I have enough "fashion photo posts" backed up and ready for use to last me from now until summer, but let's take a time-out from photos for one post, and talk about inner beauty.
There are many spices and flavors in the cheerful pot of whatever it is that bubbles up and gives an inner glow. Many different characteristics combine to create true beauty. Happiness. Sweetness. Unselfishness. Knowing how to laugh at one's self. Energy. Knowledge as opposed to ignorance. Patience. Contentment. Can you list others?
Inner beauty is hard to dissect and analyze, but one thing I know; the fire which heats the pot that holds all these things, and causes their aroma to rise, is none other than the Holy Spirit. Everything is useless without Him. I've seen many beautiful unsaved girls, and several sweet, gentle, unsaved girls, but the sweetness is flat without the fire of the Holy Spirit giving warmth to a heart.
It is a wonderful thing that Christ should promise His presence to His children, living inside them and comforting them and guiding them. Nothing is so sweet as to know He is within us, with us at all times. If we really begin to understand that He is there, in control, and always right, it will change the very way we carry ourselves.
I think that comfort and trust is the key to creating beauty, because a truly beautiful woman is, above all, relaxed. She isn't frazzled, worried, stressed, hyper, or frantic. She isn't biting her nails, creating worry lines, or losing her beauty sleep.
I've had plenty of times to remind myself of that. One of my greatest faults is to "be anxious for everything," instead of letting the peace of God keep my heart and mind. It all boils down to "do I really trust Him to take care of things?" If the answer is yes - and is really, truly IS - then why do I think I must worry so?
Take some time today to think about how you appear to the world around you in this respect. Does your family see you as frazzled and frantic? Or do they see a calm radiance from within? The way you react to stresses in life says a lot about what you think of God. And it affects your looks at the same time.
It's almost bedtime for me. I'm going to try to wake up tomorrow rejoicing in the fact that God's got everything under control. I'm going to let my face relax, my lips smile, my eyes sparkle, and let God be God.
How about you?
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thoughts. Show all posts
Monday, March 12, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Signature Piece.
Is there a certain clothing item that all your friends and family associate with you - something you have on 5 days out of 7? Do you love red shoes? Headbands? Stone jewelry? Denim skirts? Flip flops?
Sometimes we try to "brand ourselves", but most of the time it happens on its own. We love a certain look, or certain item, and find ourselves constantly pulling it out of the closet or off the sales rack. It's only when someone else comments on it that we realize - "Hey, yeah, that's me!"
A word on "signature pieces": Is there an item that you know has become "you," but you really don't like? Do you wear headbands - even though they don't flatter your face shape (nothing against headbands) - simply because they are easy to toss in, and you feel like you can't do better? That's terrible! The Bible says if a woman has long hair it is a glory to her; I think that's a hint that God wants us to take care of our hair and make it pretty. If you don't feel like what you're doing with your hair - or clothing - is pretty and compatible with who you are as a person, do some experimenting! It may not be as hard to learn the french braid as you think. Clothes - especially signature pieces - mark our personality. They should complement it, not clash with it.
There are some things I know are me: scarves are, for instance. I love them because I love love love color; and scarves come in a myriad of colors and prints.
Other things I choose for comfort's sake: ballet flats.
I didn't realize how much these had become a part of "me" until I was making gingerbread men with a friend this Christmas, and we jokingly began to decorate the little figures to look like people we knew. I did one of her; she did one of me. And she specifically pointed out that she had put me "in my little ballet flats."
Looking back, I find that extremely funny. I do love my flats! I used to wear tennis shoes with everything - comfortable, but not extremely feminine-looking, right? Then I wore little heeled boots with everything. More appropriate for the skirts and dresses I wear most of the time, but when I wore them in the summer it looked a little like I stepped out of "Little House on the Prairie".
I didn't like flats because I thought they made my feet look big. But my older sister made them look beautiful, so I gave them a try. Then I saw multiple pictures of Audrey Hepburn wearing them, and everybody says she's a style icon.
Now I wear them almost daily in the fall and winter, unless I choose boots for warmth or style. They're great in the spring and summer too! And I love them!
Sometimes we try to "brand ourselves", but most of the time it happens on its own. We love a certain look, or certain item, and find ourselves constantly pulling it out of the closet or off the sales rack. It's only when someone else comments on it that we realize - "Hey, yeah, that's me!"
A word on "signature pieces": Is there an item that you know has become "you," but you really don't like? Do you wear headbands - even though they don't flatter your face shape (nothing against headbands) - simply because they are easy to toss in, and you feel like you can't do better? That's terrible! The Bible says if a woman has long hair it is a glory to her; I think that's a hint that God wants us to take care of our hair and make it pretty. If you don't feel like what you're doing with your hair - or clothing - is pretty and compatible with who you are as a person, do some experimenting! It may not be as hard to learn the french braid as you think. Clothes - especially signature pieces - mark our personality. They should complement it, not clash with it.
There are some things I know are me: scarves are, for instance. I love them because I love love love color; and scarves come in a myriad of colors and prints.
Other things I choose for comfort's sake: ballet flats.
I didn't realize how much these had become a part of "me" until I was making gingerbread men with a friend this Christmas, and we jokingly began to decorate the little figures to look like people we knew. I did one of her; she did one of me. And she specifically pointed out that she had put me "in my little ballet flats."
Looking back, I find that extremely funny. I do love my flats! I used to wear tennis shoes with everything - comfortable, but not extremely feminine-looking, right? Then I wore little heeled boots with everything. More appropriate for the skirts and dresses I wear most of the time, but when I wore them in the summer it looked a little like I stepped out of "Little House on the Prairie".
I didn't like flats because I thought they made my feet look big. But my older sister made them look beautiful, so I gave them a try. Then I saw multiple pictures of Audrey Hepburn wearing them, and everybody says she's a style icon.
Now I wear them almost daily in the fall and winter, unless I choose boots for warmth or style. They're great in the spring and summer too! And I love them!
Cropped Jean Jacket - You've seen this item before. Again, it's one of those things that fits my torso, but not my long arms. So I always wear the sleeves rolled up! It adds a nice layer of warmth, and the deep jean up near my face suits my skin type, which looks washed out if I dress in all light colors. Hand-me-up from a younger sister.
T-Shirt - Guess why I grabbed this shirt off the Good Will rack? That's right - COLOR! I love orange. I wore this shirt all last summer. Lately, though, I've been feeling that perhaps it's a little transparent (or maybe it's been washed too many times!) so it may not see much use this summer. To make myself feel better about that, I decided to use the shirt for layering. As you can see, it adds a happy touch.
Brown Skirt - Hand-me-down from a friend. Free! :) :) I wear this thing constantly. Brown goes with almost everything in my wardrobe.
Aaaaand yes, my brown leggings and flats! I actually like leggings and flats together. They make me feel like Audrey Hepburn or something. I don't know. :)
I'm wearing my hair loose and curly - a rare moment. :) :)
T-Shirt - Guess why I grabbed this shirt off the Good Will rack? That's right - COLOR! I love orange. I wore this shirt all last summer. Lately, though, I've been feeling that perhaps it's a little transparent (or maybe it's been washed too many times!) so it may not see much use this summer. To make myself feel better about that, I decided to use the shirt for layering. As you can see, it adds a happy touch.
Brown Skirt - Hand-me-down from a friend. Free! :) :) I wear this thing constantly. Brown goes with almost everything in my wardrobe.
Aaaaand yes, my brown leggings and flats! I actually like leggings and flats together. They make me feel like Audrey Hepburn or something. I don't know. :)
I'm wearing my hair loose and curly - a rare moment. :) :)
This is a really simple, basic outfit, ya know? I could do anything in it - run errands for Mom, play a board game on the floor with my siblings, do laundry, spend hours in the kitchen, sit and write or sew....It's comfortable, but I feel put-together. That's great. Because it means I can forget about my outfit and concentrate on what's really important.
But back to signature pieces. Do you have any?
But back to signature pieces. Do you have any?
Monday, February 27, 2012
Hand-me-downs, or Fill-me-ups?
This past week some friends gave my family a bag of clothes they were no longer using.
I don't know how you feel about hand-me-downs, but I've lived on them since I was too young to know what I was wearing. Of course, being second-oldest in a large-ish family, I've been on the giving end of that program, too.
I love hand-me-downs. I'm cheap, and the fun of getting new clothes without going shopping used to turn me giddy. I would paw through stacks of "to go" clothing, and pick out anything and everything that caught my fancy. When faced with abundance, my greed got the best of me. Of course, my closet was always bursting with items that didn't fit quite right, or that I hardly ever wore.
I still face that temptation. Whether hand-me-downs, or Goodwill, or sales at WalMart, when clothes (or accessories!) are cheap, I want to over-indulge. I have to remind myself that cost is not the only reason for limiting a wardrobe.
I first began to really get this idea when reading a book written by a pastor from India. He talked about his first visit in America, and the culture shock he experienced. He said that the food consumed in one typical after-church fellowship in America would feed his home village in India for a week. I was slapped awake, and wondered what a girl in India would think of my overflowing closet. Did I really need all those clothes? Did I wear half of them?
More importantly, what did God think of all those clothes? Did He give me His money to splurge on making my appearance more versatile, or did He make me a steward so I could use His money for His purposes? I knew the answer. I became convicted by the verses in the Bible that talk about a woman attiring herself simply. Not ugly. Not frumpy. Not roughly. But simply. As in; you-don't-need-ten-thousand-shirts-and-100-bottoms-and-50-cardigans-and-whatever-else-is-on-that-crammed-rack-in-your-closet.
In my town, a shirt at GoodWill costs $3.50. Two makes $7.00. Six is $21.00. I sponsor a little boy in another country. His total cost of living for a month is $26.00. How many children could I have helped to hear the gospel and be fed, if I hadn't bought that stuff that I really didn't need?
Now, please understand; I'm not advocating that we all empty our closets, select three items to put back, and live on them (or in them, rather) until they are threadbare and unwearable. I like clothes. And I believe they can be a form of artistic expression, and I know God made us able to express ourselves and imitate His creative beauty for a reason.
We shouldn't feel guilty that He has blessed us with the ability to be adequately clothed. A starved, half-naked child in Africa doesn't represent God's will for the world. That's not a picture of what we're supposed to be; suffering, misery, and nakedness. God loves to give His children good gifts. But my point is, we are supposed to be sharing, not hording. And sometimes we forget that. Sometimes I forget it.
Just for the record, I still love hand-me-downs. And I love the people who give them so generously - whether it's a sister or a friend outside the family.
I was going to talk about pride in this post. I was going to say how sometimes when you wear hand-me-downs you are careful where you wear them, or you try to avoid wearing them in front of the person who gave them to you. Sometimes it feels awkward to be seen wearing something that someone else was throwing out. And I was going to say we ought to understand the spirit of the person who gave them to us, and allow them to get a blessing by being a giver. And just accept good gifts from God, and enjoy them!
But you know what? Blogging always seems to be a way that God speaks to my heart. As my fingers dance on the keyboard, they are moving to a rhythm all their own, and I am often surprised to see what comes out of my heart as they type. I think I needed to hear this today. I needed to be reminded that I am not my own. I am bought with a price. And I ought to glorify God in my body.
Hope you got something out of it, too.
I don't know how you feel about hand-me-downs, but I've lived on them since I was too young to know what I was wearing. Of course, being second-oldest in a large-ish family, I've been on the giving end of that program, too.
I love hand-me-downs. I'm cheap, and the fun of getting new clothes without going shopping used to turn me giddy. I would paw through stacks of "to go" clothing, and pick out anything and everything that caught my fancy. When faced with abundance, my greed got the best of me. Of course, my closet was always bursting with items that didn't fit quite right, or that I hardly ever wore.
I still face that temptation. Whether hand-me-downs, or Goodwill, or sales at WalMart, when clothes (or accessories!) are cheap, I want to over-indulge. I have to remind myself that cost is not the only reason for limiting a wardrobe.
I first began to really get this idea when reading a book written by a pastor from India. He talked about his first visit in America, and the culture shock he experienced. He said that the food consumed in one typical after-church fellowship in America would feed his home village in India for a week. I was slapped awake, and wondered what a girl in India would think of my overflowing closet. Did I really need all those clothes? Did I wear half of them?
More importantly, what did God think of all those clothes? Did He give me His money to splurge on making my appearance more versatile, or did He make me a steward so I could use His money for His purposes? I knew the answer. I became convicted by the verses in the Bible that talk about a woman attiring herself simply. Not ugly. Not frumpy. Not roughly. But simply. As in; you-don't-need-ten-thousand-shirts-and-100-bottoms-and-50-cardigans-and-whatever-else-is-on-that-crammed-rack-in-your-closet.
In my town, a shirt at GoodWill costs $3.50. Two makes $7.00. Six is $21.00. I sponsor a little boy in another country. His total cost of living for a month is $26.00. How many children could I have helped to hear the gospel and be fed, if I hadn't bought that stuff that I really didn't need?
Now, please understand; I'm not advocating that we all empty our closets, select three items to put back, and live on them (or in them, rather) until they are threadbare and unwearable. I like clothes. And I believe they can be a form of artistic expression, and I know God made us able to express ourselves and imitate His creative beauty for a reason.
We shouldn't feel guilty that He has blessed us with the ability to be adequately clothed. A starved, half-naked child in Africa doesn't represent God's will for the world. That's not a picture of what we're supposed to be; suffering, misery, and nakedness. God loves to give His children good gifts. But my point is, we are supposed to be sharing, not hording. And sometimes we forget that. Sometimes I forget it.
Just for the record, I still love hand-me-downs. And I love the people who give them so generously - whether it's a sister or a friend outside the family.
I was going to talk about pride in this post. I was going to say how sometimes when you wear hand-me-downs you are careful where you wear them, or you try to avoid wearing them in front of the person who gave them to you. Sometimes it feels awkward to be seen wearing something that someone else was throwing out. And I was going to say we ought to understand the spirit of the person who gave them to us, and allow them to get a blessing by being a giver. And just accept good gifts from God, and enjoy them!
But you know what? Blogging always seems to be a way that God speaks to my heart. As my fingers dance on the keyboard, they are moving to a rhythm all their own, and I am often surprised to see what comes out of my heart as they type. I think I needed to hear this today. I needed to be reminded that I am not my own. I am bought with a price. And I ought to glorify God in my body.
Hope you got something out of it, too.
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