Reflecting the Beauty of Christ

Last night my parents and I stood at the entrance to the walking path at the nearby fish hatchery and watched as a swan gently floated down from the sky, the setting sun spreading light through its translucent wings and setting them aflame with bright light. It gently soared to the pond below, gracefully tucking its wings back down to rest, and beautiful rings echoed in the water. As we watched, I thought, That reminds me of God.

I used to worry about beauty, and often stared at myself in the mirror as I asked the question that every thirteen year-old girl desperately wants to be answered (preferably by some tall sixteen year-old who has already gone through puberty): "Am I beautiful?"

After Jesus became my Everything two years later, those thoughts slowly fell out of my mind. He told me that I was everything He desired for me to be, and that was enough (when I listened.) I thought about my appearance as little as possible, deciding resolutely that if I spent absolutely no time on it that He would be more pleased with me.

I was wrong.

I met a woman today. We'll call her Brenda, though that wasn't her name. She was about two hundred pounds overweight, her language was coarse, and her mannerisms were far from graceful. She used to drive eighteen-wheelers and has had a difficult life, from what I learned about her, so she has more excuses than a lot of people. Still, I couldn't help but wonder as I watched her how difficult it would be for someone like her to reflect the beauty of Christ. It wasn't that she didn't have an attractive face, just that her appearance as a whole didn't remind me of Him.

Brenda is what happens when we don't ever think about our appearance, and there was nothing holy about her. The problem comes in when we don't think about our appearances in the context of living a life for Christ and instead worry about what people think of us all of the time.

If you've ever struggled in this area, here are some questions that Jesus has asked me over the past few years:

-Is what I am wearing today reflecting the beauty of Christ or drawing attention to me, either in a good or bad way? Because, ultimately, it's always about Him.

-Are there any appearance-related obsessions (hair, make-up, jewelry, clothing) in my life that Jesus might be asking me to give up in order to be more focused on Him?

This life is meant to reflect Christ in every way. I spend a lot of time with people who live very dark lives- some of them spend all day shut up in dark, lonely rooms with no one to talk to. I decided soon after I began performing that I would strive to reflect Jesus in everything- my smile, my clothing, the songs I play, the way I speak and act- and it makes all the difference. I had an elderly man take my hand the other day and just look in my eyes for the longest time. "Thank you," was all he said, but I knew that he meant it with all of his heart. It's not about me, but the fact that, because Christ lives in me, that means that the moment that man touched me, he had an encounter with the Living God. 

I couldn't care less about make-up or shopping. That's not the point I'm trying to make. The number one question to ask is this: Am I striving to make others, whether they are guys, friends, strangers on the street, co-workers, or anyone else, think about me or about Jesus? If that is what we continue to ask ourselves, the answer will begin to affect every area of our lives. 

"From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth." Psalm 50:2