Inner Beauty Series: Defining Beauty.

Webster defines beauty as, “qualities that give pleasure to the senses or exalt the mind.”  If someone were to ask you to name a “beautiful” woman – given the world’s standards of beauty – it would be a simple task.  We can all think of women who by society’s definition would be deemed as beautiful.  Every magazine, billboard, and commercial bombards our senses with images of beautiful women on a daily basis.  Like many women, I wrestle with insecurities in the area of appearance, body image, and just measuring up.

But many years ago – as a young Christian woman, I became drawn to the life and suffering of Corrie ten Boom and my perception of beauty began to change.  Now I am not suggesting that Corrie ten Boom WAS NOT a beautiful woman by appearance standards – I am simply trying to differentiate between our worldly perceptions of beauty and inner beauty – so I hope you can hear my heart and follow my message here!

Most of you probably know the story of Corrie ten Boom and her family.  Corrie is the author of many books, the most recognized being, The Hiding Place; depicting the ten Boom family’s suffering at the hands of Nazi Germany and their years in the Nazi prison camps.  Corrie’s father and sister both perished in the death camps, but by some miracle, Corrie survived.  Her remaining years on this earth were spent sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ – His love, mercy, grace, compassion, and yes … His message of forgiveness.

I recently was reading in her devotional, Not I, But Christ, and was so encouraged by her words.  She shared that she accepted the Lord Jesus when she was five years old and that, “He has never left me alone.”  She suggested that there are many battles to be fought before peace will come, but that we are not alone in any of these battles.  I love the truth of what she reveals when she shares that the Holy Spirit is ever present and that Jesus is our secret weapon.  I’m not sure that … actually, I KNOW that I do not live each day as if my Lord were my secret weapon in all of my battles!  Too often, I face them alone – running stubbornly right into the midst of them.  But Corrie further explains that it is in surrender that peace comes:  “God cleanses what He takes; He empties what He cleanses; He fills what He empties; and He uses what He fills.  This is the showing forth of Jesus Christ, dwelling in us.”

That completely rocks and challenges my view of beauty!  I want to be a woman who lives in surrender to the Lord’s purposes for my life – I have not arrived.  My journey is just that … a journey every day – each day a process.  Corrie has since gone to eternity with the Lord, but what I saw when I looked at Corrie ten Boom and when I read her words was beauty in its purest form.  The beauty of Christ radiating from her eyes, her smile, her confidence, her compassion, and her incredible desire to encourage others.  And I am inspired by the beauty of her words as they impact millions of hungry souls around the world still today.

Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:  that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.”  His promise to those who seek Him, to those who make Him their home, is that “he will keep me safe in His dwelling: He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”  Our heads will be raised high above the enemies who seek to destroy us.  And our home, our dwelling will be in the safety of His shelter.  That’s a pretty beautiful thing to ponder.

I would love to hear from you – how has the Lord impacted your life in the area of beauty?  Is there a person who has spoken truth into your life or modeled beauty to you?

Walking this journey with you,
Guest: Kit Hoeck – khoeck@suddenlink.net