People do not know how beautiful they are. Beautiful in their own right, beautiful to others, beautiful before God, just full of beauty!
Let me tell you a little story.
One day I was at mass and the family in front of me had a charming little boy of around four years old. I was catching his eye at every possible moment because he was flirting right back (as all wide eyed, long-lashed little boys are so good at doing), and I was smiling so much throughout mass (try not to think how I probably should have been paying attention, lol). We knelt down to pray after mass had ended and their family moved towards the door. The little boy paused in front of me, and then pulled on his mother's pants. She bent down and talked to him quickly, and then he turned around again and looked straight at me. I had no clue what was coming, but I was so excited that he was going to talk to me! So adorable!
He seemed to take a moment to muster up the courage and then he announced to me, "You're really beautiful."
He turned and fled into his mother's legs, who proceeded to give me that parent smile of "don't be weirded out, he's only four." I smiled back the "don't worry, I'm not," smile, and that was that.
I just kept kneeling, thinking about what had happened. Let's be serious here, I'll take a four year old's opinion any day over an adult! I was so humbled, and so thankful. It made me think a lot about this topic.
I don't know if you've had some similar experience, and perhaps yours was actually through someone who loves you uniquely, but I wanted to get the point across - we just can't know how much good there is to us.
When we are created in the image and likeness of God, who are we to sit around muddying up our complexions? Don't get me wrong, I am seriously aware of our sinful natures. That's part of the point as well. I shouldn't be sinning in the first place, and then I really shouldn't be taking time to live in dejection, disappointment, despair and pity because I screwed up. Well, you know, we're kids. We're babies in the "being-perfect-as-your-heavenly-Father-is-perfect" game. We aren't supposed to have it all figured out. We never will! There will always be more to unlearn, better habits to adapt, more fulfilling prayers to pray, more peace to bring to our families, more forgiveness for those around us, more hope for the future... the growing process never ends. So we will fail, and fall, and then we will get back up again. We'll go say we're sorry, go confess and repent, and then we're going to let it go. We aren't supposed to forget our loveliness!!!
Sin damages our relationship with God, with the world, with those around us, and with ourselves. Sin does not remove the good nature we were given in the gift of existence! We are still His creatures, whether we accept it or not. We have the freedom to refuse his mercy and love but that light of his life that dwells within us is ever present and awaiting our invitation. We cannot allow our failures to keep us blind to the beauty that his mercy brings when we seek healing.
One of my favorite lines of all of Scripture is from Hosea 11:3
"but they did not know that I healed them." (RSV)
or
"they did not know that I was their healer." (NAB)
The whole context is this -
"When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them, the farther they went from me, Sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer." (NAB, 1-4)
Think about this though! When we grow up a little, all the things our parents have done for us, all the sacrifices we were so unaware of as children - they begin to be revealed and we find our hearts filled with gratitude. As the same responsibilities fall on our shoulders, we understand that they have always loved us so selflessly. Yet, when we are little, we cannot see or understand their working for us or their intention to keep us safe and happy, or to heal us when we are broken.
Thus the Lord works in mysterious ways to move and change us, to aid us in our brokenness, to remake us into his image time and again. He never grows weary of us! He never tires of our same failures and our same vices. He never stops wanting to form us anew again. He has been our healer when we did not know him, and he will be so again.
So if this is the case, is it so hard to believe we are beautiful, moreso than we understand or perhaps want to believe? I never thought I'd say it, but have faith that you are full of value, desirable, love-able, beautiful!
This is a song that the Missionaries of Charity (Bl. Mother Teresa's order) pray everyday. I don't think you can get much more beautiful than they are:
My chalice will be ever-full, sacrifices made all for Thee.
Ever more I will quench Thy thirst. Ever more I will quench Thy thirst, Lord, for souls.
In union with Mary our Queen, I will quench Thy thirst."
2 comments:
that's my household song :)
i know my sister. that's where I first learned it, actually. in austria with the flowers. but then in Ethiopia I discovered it's the MC's song too! it's so providential. :)
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