You're beautiful.
A pretty common phrase if you ask me. Such a common phrase that it has dwindled down into the most shallow meaning.
It's something we've been told since we were little kids, and when we were 5, we knew it, we believed it, and we accepted it. But now, as a 21-year-old college kid, when I'm told this saying, the belief flies out the window and accepting it is almost impossible.
As a society, we put so much value into the word beautiful. If you aren't "magazine perfect" or model status, you aren't beautiful, right? Yet, we all strive for this word to be a part of our lives. You see, we take this word (amongst others) and we place them 20 feet in the air when all we have is a 10-foot ladder. We make these words our goal. We take these words into consideration when making all kinds of decisions and we let them take over our lives. I mean, we are humans, men, and women, so what are we if we are not beautiful or handsome? What are we if we are not handed this word we hold so high?
We are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Regardless of your religious affiliation, Psalms 139:16 pertains to your life, especially if you struggle with the word beautiful as much as I do. God made us in His image because He knows how wonderful and perfect and beautiful we are. He took so much time piecing you together; you were made without any hesitation. You were made to be great, strong, smart, kind, loving, reasonable, and so much more. You were made for many reasons beyond beauty, and regardless of what those reasons are, it is so important to understand that you were made-made for a reason.
We are the art of this world.
I mean, think about your body for a second, just for a second. Now, think to yourself, how impossibly hard it is to create a human. You are a work of art. Every scar, scratch, bump, bruise, curve, freckle, and hair was strategically placed on your canvas. You were made so carefully and strategically, with so much time and effort and consideration. Then, you were placed on earth, to decorate the canvas we call home.
So, think about earth for a moment, how pretty it is and how magnificent it is. Now, think about this-earth took seven days to create and you took nine months. NINE. It took so much time for you to be developed; you were thought out so delicately, all the way down to the last skin cell. Why would someone build you for nine months for you to be mediocre?
You were built with so much effort because you were built to accomplish so much. You weren't made to be a word, you were made to be an advocate, a teacher, a learner, a friend, part of a family, a lover, a fighter, and everything in between.
Not only are we the art, we are also the artists. We help create the art in this world.
The cool thing about us humans is that our canvas can be enhanced. We can change our clothes, we can cut and color our hair, we can wear crazy, fun makeup, and we do all of these things to enhance the beauty that we already hold so easily.
"He has made everything beautiful in its time." -Ecclesiastes 3:11
The artist of the universe created us and then handed us the brush. The brush was not handed to us to alter or permanently change what was given to us, but rather to find ways to make ourselves unique and different amongst our peers. He has already made you beautiful, now you can take the brush and amplify the beauty that is already there.
Take your brush and paint the world; there are so many ways you can help enhance this place we call home. Become a humanitarian and help the people of this world, paint the town by cleaning things up, become someone who spends nine months on a project because they see potential in the outcome. Do not be afraid to be the artist, this is what you were made for.
You are so much more than beautiful, so stop settling for this word that has been used so much that it has lost its actual meaning.
