Defining Beauty

Our world has created standards that don't align with the definition of beauty. Are you trying to find your identity in beauty? No matter how hard that you try you will never be able to find identity within beauty. Usually we describe beauty as things that we can see. But what if you're blind? How do you view beauty? If you're blind you hear the word beauty and you can't align it with anything that you visually see. You have no standard for physical beauty, you have no standard for anything you can see but what you can hear, feel and touch. My mom told me a story one time of this boy who was on her bus route ( she was an aide for a differently abled bus at the time ) this little boy would get on her bus every day and have so much joy to give. He would always get on the bus and say things like " It's a beautiful day today!" or " You look beautiful today Ms. Paula". These seem like fairly normal things to say- and especially cute when coming from a 5 yr old - but this kid was blind. He had never experienced seeing the same kind of beauty I do. He had never seen how glorious the flowers look basked in sunlight or how peaceful a cloud filled blue sky is. But he was raised in a way that he didn't know he was any different. He didn't realize his ability was any different than mine. And I think that is such a beautiful testimony to the way we need to treat people and the way we identify beauty. His view of beauty wasn't based on appearance it was based on presence. The presence of qualities. He had a different standard and a different definition of the word beauty.

We need to have that mindset with Jesus. See the beauty in his presence, in his touch- in his action and in his love. Beauty is so much more than physical appearance. It's actually described as a combination of qualities. So let's see the beauty in the qualities of God. How he provides for us. How he lifts us up. How he teaches us to love and the way he guides us to live. None of which require sight only faith. HE finds beauty in YOU. You were beautifully created in his image not only in the way you look but in the presence you give and the ways you glorify him. Beauty is finding faith in the unseen things and falling in love with the tangible but untouchable qualities of something. Beauty is no more than a word, but beauty is more than an outward appearance. Lets shift our standard - our definition of beauty - to finding beauty in the presence of people instead of the features of people.