Encouragement for Today - Jan. 18, 2011
January 18, 2011
Do You Think I'm Beautiful?
Melanie Chitwood
"The king is enthralled by your beauty…"
Psalm 45:11 (NIV)
Devotion:
My sons and I dance in the kitchen as we put away dishes while loud music blares. The sanctuary of our home is the only place I can dance without embarrassing them lately, a fact which usually doesn't stop me from car dancing when a good song comes on.
Besides, today I would dance anywhere because I'm in a dancing mood.
Why? I got a new pair of boots. And these are not sensible, forty-something year-old boots. These boots are high-heeled and impractical. Today they make me feel beautiful.
I hope you don't dismiss this devotion because you want to tell me real beauty comes from within. I know. Please keep reading.
I remember another pair of boots that made me feel beautiful once upon a time. Somehow I had convinced Granny to buy me what was the height of cool and grown-up in third grade: Go-go boots. They were white with a bit of a heel, zipped up the side, and stretched up my leg to just below the knee. Mere walking was not good enough for those boots—I pranced.
After going out to dinner, I strutted my nine-year-old self around in those boots, laughing and twirling, intoxicated with the attention from the adults along with the delicious satisfaction of feeling beautiful.
Do you remember a moment like this? Whether in third grade or in our third-plus decade, our feminine hearts long to feel beautiful, don't they?
Sometimes we hide from this longing. We wonder if a good Christian woman is vain if she admits she wants to feel beautiful. Shouldn't we be more concerned with our character than our outward beauty? Besides, every woman knows how easily we can be filled up with attention and admiring looks one minute, but deflated and insecure the next.
I remember vividly how that night in third grade, prancing in my go-go boots, ended with feeling just that, deflated. In the blink of an eye the enchanted night evaporated when an older relative rebuked me with her sharp comment: "That's enough. Quit showing off like that and come sit down." And that's what I did for the rest of the night. Quiet, ashamed, no longer feeling beautiful.
As little girls, and big girls, our beauty sometimes gets buried beneath critical comments like that of my relative. Or, it becomes the victim of our duty-filled lives, broken hearts and unfulfilled desires. So we try to discard our longing by telling ourselves that physical beauty is a useless pursuit.
But deep down this doesn't ring true.
I think what's more true is this: We don't want to be admired exclusively for our outer beauty, nor do we want it dismissed.
We desire to display both inner and outer beauty. One without the other is not really who we are, and we want someone to see who we really are. What we really long for is for someone to be enchanted with our entire being, our very essence.
What if instead of discarding this longing to be admired for our beauty, we embrace it? What if we recognize this longing as a God-given desire which distinguishes our feminine heart?
When I turn this over in my mind and heart, I find something incredible: Not only does God give us this desire, He also satisfies it. You see, the King is enthralled with our beauty (Psalm 45:11).
The King sees me completely. He sees the effort I put into creating a scrapbook of my teenager or revising a writing submission until the words line up perfectly. He sees me taking time to encourage a friend, or love my husband. And He sees my efforts to exercise and take care of my body.
Our heavenly Father is the One who created and fulfills the longing of our hearts. God sees us inside and out, and He's not disappointed or critical. He is delighted and enthralled. By you!
The King is enthralled with our beauty. That's why I'm dancing in my new boots today. Won't you join me? Put on your favorite stylish shoes, crank the tunes, and dance. His eyes are on you!
Dear Lord, nothing makes me more beautiful than Your love. Thank You for being a Heavenly King who sees me completely and loves my whole essence. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Related Resources:
Visit Melanie's blog for a free resource of verses about how God thinks you're beautiful.
His Princess: Love Letters from Your Prince by Sheri Rose Shepherd
What a Husband Needs from His Wife by Melanie Chitwood
Authentic Beauty: The Shaping of a Set-apart Young Woman and accompanying workbook, Authentic Beauty: Going Deeper by Leslie Ludy
When you purchase resources through Proverbs 31 Ministries, your purchase supports the many areas of hope-giving ministry we provide at no cost. Therefore, we are extremely grateful for each and every purchase you make with us.
Application Steps:
What can you do today to help you feel beautiful outwardly and inwardly?
Forward this devotion to a woman who needs to know the King is enthralled with her beauty.
Print out the verses on Melanie's blog to remind you of how God sees you.
Reflections:
Do I truly believe the King is enthralled with my beauty? What is the root of my doubt?
How would I be different if I really believed that God thinks I'm beautiful?
What am I teaching by my words and actions to others in my life about beauty?
Power Verses:
Zephaniah 3:17, "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." (NIV)
Ephesians 2:10, "For we are God's masterpiece…" (NLT)
© 2011 by Melanie Chitwood. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
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Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
