Inner Beauty

topical based paper on my thoughts of inner beauty

I am blessed to have the opportunity to bounce ideas off of people with greater wisdom and intellect than I; how great is it to have an ongoing conversation about important topics such as this that continues from week to week.  This all started several weeks ago when a friend and I were talking about what we or what a person looks for in a potential mate; how these interests clash with those of this world, and how our views have been molded by our relationship with God. 

 

     Rewinding a bit for others edification let me talk about how this conversation started; well I remember talking about how what I look for in a potential mate has changed over time; how growing closer to God has helped me see that "inner beauty" is something to be desired and appreciated above all other aspects of woman.  My train of thought was remincent of Proverbs 31 Epilogue: The wife of noble character, what strikes me so profoundly in this list is that charm is deceptive and beauty fades away like withering grass but a woman of Godly character who fears the Lord is to be praised. I suppose in many ways this leads me back to my earlier essay on "not awakening love before it's time"; because even at a young age the most important thing for us to do as a believer is to cultivate our relationship with Christ not a significant relationship with someone of the opposite sex.

     The next logical question as I ponder this idea of "inner beauty" is how do I go about cultivating my heart to increase my affections for Christ; to whom I owe everything, for my debt has been paid with most precious blood.  We see this time and time again in scripture from David to the disciples after Jesus returns to Heaven.  They're those people who long to know God in more intimate way, they live, they seek, they breath because deep down is a burning desire to seek, to love, to find God each and every day in a more significant and meaningful way. It's like when we write down the words spoken to us by God upon our hearts; we will never be the same because we've tasted God's goodness but our thirst for Him will never fully be quenched while we live here on earth. 

     Separating these three topics of better defining pursuing God is: abiding in Him, trusting in Him, and loving Him.  These things to me really sum of what it means to cultivate a mindset that is daily going about the action of renewing one’s mind in conformity of Christ. When we abide in Him we seek to do His will in our life, we learn to love those who are around us because Jesus gave us two commandments; that we should love God with all heart, mind; body and soul--and we should love others.  This idea of abiding in God daily is critical to our growth and indeed directly affects our walk with God; for if our mind, heart and soul is easily distracted how can we keep our focus on Christ?  The simple answer is we can't keep focus unless we renew our minds daily; we need desperately to seek God in a more meaningful and significant way for our faith to grow deeper and stronger.  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.   (Romans 12:1-2)

     Second, we need to trust in who God is and in His promises to us. I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)  Does it not say that He shall never leave nor forsake us; God declares unto us that He has plans for us, plans to give us hope and a future not to tear us down but to build us up.   I think the best way to trust in God is submission to Him; for until God is first in the throne of your heart a person will never be at peace, for God desires fiercely to be first and have nothing before Him; God says to us that we shall not have any idols before Him.  Trust is such a simple yet hard thing for many of us, all it takes is letting go of control over our life, realizing that we are imperfect flawed beings who are desperately in need of rescue from our own defects.  We need a savior, we need Christ to dwell in our most inner parts transforming us from the inside out, we need Him as a fish needs oxygen to breath-- for without this oxygen, without the light that only Christ can give we fade just like a blade of grass in the sweltering sun. 

     Thirdly, as we abide and trust in Him we also need to love Him as He loves us.  Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.   (John 15:4)  One of the most important subjects Jesus taught about in his teaching was about love; given that Jesus was the only man to live a blameless life we need pay attention to his emphasis on the subject of love.  "A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so that you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sake of the flock, love is best illustrated by sacrifice, we get a perfect example of this when God the Father sent His Son to die on a cross in our behalf.  For God so love the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  (John 3:16)   It is said the people will know that we are Christians by our love, a true Christian reflects Christ in his or her actions.  So, Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

     Lastly, I shall address what we as brothers and sisters in Christ should appreciate in a potential mate; please understand that to me appreciation of beauty is like holding a rose within the palm of your hand, for if a rose is cut from its branch too soon we will never get to fully appreciate its full beauty, its full potential yet--if we wait until love is brought to us, if we wait for Gods timing in this matter He will bring us this rose and present it to us at its perfect beauty, thus we get to enjoy such a pleasing fragrance for a relationship when brought about in accordance to God's will is pleasing and wonderful to behold.  So, my young brothers in sisters; please listen to this carefully, as you go about your early days of youth do not be pulled away from God by anything even a relationship of significance; for there will be a proper time for such things, ask God to give you patience so that one day He can give you a mate that is pleasing to one's life like the pleasant smell of a rose after a night of fresh gentle rain.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.  (Psalm 27:14)