What Makes You Beautiful

I'm sexy and I know it.... Uh huh uh huh...

Oh my gosh that is probably the stupidest song ever written. Look, shhh, shush, no stop it just, NO, SHHHHH stop right there!! I KNOW it's catchy! I KNOW everyone knows that song! But in case you didn't notice it's a bit dated. Yes I know, it was made like, what, a few months ago? SO last summer.

Anyway I want to talk about what it is that makes girls beautiful. I was hoping a quick search on Google would give me some appropriate pictures for the topic, but no, it doesn't. Let me show you just a few that I found:

Some artsy shots

Some slightly odd ones

Some digital
birdies (this image showed up
about a thousand times)

And this thing creeped up.

Some "inspirational" posters.
Um, yeah, that is true but um, you ARE wearing makeup....
AWKWARD.

(I hate this)

Hohum....

*sigh*

So.

Ok.

Here's the problem, everyone thinks that the definition of "true" beauty is linked with our physical appearances. I know, every girl wants to be told they are beautiful. That means, of course, is as follows: *cuing typical teenage daydream sequence*

There she was, sitting on the hard tile floor, with head tilted downward on her knees. She was crying, her tears and mascara running down her cheeks like waterfalls. These very thoughts were flooding her mind: "I feel so ugly.... No one will ever love me...." Just then, she feels a tap on her shoulder. 

"Hey, (Insert your name here), what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Startled, she glances up quickly at who it was. It was Jake (hey, I had to use a typical heartthrob fictional name, this one, I thought was perfectly appropriate), only the hottest boy in school. His deep (insert your favorite color of eyes) eyes were staring into hers. She quickly turned away. 

"How embarrassing, I am such a mess! I'm ok, really..." 

Taking her hand, he said gently, "No you're not. Tell me what's wrong, I'm listening." 

Her heart was pounding right out of her chest, her cheeks felt very hot, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. 

"I just, I just feel like no one cares about me. Oh Jake, I've never felt so ugly in all my life, but when you hold my hand, I feel so, so, wonderful. I can't explain it! Do you feel that way, too?" 

He turned her head gently to face his then, leaning in closer, he kissed her. Everything around her went blurry. It was totally crazy. Now, more than ever before, she felt truly beautiful.

*The end!!!*  TA DAAAAAAA!

Wasn't that so original and not-typical? I think I pretty much nailed it here, don't you agree? Would not all your innermost desires, needs, and wishes be satisfied if such a deep and indescribable love as described above were suddenly placed into your life by surprise?

Well, isn't THAT what would make you feel beautiful?

That is nothing but a bowl of cheez wiz left out to rot and collect dust. Hey, sorry, but it is (to all my preteen and teen girls reading this, welcome to reality). 

Fact is, every girl actually wants people to acknowledge who they are, and because so many females invest themselves into their own looks, that's when outward appearances become what it's all about. But what we chicks really want is for someone to know what we're worth. It doesn't even matter how "girly" or "down-dressed" the girl actually is, she wants to know SHE is beautiful.  

Here's the truth: ladies, you ARE beautiful because you were fearfully AND wonderfully made. But this isn't about your face or your body, no, it's about the very thing that makes us human, the deepest corner of our entire design; our souls. Let's flip the original question.

Original question: "Am I beautiful?"

Correct question: "Is my soul beautiful?"

These dudes actually know NOTHING about beautiful chicks. At least
I don't think.... please don't kill me....

Here's the truth: all souls were made to be beautiful. But all souls are tainted with original sin, meaning we are born with a sinful nature. Indeed, the soul is guaranteed to feel moments of intense pain, to gain experiences from the "real world", to learn many things it really shouldn't, and the that at least once it will injure other souls. Nevertheless, the soul is beautiful.

A perfect example of a beautiful soul is the one and only Esther; the ancient queen of Persia. This girl was drop-dead gorgeous, I mean, she had "a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at". Xerxes was probably all,

 But she would not have gone done in history, influenced generations, or even shown great bravery before the king if it weren't for her choice to follow God's instructions. That is what made her famous, not her curvy body or pretty face.

This fellow right here actually knows NOTHING about souls.
I mean, look at his face! He needs a hug or something. And some serious dental work.

If there's one thing that Soul Eater actually got right is that "all that matters is the soul." Think about it. Whatever happens in this world is temporary and what we do here and the choices we make will ultimately result in where we'll go when we die. Besides, you can't take your possessions, dreams, or even your body with you when you die. Those things stay on earth and eventually crumble, what does matter is that your soul ends up in "a good place", because that's all that's left of you when you bite the dust.

There is no legitimate reason to sin. Yes that guy is a big jerk and was awful to you, and yes, sometimes that one girl just really deserves to be banished to the Island of Perpetual Tickling, because sometimes life happens not-your-way. But you know what? Nothing that happens here will compare to the afterlife, no matter which of the two you will end up. Nothing. No evil done to you here will measure up to hellfire and no pleasure that you will feel here will measure up to the grace of Heaven. And each of us in gonna live here for like what, only 80 or so years? The afterlife is forever. 

Life itself is beautiful. I look at a human being who is living and think, "THAT is beautiful!" But just because someone is alive doesn't mean that they are living. God is the one healer, restorer, comforter, and lover any human will EVER need, thus He is worth living for. A life spent with the father is a life lived, and a beautiful soul created.

Stating the obvious here once again: Ladies, in the end, it really isn't about your makeup, clothing, or swag. Duh. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy makeup and being "fashionable", and when I'm going to a wedding or something formal it does sort of "matter" to look my best, because it is appropriate for the occasion. But if those things and the things I do are based off something not from God, then it is nothing but fool's gold. So do yourself a big favor and ask for rest in God. Allow me to leave you with some verses meant to describe a soulful woman's heart:

Proverbs 31:20-21 She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. 

Proverbs 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 

Song of Solomon 4:1 Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead
.

And (of course) a song relating to the above musings (copy and paste the URL):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwo-xezj7Ts

Thanks for making it through to the end!!!!

:D

ANIMALISTIC part 2: Why we love celebs

Why do we like celebs so much? Let's start small and work our way up. (CLAIRE I ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE)

First and most arguably the easiest identified reason is that celebs are entertaining. They make us laugh, cry, and they keep us engaged. They intrigue us, inspire us, and keep us wanting more of them. Simple

Celebrities are also unrealistically sexy. Good-looking. We think they're cute. Oddly enough we can be attracted to someone without ever meeting them or seeing them in person. We then can get to know them and understand their personality without them ever knowing who we are. We can fall for them as a person or fall for their performance, either way, once we figure out that we like them (or how in love with them we are) we'll daydream about them and think about them, because after all we do "know" them.

If only I could meet them, we'd be such good friends. 

Some of us pursue a celeb because of a crush we may have on them, others because they admire that particular person's work, some because, well, the bottom line is that celebs (or their works) are, simply put, appealing.













Celebs are always under the eyes of a critic. They can be publicly reported for anything. They are praised or brought-down by the world because they either excel or screw up. Either way, celebs are a hot topic for what they do.

Celebs have status. They are well-known, thus it is fun to know who they are along with everyone else. A celebrity's job is attract as many eyes toward them as possible. They've got to look good and do good to "be" good. The public's opinion matters to them. They are fun to talk about.

The way so-and-so portrayed that character? What an excellent performance. His new single is so fun to dance to. That guy is so talented, he's got a good voice. Her performance on America's got Talent just blew me away! How entertaining! 

But there is also a backwards method of gaining attention that is just as (if not more) effective than the latter. And that is being the bad guy. If you are bad enough, you'll be talked about enough. This could be the playboy with a million girls on him or the girl who's known for sleeping around. It is cool to be bad, to break boundaries, to be a rebel, to appeal to the crowd sexually. It sets a statement, and it brings forth the unfortunate general fact that girls like the bad boys and that guys like the bad girls. 

The other side to that is being a total jerk. They screw up so we don't have to.

What she did was so scandalous! I can't believe that guy did that to his wife. Last night's performance was terrible, he ought to be kicked off the show. She got so drunk at that party she was dancing in the streets in her lingerie. How embarrassing!

Celebrities also happen to also be very influential. Why? Well, because they are the action figures in the media industry. There will always be the writers, directors, coordinators, etc., but there has to be someone there to stage it, to sing it, to bring it. Those who bring it are the ones who are seen. The ones who are seen are the ones who are followed. The ones who are followed then get paid. The ones who are paid have status. The ones who have status are living the dream. We are always encouraged to chase our dreams, could chasing a celebrity be linked to that? Think about it. We are fueled by envy in a way.

We also look up to celebs because of our own selfish desires to be sexy and have all the money and be loved by others. We want what they have. It keeps us wondering, wishing...

She's so pretty, I wish I looked like her. He's got all the ladies, I wish more girls liked me. What is it they have that I do not?

They are also perfect for influencing the government. When they support a certain cause, politician, or organization, and they gain much praise from the public for it, it is easy to gather up the votes, support, and money needed to get things launched. (Money makes the world go round, eh? eh?)

It is exceedingly rare nowadays for one person to NOT have thoughts cross their mind about being famous. Whether we necessarily want fame or not, we desire it. It is in our nature to be well respected and looked up at for who we are. With all this influencing, money-making, selfish-thought provoking, and makeup applying going on, you gotta think, what an effective and successful system America has constructed! It subtly digs into our innermost desires and lets out what we want to see happen! In the meantime we 'normal' everyday folk go about doing everyday jobs. Making everyday life what it is. Those in the high life hear from us and are lifted up for it. So what does this all mean for believers?



King Solomon in the Bible had it all, man. He was probably the guy who experienced the high life better than anyone else ever in HISTORY. But even he knew that none of it could satisfy. And he had it ALL. Or, so he thought. Our hearts constantly desire fulfillment and satisfaction through it. Worldly satisfactions therefore seem like fulfillment. It's not. It is like "chasing wind". When we don't know the Lord, the world is literally all we've got. We can't even stretch our arms around the world! It just doesn't work for us like salt replacing sugar in a cake. I believe chasing celebrities has to do with that.

PS

Personally I continually pray for celebrities that I like (or dislike) because well, I love em. Not the way the world does, but the way Jesus does. They are people, just like you and me, and instead of bashing and mindlessly praising, let's love em. The way God would. That's what celebrities don't get a lot of: love. We can do that, can't we? Let's lose the fluff and get lovin'.

Oh and , btw, I love you too :) *MUAH*