Getting not old but beautiful
A little girl who was ashamed of her freckles and trying to cover them. Her Grandmother said, “I like freckles. Is there anything more beautiful in the world than freckles?” The little girl looked closely at her grandmother for a moment and then replied, “Yes, Granny. Wrinkles.”
Children love the way God loves. They don’t think, “Id love daddy if he were more handsome,” or “I’d love mommy if she were younger looking.” A baby’s love is absolute. God’s love for us is absolute.
In “No scars to your beautiful” Alessia Cara sings, “We’re stars and we’re beautiful.” We have a light shining within that we can share with others:
There's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark
You should know you're beautiful just the way you are
And you don't have to change a thing, the world could change its heart.
Once upon a time there was a magic mirror on the wall. An elder approached the mirror and asked, “Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all?” The mirror replied, “Many in the land of youth are supple and suave, but your beauty far surpasses all of these.”
“How can that be?” asked the senior. “I am a magic mirror,” replied the reflector, “and just as the still water reflects the beauty of the flowers and trees that grow along its banks, I echo what is true and becoming.”
“But I have blotches on my skin of which I have too much for my frame. Many say I am old and ugly.” “I am a mirror of the soul. Learn this truth: love transforms whatever is imperfect into beauty. Beauty is truth and truth is beauty.”
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (I Peter 3:3-4).
2 Corinthians 4:16 tells us, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” We are “fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14).
What counts for beauty before God is how we love others. The most beautiful people I know on this earth are those who are a blessing to everyone around them.
I have a friend in a senior’s home who literally “blesses” all who serve her. Her short litany of words concludes with, “…that God may give you health and strength for many, many years to come.”
I have long since concluded that the blessings she imparts must refer to the place of beauty and joy we call heaven. Here we physically get older and feebler with each passing year.
God is the final judge of what is beautiful. The more truth and love grow in us, the more beautiful, the more Christ-like, we become. In the misplaced values of this world beauty is often confused with youth. That kind of beauty fades.
We need to frequently check our images in the mirror of the soul. From year to year we should be progressing in the love of the Lord. Some of the most beautiful people I know never grew old. My mother and father did not get old, but they got beautiful.
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