I think He is beautiful. Perhaps no more so than when he hung - beaten, bloody, suffering - on the cross. When I hear myself say that, my rational mind says eww, but my heart says "yes."
Pondering this, 2 Corinthians 1:4-5 comes to mind:
"[God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When others are troubled, we will be able to give the the same comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ."
And I think of what Elisabeth Kubler-Ross once said:
"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
Beautiful people are created by the trials they live through, the way they live through them, and how they use those experiences to love and comfort others. Our trails can either harden us or purify us.
In It's No Secret I wrote: "So it is with our trails. They're intense, and often last longer than we think we can endure. It hurts when God uses His shaping and buffing tools on our lives via our trials. Yet we can emerge stronger, more beautiful, more Christ-reflecting and more valuable to God and others as a result."
So that's what I'm thinking about beauty today.
A beautiful post, Rachel. Our lives reflect who we are and what we believe in and I pray my life reflects Him, for it is because of Him that I'm still here. My desire is that my personal blog and my Christmas blog reflects Jesus and what He has done for them. We are doing a caroling blog hop right now starting with Peggy at aMazing Grace, etc. You can see it also at my Christmas Blog at christmasfromtheheartae.blogspot.com. A lot of the Christmas songs and other songs I have used are at my Youtube Channel. There's a place on my personal blog that will take you there.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and have a very blessed Merry Christmas. You know you are the reason I started blogging in 2008 when you did the study on Women of the Bible.
Thank you for the beauty of your posts. I'm "home" for Christmas and I needed your devotional today to give me strength in my current struggle. Friends and family are not understanding why I'm staying where I am, in my life. I have a hard enough time understanding, that where I am is where God wants me to be, right now. I'm not very patient. Please keep me in your prayers for strength and understanding. Thank you.
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