]
As you can imagine, it was quite dark when we pulled in, so I wasn't focused too much on the scenery. My mind was thinking of one thing, and one thing only─sleep.
The next morning I woke up, looked out the window, and BOOM. MOUNTAINS EVERYWHERE. [A little different than back home in Iowa.]
I've seen these mountains before, yes─and maybe I'm just more aware of my surroundings now─but somehow this time it was different. I've been doing a lot of my work at the dining table in my apartment to take in the view while I can.
Today while I was filling up one of the church vans with gas, someone asked me if I was from around here or if I was working on the reservation.
I told him that no, I was from Iowa, and that I'd be interning at Mescalero Reformed Church this summer. In response, he told me that he'd been to Iowa before to visit his brother. "It's a beautiful state!" he said. I laughed and told him I thought New Mexico was a beautiful state.
Right then I thought back to what my mother's always told me─you always want what you can't have. When my mom was younger, she tried different ways to straighten the natural waves out of her hair. One of her best friends, on the other hand, had straight hair; she always tried to curl it.
When I was five years old I told my parents that I wanted to be a boy like Daddy and my friends at daycare so I didn't have to wear shirts outside or at the pool. That was a no-go. [Thank goodness.]
A few years later I told my dad that I really really wanted one of those kid sized ride-on cars because so-and-so had one. Once again, another no-go.
Then when I got to middle school I started begging for a hot tub. [Hasn't happened yet but I trust that the Lord is faithful.]
You always want what you can't have.
Down here in New Mexico, taking in this view I don't see all the time, I can't help but be amazed by the beauty of it. Back in Iowa, when I drive by the same landscape day after day, my mind naturally wanders to thoughts beyond the view around me. So when I look to other landscapes I'm in awe at their beauty and only wish it were the same back home.
But as I've realized in the past few years, Iowa is beautiful. It's beautiful in it's own way. Iowa has cornfields and prairie grasses, New Mexico has mountains and lots of trees.
They're both so different by design, but there's something beautiful about each of them.
They're not the same, they don't look alike─but that's what makes them unique. And it's that uniqueness that highlights their beauty.
So don't tell me you're not beautiful.
Don't tell me you're not strong enough or skinny enough or pretty enough or man enough. Don't tell me that just because you don't have something and someone else does means you're any less valuable.
Don't look around at the people of this world and define your beauty from theirs─neither beauty nor worth are measured by whether or not you have this or that. Don't focus on your perceived flaws and let them define you─no good is done sulking about what you can't or don't have.
Focus on what you do have. Focus on the traits and characteristics that make you who you are. Stop looking around to define your worth. Look at who you are, at what you've done.
Remember too that beauty, and masculinity for that matter, are not all about appearance. They're found in the way you interact with others. They're found in the respect you give to yourself and the words you speak to others. They're the smile you give to the stranger and the encouragement you give to your friend. Beauty can be physical, yes. When we think of beauty solely as appearance, it is physical. But believe me when I say it goes far beyond that.
So don't tell me you're not beautiful. Don't tell me you're not handsome or suave or dapper. Your beauty is different than mine. It's different than those we see around us.
You have an immeasurable abundance of worth and beauty because you are living out who God created you to be. And that, my dear friends, is indeed something beautiful.
[Interested in reading more? Check out the Blog Archive to the right to find links to my other posts.]
If you liked this post, you might like...
Dating Jesus
A Letter to the Girl Who Feels Lonely
An Open Letter To Eight Year Old Me
Curly Hair, I Am Sorry I Have Not Always Loved You
Like the post? Have a question for me? Express your thoughts in the comment section below, I'd love to hear from you! Think your friends might like it? Feel free to share the post with others by clicking on one of the social media icons below.
Comments
Post a Comment