"People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have dared not look, including inside ourselves." ~Salma Hayek, attributed
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| Photo by prakhar |
My husband is not a liar. Really, he's probably the most honest person that I know. Yet for the longest time when he would call me beautiful, I simply couldn't believe him. I would trust him on everything else, but for me, beauty has a certain look and I do NOT have that look. I would say that even today, that is the thing that he says to me that still is hard to swallow. Most of the time I want to say, "What are you talking about? I think I'm funny and kinda' smart. I write okay and I'm not terrible at the piano. But beautiful? No, I believe you're thinking of someone else there."
But this quote really just knocked me on the head. For the most part, I think I'm able to see beauty in other things, and not just "typical" things. I loved the quote from the Brad Yoder interview when he said, "Some of those things are lovely and joyful and beautiful and some of those things are incredibly sad and there is something also equally amazing and beautiful about having the privilege of experiencing some of those sad things too." Life is truly full of beauty and I don't want to overlook it.
I don't want to sound like I'm advocating narcissism, because that's not it. Heavens knows, I'm a selfish person. But I also don't want to miss the beauty that is inherent in me as well. I think when I do that, I miss part of what God has placed in me. When I look down on my gifts and abilities, I'm looking down on the One who gave them to me in the first place. I don't want my children to see themselves in a self-deprecating way, why would I think that my Father would want that for me?
I don't want to sound like I'm advocating narcissism, because that's not it. Heavens knows, I'm a selfish person. But I also don't want to miss the beauty that is inherent in me as well. I think when I do that, I miss part of what God has placed in me. When I look down on my gifts and abilities, I'm looking down on the One who gave them to me in the first place. I don't want my children to see themselves in a self-deprecating way, why would I think that my Father would want that for me?
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)Do you struggle seeing beauty in the world around you? In yourself? What do you do to appreciate beauty?
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