" Beauty is not about manipulating or gaining control but true beauty from the inside out is about awakening my captivating soul to love God with all my heart."
"There really is no reason for us to hide from being captivating, but instead we should truly seek God to awaken the captivating beauty he sees within us, that we may not be able to see at the moment."
Captivating beauty can seem daunting and intangible but it is not true. It is truly given to us from God in how he created us.
I wrote the two previous statements from a blog post that was written a couple of years ago now from the post "Captivating Or Not".
Yet being seen and knowing Jesus finds us captivating is something we can grasp.
It is also something we can see God unfold in us. Captivating beauty is a process, believe me, it is not easy to learn at first especially for me and all the insecurities that I have struggled with in the past.
God created us with captivating beauty in his image that we should not be afraid, or ashamed of. God created us as an answer, as a helpmate for the opposite sex, and as an example of his love.
God did not create us as an inferior human being or as seductive women. He created us in love, to be loved, and to give love. He created us as captivating women to be brave and to display his steadfast love.
Once we realize our identities in Christ and how He created us with a captivating beauty we do not have to be afraid to embrace that beauty.
Security in Jesus means we are free to recognize captivating beauty that is waiting to break free from the previous shame or sin that was preventing it from being seen.
In the book of Proverbs and specifically at the end of the book it talks about the wise woman who fears the Lord and briefly talks about beauty. "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."(Proverbs 31:30ESV).
Thus, I do not want to be seen as a charming deceitful, or vain woman who does not fear the Lord.
I want to leave a legacy that fears the Lord and points other women to know God.
And for them to know they are found captivating by Jesus alone who satisfies our thirsty souls.
Have you ever heard of people or Christens talk about having life verses? Well, back when I was graduating high school. The homeschool group that I was apart of, was asking all of the graduates who were participating in the graduation what their life verse was for the slide show during the ceremony.
Anyway, I am going to share mine with you because it is beautiful and one I love. "One thing I have asked of the LORD that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple."(Psalm 27:4ESV).
This is such an astounding verse that is so comforting to me. The reason it is so comforting is. I love seeking after Jesus he is my savior and the only one who sees my heart to the deepest parts that no one else can see or even fathom.
Jesus sees beyond the surface the captivating beauty that is hidden within our souls. Jesus sees this kind of beauty within you too.
The beauty of the Lord is something we cannot take in all at once, but something we continually seek him to see. I do not think we could handle all of his beauty at once we would probably be overwhelmed by it.
Captivating beauty is not selfish or vain, but beauty from within that God has already given us. We already obtain the captivating beauty we just have to be open to allow God to unfold it from within us.
So you are probably wondering how we obtain this captivating beauty and how do we let God unfold it from within us? Well, for starters we need to spend time with Jesus and get to know him better. Once we know Jesus more, the more we know about ourselves because we are made in his image.
Jesus reveals the captivating beauty in us when we also let go of false lies, false fulfillments that are not satisfying. We won't realize these things unless we spend time with Jesus.
Jennie Allen explains what spending time with Jesus does for our souls. "Time with Jesus actually helps our wild souls be still and remember the incredible story we are part of. Time with Jesus causes us to feel secure in our identities. By listening to His voice, we recognize the lies that promise fulfillment elsewhere."(Allen, 2017 pg.93).
Being still and listening to God speak is a choice we have to make to sit down and take in His Holy presence. It is a choice we have to make to either believe the truth he is speaking over us about how he created us in his image and how captivating he finds us to be.
So remember;
you are loved,
you are seen,
you are created in Jesus with a captivating beauty!
And you are not alone but safe in Jesus.
References
English Standard Version Study Bible (2008) Crossway Publishing, Wheaton ILL,
Allen, Jennie (2017) Nothing To Prove, Why We Can Stop Trying So Hard, WaterBook Publishing, New York, New York