Do You See What I See?

For this, my first blog, I want to write about something that's been on my mind for a few days.  It's something I've always felt rather strongly about, but recently I've been thinking about it a lot.  If you are a male, ask yourself what you see in a woman...not a specific woman, but women in general.  If you are a female, ask yourself what you see when you look in a mirror.  Also, ask yourself what immediately comes to mind or what you picture when you hear the word 'beauty'.



[DISCLAIMER: I am very much a male, and by no means do I claim to fully understand women in all their amazing complexity.  If I say something that you believe is inappropriate or untrue, please do not hesitate to let me know.  Remember that I want to encourage thought and encourage people, so if you believe something I saw does that opposite of that I really do want to know so that I can fix it.]


Beauty is an amazing thing.  It is something God gave elusively to human beings to seek and cherish.  It is true that some animals have natural instincts to groom themselves, but mankind has a much deeper appreciation for it, because that "divine spark" inside all of us from our Creator gives us a longing to be truly beautiful, not just in physical appearance but in our personalities and our souls.  Beauty, to me, is something of a bridge that connects the created, physical world and the spiritual world.  A picturesque sunset, a part of created nature, shows off God's handiwork and appreciation for beauty.  A woman's face, a physical part of her, reflects and bears the essence of God in His infinite beauty.


Just as men represent God in His strength and desire to protect, women represent His beauty and natural grace.  Throughout history, feminine beauty, inside and out, has been one of he greatest sources of inspiration for art, thought, literature, and much more.  There is a kind of magic that is unique in the face of a woman that is found nowhere else.  However, Satan knows this and uses that knowledge to destroy us.  Therefore it makes sense that Satan, just as he attacks men in the core of who they are in God, their strength, attacks women for their beauty.


I have never seen a girl or woman in whom I saw no beauty whatsoever.  Even the girl who has always been told that she is 'ugly' has beauty.  That magic I spoke of earlier still resides in her and can be seen if only we have eyes to see.  The problem is that Satan will do whatever he can to blind our eyes to see things as they are; he tries to shape our sight until we cannot see past blemishes, wrinkles, or deformities.  As we grow closer to Christ, we begin to see the way He does, and we see more and more magic around us than we ever knew existed.


There are also lots of girls who may not see themselves as ugly, but still do not think that they are beautiful enough; and so they think that they have to show more of their body in order to finally be beautiful.  A low-cut dress or short skirt are musts if they want to be at all pretty...they simply cannot rely on just their face and eyes (the window to the soul...the true source of beauty in a person) to be beautiful.  This is one of the most tragic lies Satan has concocted to rob us of that divine magic.  It undermines who we are in two ways.  First, attention is drawn away from the eyes (and, as said before, the real magic and beauty of a person), and second, it dissolves and ultimately destroys the wonderful mystery and magic that should be valued above all else in femininity.  I believe that taking feminine beauty as well as sex in general, and casualizing, making it an everyday thing with nothing very special about it, is why the world today simply is not the magical and mysterious place it once was and should still be.


I see more magic in the eyes of a girl than anything else in creation.  I see the girl who hates the way she looks, and I wish I could just give her a glimpse of what I see: a beautiful part of creation.  I see God Himself trying to shine out and show off his love and beauty through her!  So if you are a male, I challenge you to rise up to the challenge of what Christ calls you to do, and protect the beauties around you; don't let that girl you sit next to go one more day thinking she isn't good enough.  Women, I challenge you to fight back the Devil with truth when he attacks, and seek to validate your beauty not from how many guys you can get around you, but from it's source: God! Once you've done that, He will take care of the rest.  


Oh, and just in case you didn't know or weren't sure...you are beautiful!