Friday, July 22, 2011

A Tale of Anygirl



In the state of Indiana, up to the north a bit, there is a small town.
In that small town there is a little church.
Inside that church is a white-washed room sporting three couches and a pool table.
Sitting on the couch, or sometimes watching the game of pool, there was once a girl.
She had light skin, contrasted by dark hair and dark eyes.
Her clothes were tight-fitting; the styles and colors that accented her features best.
Her voice was strong, self-assured.
Even the way she walked spoke of her confidence.
She didn’t seem to be afraid of anything.
Her face was always lit with a smile.
A smile that said: I have all I want out of life.


But… if you would stop long enough to stare closely into her dark eyes,
You would read a different message.
Behind the thin mist of strength portrayed in those pools of deep blue,
A different person appeared.

If you looked carefully at her face,
You would see that it was her eye-shadow that sparkled,
Not her eyes.
That her smile stayed at her lips,
Refusing to spread to the rest of her face.
That her flushed cheeks did not come from a joyous spirit
But from spending ten dollars on cosmetics.

A step behind her confident stride,
Insecurity stormed, screaming,
“You’ll never be good enough!”
Wrestling her to the ground even as she
Stood,
So assured,
So strong,
So lost.

Underneath her clothing beat a
Nervous heart.
Was she truly beautiful?
Magazines,
Movies, the
Scale, and her
Mirror
Whispered of her
Every
Fault.
A million Voices taunted,
Lying to her
Open,
Hurting
Soul.

Batting eyelashes,
Speaking clever, flippant remarks,
She dwelt.
Truly Unseen.

Looks of Admiration,
Words of Praise,
The only Worth marking her
Life.

Vain, yet unstable.
Strong, yet needy.
Well-put-together…
Completely-falling-apart.


And yes.
She
Was
Me.

Was.

And God has placed a
Burden on my
Heart for the
Many,
MANY
Girls who are
Just
Like
Me.

I wish I could
SCREAM!
From the Mountaintops:
“You are
BEAUTIFUL!
You are
ADORED!
You are
MODELED after the
PERFECT
IMAGE of GOD!
The WORLD is
OVERFLOWING with
LIES!
Don’t FLAUNT the
BEAUTY the Lord has
FREELY
GIVEN
YOU!
NEVER THINK
You are
LESS than
HIS
OWN,
PRICELESS
CREATION!”


God doesn’t make junk.  He is the King of Glory.  If you are His redeemed child, you are washed pure and white.  NOTHING is more beautiful than that!
Man looks at the outward appearance,
But the LORD looks on the heart.


In the state of Indiana, up to the north a bit, there is an even smaller town.
In that even smaller town there is a little church.
Inside that church is a large room with hardwood floors and even harder pews.
Sitting on one of those pews, or sometimes on the platform behind the keyboard, is a girl.
She had light skin, contrasted by dark hair and dark eyes.
Her clothes are feminine; the styles and colors are entirely her own.
Her voice is strong, joyful.
Even the way she walks speaks of her assurance.
She doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything.
Her face is always lit with a smile.
A smile that says: God has given me all I could ever want out of life.


And if you ask her how she’s really, truly doing,
Be Prepared.
She may actually tell you.

3 comments:

Maiden Princess said...

Wonderful post Rachel! The most beautiful Maiden is one who has embraced the One who calls her beautiful. No longer does she need to spend hours picking out her wardrobe or styling and primping. She wants to look good as she is His reflection, but no longer is that her consuming desire. She knows she has all the love and attention she could ever want in Christ her Savior! She no longer needs to try and turn peoples head towards her, instead she makes it her aim to turn their hearts upwards unto Him!

Thanks for that beautiful post and reminder! So thankful to read how the Lord has worked in you!

In His Great Love,
Maiden Princess

Unknown said...

Rachel, this was beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing...if only every young woman understood the truth that they are beautiful...and that God loves us ever so much.

Thank you for sharing, friend!
~Melanie

Hannah Grace said...

Exactly what I need to hear. :) It seem like I struggle every day with my appearance, I'm told to wear more makeup and make my hair look nicer and wear better clothes...I wish people could just appreciate ME.