Tuesday, October 18, 2011

mirror, mirror, on the wall..{on beauty}


"I wish I were pretty," sighed she to herself,
And the mirror that hung on the wall.
"Oh, how I would look if my face changed its shape,
And my nose ceased appearing so small!"

~from A Girl and her Mirror, by Lucia M.

Mirrors are such wicked things. I believe if mirrors had never been invented, we would have a happier world. At least, happier females.

And a happier me.

..then again, without that quick look in the bathroom mirror, you wouldn't have found the piece of spinach between your teeth just before you went onstage to recite your speech last week, and things would have been just as unhappy. :]

Generally, though, mirrors are wicked things. They are brutally honest, and yet they are slyly deceiving. Have you ever had a day when you look in the mirror, and everything looks fine for once? Your hair is in place, your eyes are bright, your skin is clear..

..And then you get a picture taken of you later on in the day, and you discover you don't look as passable as you thought. To the World, this is not acceptable.

The World thinks so much of appearance. "Get that plastic surgery--you must have perfect skin! You must wear make-up--what?! You went out without mascara on?! I don't care if you starve yourself--you must wear a size zero! You must photoshop your pictures so at least you look like you are perfect."

..And what is really wrong with wanting to look beautiful?

Nothing.

God created His children--women, especially--perfectly, and though Sin has caused blemishes and imperfections, the beauty of His Image is still visible in every face. It would really be disrespecting and hurting God's work in us to fail to take care of ourselves and not care how we look (as in not showering, guarding our health, eating right, combing our hair, etc.). But, vanity is dangerous, and it can appear in more ways than one.


From ages twelve to fourteen, I was in this stage where I was extremely worried about my looks. Every time I passed a mirror or a window or even a puddle, I would glance in to examine myself. Now, normally this would be considered very vain, and I'm sure I looked it--but I wasn't looking in the mirror constantly to see how pretty I looked. I thought I wasn't pretty. I was constantly checking myself to see if maybe, just maybe, today I looked just a little bit pretty.


Needless to say, it was a type of vanity. I was so concerned with my looks, even if I wasn't admiring myself, that I found myself running to the bathroom at random times during the day just to check myself. And the day when I was satisfied with my looks never came.


..And it still hasn't come, in the sense that I love the way I look and regard myself as beautiful all of the time. I don't know what happened, but one day I just sort of "grew up," and realized that I was being utterly ridiculous. And I was not honoring my Lord with my actions. I knew about 'inner beauty,' and I wanted that for myself, but it wasn't until I wanted inner beauty more than outward beauty that I had a change of attitude. And 'inner beauty' is..?

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.   
(1 Peter 3:3-4)     

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.    
(Proverbs 31: 30)    


..Something else that helped me to discover the truth about real beauty:


 Elizabeth Taylor is thought to have been one of the world's "most beautiful women." She certainly was very gorgeous during her youth. And she set quite a store in her outward attractiveness. But then...


..not quite the same, is she?

"Marvelous? Look at me. I'm falling apart." She was once overheard telling a woman who complimented her on still looking "marvelous."

And someday, I too will be old; I will look the same as the most beautiful woman in the world eventually will, too. And everything will be different about me except for..

my heart.

23 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting this! This is something we all need a little reminder about once in a while. :)

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  2. I just did a brief post on my tumblr about this subject!!! (triniatc.tumblr.com)

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  3. I believe it's not so much the mirror but our reaction and obsession over what the mirror has to say. Funny enough, some of people I think are the most beautiful know it. I don't mean 'know it' in a vain way, but in an exceptance and knowledge that God made them beautiful to Him.

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  4. ::claps hands:: Good post, sweetie!

    and I have noticed too, that even if a woman isn't drop-dead gorgeous, but loves the LORD...she suddenly appears more beautiful than the world's most famous supermodel!!

    Mirrors can be hateful things, sometimes. :P I know of a girl who was so upset that she looked in the mirror so often, that she is going on a 'mirror fast'...and vowing not to look at herself in a mirror for 1 year. WOW! That's commitment!

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  5. Awe, this is so good, just like all your posts. God made us as His masterpieces, and He thinks we're BEAUTIFUL. Actually, girls just naturally are, because He made us that way! (: Too bad we often don't think of ourselves as God's beloved creation.

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  6. Love your thoughts!! Challenging, deep, yet so true - you have an awesome way of writing and I love the way you get your points across!! :)

    <3's

    Rachel

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  7. This gave me chills, Lucia...serious truth right here. And, you do have a beautiful heart, my dear.

    In the defense of Liz Taylor, this is a quote I once read from her: “My mother wisely made very sure when I was young that I wouldn’t get big-headed about my looks. She said, 'You have nice eyes, but they’re only nice as long as the expression in back of them is nice. And that depends solely on what you are as a person inside. You are not beautiful, but you can be attractive when you’re nice inside.'" Soo..maybe don't pass judgement on others' priorities, as we are all human.

    But thank goodness, that even though we are but broken humans, God finds us beautiful.

    ♥♥♥

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  8. This post really made me stop and think.

    Thanks for the posts like these, Lucia! I can tell they come from your heart and they are so helpful to read.

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  9. Great post, Lucia! I really enjoyed reading it! :)

    Many Blessings,
    Jenna

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  10. 100% Right-on Lucia!
    It really doesn't matter what we look like on the out-side...it's what's on the INSIDE that counts!!! :D
    "marvelous" post! lol

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  11. YOU? Complaining about mirrors? Pu-leaze. ;) <3

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  12. Great post, Lucia! Thanks for the encouragement! We all need to be reminded that our beauty isn't on the outside.

    I was wondering if you would do a guest post on my blog? Some subject reltaing to girls, modesty, purity, inner beauty, you can choose! :) Email me if your interested- Atkersonfamily(at)aol(dot)com
    Natasha
    A Modest Fashion Blog:
    www.natashaatkerson.blogspot.com

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  13. Thank you for writing this, so encouraging. ♥

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  14. I love your blog so much because every post you write seems to make my think of God. And this one? It's amazing! :)

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  15. Thank you for writing this, so encouraging. ♥

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  16. This is so very encouraging to me, especially after what I told you on the telephone this evening about my troubles with vanity ;) Obsessing over looks really has no true, lasting value, whilst godliness and righteousness, so that we might be a light, is real beauty. Love you so much!

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  17. wow, that's so encouraging, lucia!
    good job : )

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  18. i know you don't feel bitterly
    about yourself any more,
    but just in case any of those
    old emotions try to bubble up,
    i thought i should make known: you have a glittering smile and everything else about you is feminine and divinely beautiful.

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  19. Hi Lucia Marie!

    Found your blog through Bri and it is totally awesome. I completely love it and want to follow it but my Google Account is playing up so won't let me. Big Fat Sigh!

    My Blog: www.myballetpointeofview.blogspot.com.

    Before I leave you, let me quickly introduce myself. OK, so I'm 14 years old and live in a city by the coast in Australia. I love cooking/baking, danicng, music and am Christian.

    Izi :)

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  20. WOW!!! That is so true! as always you hit right on the nail. Great post!!

    Blessings.

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  21. good... really good post... confirms what I've been thinking for a while... Thanks so much!

    I have been reading your blog off and on for a while... Its nice! Not just nice... I LUV it! I keep comin back!

    <3 Hannah

    Smile... because God is in control!

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  22. Great thoughts here! Thanks for sharing! And I agree! For sure!

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  23. Oh my goodness, Lucia. I really needed to read this today. Thank you for posting this. I used to think that I was the only one that would try to look at my reflection all of the time. But not because I thought I was pretty. I was looking thinking that maybe I'll see a beautiful girl this time.
    I feel like I just read my own thoughts.
    Thank you.

    ---->> Kate

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Aw! Thanks so much for leaving a comment! They make me smile. :)

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