you are beautiful

Beauty, in my mind, is the very essence of God displayed in creation. It is so impossible for me to look at the mountains, sunset, and human life without seeing God in it. I am captivated by the beauty of the Lord.

Mary (mother of Jesus) has been on my mind today. Luke 1:26-38 (Message Bible) tells of how Mary came to know she was pregnant with Jesus.

In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin's name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her: Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out! God be with you. She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, "Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus. He will be great, be called 'Son of the Highest.' The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; He will rule Jacob's house forever— no end, ever, to his kingdom." Mary said to the angel, "But how? I've never slept with a man." The angel answered, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Highest hover over you; Therefore, the child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God. "And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God." And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I'm the Lord's maid, ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. Then the angel left her.

I am amazed by verse 30 in which the angel of the Lord, Gabriel said to Mary, "Good morning! You're beautiful with God's beauty, Beautiful inside and out!" What a way to wake up in the morning. First you have an angel of God in your room. Then, the angel tells you of your amazing beauty before telling you that you'll be impregnated by the Holy Spirit with the Son of God! I imagine Mary was a little overwhelmed by all this. I would be. I want to focus on Mary's awakening because it is a good example of what God really thinks of us, and how he takes us through our struggles.

For Mary and in my opinion most women, feeling beautiful is a struggle. Now, guys please understand that this is not me saying that all women feel ugly all the time. I just want to emphasize the importance of women knowing they are beautiful because God says they are. I can't even count the number of times I have felt insignificant, felt like someone else is prettier than me, wondered if I could turn heads when I walk into a room, or thought that I am not going to be pursued. I also can't count the number of times I have heard other girls say the same things. I love how Mary treated this situation. Her first response was, "why me?" She couldn't understand why God would choose her. God chose Mary because she was "beautiful inside and out". She accepted this challenge of carrying Jesus because she believed that God would take care of her. He called her favored and blessed.

This is how we should react in our struggles (easier said than done). We may not get to choose our circumstances, but God knows our hearts and he will follow through with all he has promised. He has called us beautiful and has surrounded us with his beautiful creation. He is beauty. He will reveal his beauty in us so that we may glorify him.

You are beautiful!