A more beautiful you

So I've been in Korea exactly one month now.  And it's astonishing to me the emphasis that people place on physical appearances.  It's even more stark than in the States.  If you gain weight, lose weight, break out....whatever, it doesn't matter, Koreans are going to notice and comment on it.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is a little treasure tucked away in the middle of Psalms.  It's just 14 little words, but it has rocked my world.  Psalm 45:11 says that "The King is enthralled by your beauty."  But that's it.  It doesn't describe your beauty, doesn't lay down a set of rules that you must fit into to be considered beautiful.  Our King loves each and every one of us just as we are.

There's a beautiful song by Jonny Diaz that describes what this verse says to me far better than I could verbalize myself.  If you want to hear the actual song, check out this link.  Isn't it amazing to know that no matter how badly our faces break out, how frizzy our hair is, and how misshapen and ugly we think we are.....God is crazy about us.  He thinks we are beautiful and perfect just the way we are.  And really, isn't His opinion the only one that really matters?

Psalm 45:11

The King is enthralled by your beauty.  Honor Him, for He is your Lord. 

More Beautiful You by Jonny Diaz

Little girl fourteen flipping through a magazine
Says she wants to look that way
But her hair isn't straight her body isn't fake
And she's always felt overweight

Well little girl fourteen I wish that you could see
That beauty is within your heart
And you were made with such care your skin your body and your hair
Are perfect just the way they are

There could never be a more beautiful you
Don't buy the lies disguises and hoops they make you jump through
You were made to fill a purpose that only you could do
So there could never be a more beautiful you

Little girl twenty-one the things that you've already done
Anything to get ahead
And you say you've got a man but he's got another plan
Only wants what you will do instead

Well little girl twenty-one you never thought that this would come
You starve yourself to play the part
But I can promise you there's a man whose love is true
And he'll treat you like the jewel you are

So turn around you're not too far to back away be who you are
To change your path go another way it's not too late you can be saved
If you feel depressed with past regrets the shameful nights hope to forget
Can disappear they can all be washed away by the one who's strong can right your wrongs
Can rid your fears dry all your tears and change the way you look at this big world
He will take your dark distorted view and with His light He will show you truth
And again you'll see through the eyes of a little girl.

All the single ladies

Last night Kerrie, my Bible study leader, asked me about my relationship status.  And that got me thinking... what would happen if single ladies actually saw themselves the way God saw them?  Really, that question is for everyone - men and women, married and single alike.  But as I am a single lady, I am directing this post specifically towards those beautiful sisters in Christ in my same situation.  Psalm 45:11 says that "the King is enthralled by your beauty."  And yet our society is plagued by chronic low self-esteem, as evidenced in abundance by the frighteningly high depression, anorexia, bulimia, and suicide rates.  The Bible calls us to "rest in the shadow of His wings" (Psalm 91:1), and assures us that we will be completely taken care of in Psalm 23, yet the anxiety and high blood pressure rates are astonishingly high.  Where have God's warriors gone?  We are called to fight just as hard as anyone else in this spiritual battle that we are in the midst of.  And yet so often, we have let ourselves become neutralized and removed from the fight.

So often this happens because of bad relationships.  We have a bad experience with a guy, our self-esteem plummets, and we convince ourselves that we are no longer good for anything.  The same can happen from a lack of relationship.  We go years without a romantic relationship, and somehow we let Satan get it into our head that there is something shameful about that.  When I was in high school, I yearned for a relationship to fill the void in my life.  I see now that that void was a void that only God could fill, but in high school I rashly entered a relationship anyway, thinking it would fulfill me.  The prayer of my heart back then was, "God, send me 'the One.'"  Don't get me wrong, 4 years on the flip side I would still like to be married.  But my prayer has changed from "send me the One" to "MAKE me the One."  We cannot love someone else unless we know the Author of love.  We cannot use the armor of God unless He has taught us how to use it.  And we cannot be effective - in life, love, or anything in between - unless God is on our side.

If you are single and happy, and don't want to change, good for you!  But if you are single and yearning for a meaningful relationship, don't be idle in the meantime!  Seek God with all your heart, let Him mold you into the wife you were meant to be.  The responsibility of seeking God does not just fall on men - how can we be their helpmeet if we don't also know how to call on and seek the Lord?  Wait on the Lord, and your strength will be renewed (Isaiah 40:31).  Not only that, but when we wait on Him, He will act on our behalf (Isaiah 64:4)!  How awesome is that!

I don't know about you, but I find it incredibly comforting that I do not have the burden of finding someone with whom I will spend the rest of my life with.  I simply have to wait on the Lord and prepare myself while I'm waiting...and when I'm ready, God will send him to me...and I'll be able to give him my whole heart, knowing that I waited on God's good timing.  But in the meantime, dear sisters, don't neutralize your impact on the people around you!  Don't convince yourself that you just have to sit on the sidelines, waiting for your life to start when you finally get married (or engaged, or have a boyfriend, or whatever the "ideal" thing for you is).  Your life is now!  Take advantage of it!  God has great things planned for you now....and He's dying to romance you!  Let Him do it - fall in love with the Author of love.  How awesome is the Lord our God!!! :)